Cypress - Cookies

Cypress - Managing Cookies

Cypress provides robust mechanisms for managing cookies during your tests. By default, Cypress automatically clears all cookies before each test to ensure a clean state. However, there are scenarios where you need to persist cookies or interact with them directly.

Modern Session Management with cy.session()

For persisting login states or any session-specific data (cookies, localStorage, sessionStorage) across multiple tests, the recommended approach is to use the cy.session() command. This command caches and restores the session details, preventing the need to re-authenticate or re-establish state repeatedly.

Syntax for cy.session()

cy.session(id, setupFunction, options?)

• id: A unique identifier for the session. Can be a string or an array.
• setupFunction: A function that Cypress executes to create the session if it’s not already cached. This function should perform the steps to establish the session (e.g., log in, set cookies).
• options (optional): An object to configure session validation or other behaviors.

Once cy.session() successfully completes, cookies, localStorage, and sessionStorage are automatically saved and restored for subsequent tests using the same session id.

Basic Cookie Manipulation Commands

Cypress offers several commands for direct cookie interaction within a single test:

• cy.getCookie(name): Retrieves a specific cookie by its name.
• cy.getCookies(): Retrieves all cookies for the current domain.
• cy.setCookie(name, value, options?): Sets a cookie with a given name and value. You can also pass options like domain, path, secure, httpOnly, expiry.
• cy.clearCookie(name): Clears a specific cookie by its name.
• cy.clearCookies(options?): Clears all cookies from the current domain and subdomain. Options can be used to specify a domain.

Note: Cypress.Cookies.preserveOnce() and Cypress.Cookies.defaults() are deprecated and have been replaced by cy.session() for managing session state across tests. Cypress.Cookies.debug() is also deprecated; use browser DevTools or cy.log(JSON.stringify(cookies)) for debugging.

Implementation Examples

Example 1: Basic Cookie Operations

describe('Cookie Management Test', () => {
  beforeEach(() => {
    // Visit a page where cookies can be set
    cy.visit('https://www.example.com');
  });

  it('should set, get, and clear a cookie', () => {
    // Set a cookie
    cy.setCookie('myCookie', 'myValue', { domain: 'www.example.com' });

    // Get the cookie and assert its properties
    cy.getCookie('myCookie').should('have.property', 'value', 'myValue');

    // Get all cookies and log them
    cy.getCookies().then((cookies) => {
      cy.log('All cookies:', JSON.stringify(cookies));
    });

    // Clear the specific cookie
    cy.clearCookie('myCookie');

    // Verify the cookie is cleared
    cy.getCookie('myCookie').should('be.null');

    // Set multiple cookies for clearing all
    cy.setCookie('tempCookie1', 'val1');
    cy.setCookie('tempCookie2', 'val2');

    // Clear all cookies
    cy.clearCookies();

    // Verify all cookies are cleared
    cy.getCookies().should('be.empty');
  });
});

Example 2: Using cy.session() to Persist Login

describe('User Session Management', () => {
  beforeEach(() => {
    // Use cy.session to ensure login happens only once
    cy.session('userSession', () => {
      // Steps to log in the user
      cy.visit('https://your-app.com/login');
      cy.get('input[name="username"]').type('testUser');
      cy.get('input[name="password"]').type('password123');
      cy.get('button[type="submit"]').click();
      // Ensure login is successful, e.g., by checking URL or an element
      cy.url().should('include', '/dashboard');
      // Optionally, validate that cookies are set after login
      cy.getCookie('session_id').should('exist');
    });
    // After cy.session, cookies are restored. Visit the page you want to test.
    cy.visit('https://your-app.com/dashboard');
  });

  it('should access user-specific data on the dashboard', () => {
    // User is already logged in due to cy.session()
    cy.get('.user-profile').should('contain.text', 'testUser');
  });

  it('should navigate to another protected page', () => {
    // Session is still active
    cy.visit('https://your-app.com/settings');
    cy.get('.settings-header').should('be.visible');
  });
});

These examples demonstrate modern cookie handling in Cypress, focusing on test independence and efficient session management.