How to visit a url of a different origin in Cypress?

When using Cypress for end-to-end testing, we often encounter scenarios where we need to access or test URLs from different origins. Due to the Same Origin Policy, Cypress by default does not allow accessing multiple different origins within a single test case. However, Cypress provides several methods to handle this.

1. Using cy.origin Command

Starting from Cypress 9.6.0, the cy.origin command was introduced, enabling interaction with pages from other origins within the same test. This is the recommended approach for handling URLs from different origins. cy.origin accepts two parameters: the URL of another origin and a callback function where operations on that origin can be performed.

Example:

Assume we need to access the Google search page and our own application page in the test.

javascript
it('should be able to interact with multiple origins', () => {
  cy.visit('https://our-application.com'); // Access our application
  cy.get('.some-element').should('be.visible'); // Check elements

  cy.origin('https://www.google.com', () => {
    cy.visit('/'); // Access Google
    cy.get('input[name="q"]').type('Cypress Testing{enter}'); // Type into the search box
  });

  cy.url().should('include', 'https://our-application.com'); // Verify we have returned to our application
});

2. Modifying Configuration

Although cy.origin is the recommended method, in earlier versions of Cypress or specific scenarios, we might modify the configuration to allow cross-origin access. This can be done by setting chromeWebSecurity to false in the cypress.json configuration file to disable Same Origin Policy restrictions.

Example:

json
{
  "chromeWebSecurity": false
}

This allows free access to any URL during testing, but note that disabling the Same Origin Policy may introduce security and stability risks.

3. Using a Proxy Server

Another technique is to use a proxy server in the test environment to redirect all external requests to the same origin. This is typically achieved by configuring your network environment or using specific middleware, rather than directly through Cypress.

In summary, to handle multiple origins in Cypress, it's best to use the cy.origin command, which is the latest and most secure method. If using an older version of Cypress or with specific requirements, consider modifying the configuration or using a proxy server.