The Tool Desk
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What “adding a GUI” means for a Cypress API test
Cypress’s API tests run as end-to-end (E2E) tests and use the same built-in Test Runner as browser-based tests. There is no separate GUI package to install. The runner displays test steps in its Command Log, where you can select an API request to inspect its method, status, URL, and request and response details. Cypress’s current API guide was last updated August 26, 2026: Cypress network requests guide.
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The important distinction is what the test is exercising. cy.request() makes a direct HTTP request from the test. It does not make the application send that request. To observe, wait for, or stub traffic made by the application, use cy.intercept() instead.
Write an API test in the E2E suite
-
Install and configure Cypress in your project as usual. If you want to use relative API paths, set
e2e.baseUrlin your Cypress configuration; it is optional when the request uses a full URL. -
Add the test to your E2E spec suite. The following example assumes an API endpoint that returns a successful response with a JSON body containing an
idfield. Replace the URL and assertions with those for your API:describe('API health check', () => { it('returns a successful response', () => { cy.request('https://api.example.com/health').then((response) => { expect(response.status).to.equal(200) expect(response.body).to.have.property('id') }) }) })cy.request()can be used to examine the response status, body, headers, and timing. Its request is a direct test request, not browser traffic from a page. -
Open the interactive runner using
npx cypress open(or the equivalent command for your package manager). Choose the E2E testing type, then select and run your spec.Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Use the interactive Test Runner
In open mode, Cypress launches a headed browser and lets you run the spec interactively. As the test runs, its commands appear in the Command Log. Select the request command to inspect its method, URL, status, and request/response details. You can also select steps to investigate intermediate values in DevTools.
An application page is not required for this to be useful: the runner can display the steps and results of an API-only spec. Cypress’s historical article, “Add GUI to your E2E API tests” (published November 7, 2017), describes the reporter as showing each step of the test’s fluent API in its own row. The current documentation is the better reference for setup and current commands.
Choose between interactive open mode and a visible CLI run
| Workflow | Command | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive development | npx cypress open |
Opens the headed Test Runner so you can select and run specs interactively. |
| Visible CLI reproduction | npx cypress run --headed --no-exit --browser chrome |
Runs from the CLI with a visible Chrome browser; --no-exit leaves Cypress open after a spec so you can inspect the command log and final application state. |
| CI or other headless execution | npx cypress run |
Runs headlessly by default; a visible browser is not required for API tests. |
The browser and CLI flags are documented in the Cypress command-line reference and browser-launching guide. Use open mode when authoring interactively. Use the headed CLI command when you want to reproduce a CLI or CI-style run locally while retaining the runner for inspection. Headed mode is not a requirement for API testing.
Rank #4
Know what Cypress captures in open and run modes
- Failure screenshots: Cypress automatically captures them during
cypress run. It does not automatically take failure screenshots duringcypress open. - Videos: Video recording is disabled by default. If enabled, Cypress records a video per spec during
cypress run, not duringcypress open.
See the Cypress screenshots and videos guide for the current artifact behavior and configuration.
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What direct API checks are useful for
Cypress says API checks can keep UI and API tests in one runner, configuration, and CI job. Direct requests can also provide feedback on backend contract changes and make setup or teardown faster than navigating forms. Those are Cypress’s stated reasons for the approach, not a guarantee of a particular speed improvement in every project.
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Troubleshoot common GUI and API-test issues
The spec does not appear in the runner
- Confirm the test is in the project’s E2E spec suite and matches the configured spec pattern.
- In
cypress open, choose the E2E testing type before looking for the spec.
The request URL cannot be resolved
- Use a full URL in
cy.request(), or configuree2e.baseUrlif you intend to use a relative path. - Check that the API host is reachable from the machine running Cypress and that the URL and endpoint path are correct.
The runner does not show the application’s network request
cy.request() performs a direct request initiated by the test. If the behavior you need to inspect is traffic initiated by the application, set up cy.intercept() to observe, wait on, or stub that traffic.
The browser closes before you can inspect a CLI run
Run with --headed --no-exit --browser chrome. The --headed flag makes the browser visible, and --no-exit keeps Cypress open after the spec.
No automatic failure screenshot appears after using open mode
Automatic failure screenshots are part of cypress run, not cypress open. For an artifact produced by a run, execute the spec with npx cypress run.
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If you need a website screenshot rather than an interactive Cypress test runner, ScreenshotNeo takes one with a GET request. For example, save a capture of a site as WebP:
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