How to run Cypress headed tests using Chrome Incognito

When developing automated tests or executing tests, Incognito mode is highly beneficial for configuring the testing environment. Running Cypress in Chrome's Incognito mode helps simulate a cleaner browsing environment, ensuring test accuracy and avoiding interference from cache or old data.

Step 1: Configure Cypress to Use Chrome Incognito Mode

To run Cypress tests in Chrome's Incognito mode, you first need to configure custom browser parameters in the Cypress configuration file (typically cypress.json). In cypress.json, you can add the following configuration:

json
{
  "browsers": [
    {
      "name": "chrome",
      "family": "chromium",
      "channel": "stable",
      "display": ["Chrome"],
      "version": "version number",
      "path": "browser path",
      "majorVersion": "major version number"
    }
  ]
}

Step 2: Launch via Command Line Parameters

When launching Cypress, you can specify the browser and related parameters via the command line. For example, to launch in Chrome's Incognito mode, use the following command:

bash
cypress open --browser chrome --config chromeWebSecurity=false

Additionally, add the Chrome-specific Incognito mode parameter in the command line:

bash
--incognito

This way, Cypress will automatically launch Chrome in Incognito mode when running tests.

Step 3: Verify Incognito Mode in Test Scripts

In Cypress test scripts, even though the browser is configured to run in Incognito mode, you can add checks to ensure each test runs in the expected browsing mode. You can verify this by checking certain browser properties or behaviors.

Real-World Example

In a previous project, we needed to ensure that user login information is not stored after each test iteration. By using Chrome's Incognito mode, we ensure that all user data is not saved from the previous session during each test run, thereby avoiding data interference between tests. This is particularly helpful when testing login functionality, as we need to verify that each login occurs in a fresh environment.

Summary

Running Cypress tests in Chrome's Incognito mode is an effective method to ensure consistency and isolation of the testing environment. By following these steps, you can easily configure and verify the Incognito mode for Cypress tests, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of automated testing.