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Test navigation in Cypress by loading a starting page, performing the action a user would take, and asserting both the resulting location and meaningful content on the destination page. Use cy.url() for the full URL or cy.location() for a specific pathname, query string, or hash. Then choose the right pattern for redirects, browser history, network requests, or cross-origin transitions.
Test a link from click to destination
A useful end-to-end navigation test checks more than whether the address bar changed: it verifies that the user arrived at the intended page and that the page rendered something expected. Cypress’s first end-to-end test uses this setup-action-assertion pattern. (Cypress first end-to-end test)
it('navigates from the home page to actions', () => {
cy.visit('/')
cy.contains('type').click()
cy.url().should('include', '/commands/actions')
cy.get('h1').should('be.visible')
})Configure baseUrl in Cypress configuration so tests can visit relative paths such as / or /admin without hard-coding a host and port in every spec. Cypress recommends this approach for environment-independent tests. (Cypress best practices)
Assert the location component that matters
cy.url() yields the full current URL and is an alias for the href location value. cy.location() lets a test target a particular component, such as pathname, search, or hash. Both are useful; prefer the narrowest assertion that captures the behavior under test. Cypress retries URL assertions until the chained assertion passes. (cy.url(); cy.location())
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pathname. - Query state: assert
searchwhen the query string is part of the behavior. - Hash routing: assert
hash. For hash-based routes, the route and any query following#are in the hash component, not the regular search component. - Full destination: use
cy.url()when the complete URL is important. If comparing the full host, derive it from configuredbaseUrlrather than embedding an environment-specific value.
cy.get('[data-cy=edit-user]').click()
cy.location('pathname').should('eq', '/users/1/edit')Use equality when the complete component is specified by the behavior; use a looser assertion only when variable parts are intentional.
Test direct visits and redirects
cy.visit() follows redirects. To test what the browser ultimately displays, visit the route and assert the final location and, where useful, the destination page. Cypress documents visiting a protected route and checking that the browser lands on a login path. (cy.visit(); cy.location())
cy.visit('/admin')
cy.location('pathname').should('eq', '/login')
cy.get('h1').should('contain', 'Log in')cy.visit() waits for the page’s load event. Its documented requirements include an HTML response and a successful 2xx response after redirects. For a browser-navigation test, assert the final URL or location rather than treating the initial request as the destination. (cy.visit())
When the HTTP redirect response itself matters
A browser test and an HTTP redirect test answer different questions. The browser test checks the page a user reaches after following redirects. To inspect the redirect response itself, use cy.request() with followRedirect: false and assert its redirect destination information. (cy.request(); Cypress API testing)
Exercise browser back and forward
Use cy.go('back') and cy.go('forward') to test history traversal; -1 and 1 are equivalent directions. Cypress waits for a new page load when history navigation causes a full refresh. For a history change such as hash navigation that does not load a new page, the command resolves immediately. Assert the resulting route and relevant page state after the command. (cy.go())
it('returns to the product list with browser back', () => {
cy.visit('/products')
cy.get('[data-cy=product-link]').click()
cy.location('pathname').should('include', '/products/')
cy.go('back')
cy.location('pathname').should('eq', '/products')
cy.get('[data-cy=product-list]').should('be.visible')
})For forward navigation, first establish a history entry by navigating away, go back, and then call cy.go('forward'); assert the expected destination just as you would after a back action.
Coordinate route changes with network requests
If a route transition triggers a request that must be observed or stubbed, register cy.intercept() before cy.visit() whenever the request may begin during application startup. Adding the intercept after the visit resolves can be too late if the app has already issued the request. Choose a real response when the test needs to verify backend integration, or stub a response when isolating the UI transition is the goal. (cy.visit(); Cypress network requests)
it('loads a route using its startup request', () => {
cy.intercept('GET', '/api/products', { fixture: 'products.json' }).as('products')
cy.visit('/products')
cy.wait('@products')
cy.location('pathname').should('eq', '/products')
cy.get('[data-cy=product-list]').should('be.visible')
})Adjust the request matcher, fixture, and page selectors to your application. The ordering is the important part: set up interception before the visit if startup can trigger the request.
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When a test interacts with a different origin after navigating there, wrap that origin’s interactions in cy.origin(). Current Cypress guidance says this applies even when the origins share a superdomain. Cypress 14.0.0 changed the default behavior by stopping automatic injection of document.domain; check the version installed in your project before relying on version-specific setup. (Cross-origin testing; cy.origin())
cy.visit('/account')
cy.get('[data-cy=external-login]').click()
cy.origin('https://identity.example.com', () => {
cy.get('input[name=email]').type('[email protected]')
cy.get('button[type=submit]').click()
})Replace the example origin and selectors with the actual destination. Keep the origin-specific commands inside the callback; do not assume commands can interact with the new origin as if it were still the starting site.
Choose a test by the navigation behavior
| Behavior under test | Mechanism | Useful success assertion |
|---|---|---|
| User follows an in-app link | cy.visit(), user action, then location assertion |
Destination pathname plus a visible destination element |
| Browser lands after a redirect | cy.visit() and inspect final browser location |
Final pathname and destination content |
| Redirect response at HTTP layer | cy.request() with followRedirect: false |
Redirect destination information from the response |
| Back or forward history | cy.go('back') or cy.go('forward') |
Resulting location and page state |
| Startup request during route load | Register cy.intercept() before cy.visit() |
Observed or stubbed request and rendered route |
| Interaction after an origin change | cy.origin() for the destination origin |
Expected state after destination interaction |
Common failures and how to fix them
- The URL assertion passes, but the page is wrong or empty. Add an assertion for destination content or behavior, not just the URL.
- The test misses a startup request. Register the intercept before
cy.visit(), since the app may issue the request before the visit finishes. - The redirect assertion checks the original route.
cy.visit()follows redirects; assert the final browser location. - A hash route fails a search-string assertion. Check
hashfor route state after#; usesearchfor the ordinary query component. - A full-URL assertion breaks in another environment. Prefer a relative
cy.visit()with configuredbaseUrland assert the relevant location component. - Commands fail after navigation to another origin. Use
cy.origin()around interactions for the destination origin, and confirm behavior against the installed Cypress version.
The Cypress recipes index includes a category for links that open a new tab. Use the linked recipe for implementation details rather than assuming a particular workaround applies to every app. (Cypress recipes)
Or skip the browser setup
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