Test an anchor according to what it must do: assert its href to verify the declared destination, or click it and assert the resulting URL and destination state to verify navigation. For a same-page link, check the fragment and its target element. Those checks answer different questions; a single vague “link works” assertion may not.
Choose the behavior your test needs to prove
Before writing a Cypress assertion, decide whether the requirement concerns markup, an interaction, a destination, or a collection of generated links.
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| Requirement | Useful assertion |
|---|---|
| The anchor declares the right address | Assert the exact href attribute. |
| Clicking a same-page link moves to a section | Click, assert the location hash, and verify the target element. |
| Clicking an internal link navigates to the right page | Click, assert the URL, and verify identifying destination content. |
| Generated content links are well-formed | Iterate the intended links and assert each has a valid-looking href; this does not establish that every destination responds. |
Cypress documents clicking a link and checking the URL with cy.url(). Its cy.url() reference explains that it yields the active full URL and retries chained assertions until they pass or time out. A configured baseUrl helps keep route assertions independent of a hard-coded host or port.
Test a same-page fragment link
A fragment such as #pricing identifies a location in the current document. If the interaction matters, click the link and check both the hash and the target. The example assumes the page is already loaded and contains an anchor with that href and an element with the matching ID.
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cy.get('a[href="#pricing"]').click()
cy.location('hash').should('eq', '#pricing')
cy.get('#pricing').should('exist')Alternatively, use an application-owned selector, such as [data-cy="pricing-link"], when that is the stable selector your app provides. Cypress notes that .click() is an action; after clicking, start a new chain from cy for assertions about changed state, since the click may rerender or remove the original element.
A URL hash and an existing target do not prove that the target is visible in the viewport. If scrolling into view is a product requirement, assert that separately with an appropriate visibility or position check; do not treat a location assertion as proof of visibility.
Test internal navigation end to end
For a normal same-origin link, verify the route and an identifying piece of destination content. The page path and heading below are examples; substitute values meaningful to the application.
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cy.visit('/')
cy.get('[data-cy="account-link"]').click()
cy.url().should('include', '/account')
cy.get('h1').should('contain', 'Account')
})Checking destination content makes the test stronger than a URL-only check when the requirement is that a user reaches a particular page. Cypress retries the URL assertion, so prefer a meaningful condition to an arbitrary wait.
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Check an anchor’s declared href
If you need to verify the address written in the markup—not whether navigation succeeds—assert the attribute directly. Cypress recommends this approach for external destinations the test team does not control, because a live third-party site can make navigation tests nondeterministic. See Cypress’s cross-origin testing guide.
cy.get('[data-cy="docs-link"]')
.should('have.attr', 'href', 'https://docs.example.test/guide')Use the exact destination when it is stable and relevant. If the application intentionally generates a relative URL or builds links from test data, derive the expected value from that data or assert the relevant path and fragment. Avoid a loose substring check that could also match an incorrect destination.
Handle external and cross-origin destinations
When you do not control the destination
Assert the configured href rather than making the test depend on a remote site being available or unchanged. This verifies what your page offers the user without turning a third party’s uptime or content into a test prerequisite.
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When you control the destination
If verifying the destination page is part of the requirement and you control its origin, Cypress documents cy.origin() for running assertions on that origin. Follow the current Cypress cross-origin guide for the supported setup. The guide also notes that secure-to-insecure navigation can fail; do not hide a genuine mixed-content security problem with a test workaround.
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Check generated anchors across a page
For content pages or generated navigation, select the intended link set and report enough context to identify failures. This example checks that each selected anchor has an href and rejects values containing the literal text undefined.
cy.get('article a').each(($link) => {
const label = $link.text().trim()
expect($link, label).to.have.attr('href')
expect($link.attr('href'), label).not.to.contain('undefined')
})This checks link markup, not whether all linked pages resolve over the network. If a page can legitimately have no article links, handle that case deliberately: a query expected to find at least one element may fail before the integrity assertions run. You can scope the check to a page known to contain links, or first distinguish the empty-set case if it is valid for the test.
Keep anchor tests stable and diagnostic
- Prefer stable, application-owned selectors where available; Cypress’s selector guidance recommends making clear which element a test manipulates.
- Match the assertion to the requirement: declared href, route or fragment, destination content, or generated-link integrity.
- After clicking, query the resulting state again from
cyrather than depending on the clicked element as the subject. - Use retryable assertions against expected URL or DOM state instead of adding fixed delays without a specific need.
- Keep uncontrolled external services out of navigation dependencies; verify their outgoing href unless reaching them is explicitly under test.
Common failures and fixes
The hash assertion never passes
Confirm that the test clicked the intended anchor and that its href contains the expected fragment. If the link navigates to another route as well as a fragment, assert the appropriate location component or full URL rather than expecting a hash-only value to describe the whole navigation.
The target-element assertion fails
Check that the target ID exists in the rendered document and that the selector matches it exactly. If the target is inserted asynchronously, assert the expected DOM condition and allow Cypress’s normal retry behavior to work.
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The original link is detached after clicking
The click may have triggered a rerender. Start a fresh query from cy for the URL or destination element rather than chaining an assertion on the prior link subject.
An external-link test fails intermittently
If the external page is not under your control, change the test to assert the configured href. If the remote destination must be tested, use the documented cross-origin approach and accept that the destination is a dependency.
A bulk anchor query fails on an empty page
Decide whether zero matching anchors is valid for that page. Scope the check to pages expected to contain links or explicitly account for empty pages before applying per-link assertions.
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An href assertion proves the declared value only. Add a click plus URL and destination-state checks for navigation behavior, or separately test a controlled destination. Do not describe a markup-integrity loop as a network link checker.
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For a screenshot of a page while investigating its rendered state, ScreenshotNeo offers a one-request screenshot API; it does not replace Cypress assertions about anchor behavior. A request with a URL returns an image or PDF. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp- Cookie and consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed before capture; each cleanup step can be turned off.
- Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed; responses include
X-Page-VerdictandX-Billedheaders. - An MCP server provides
take_screenshot,get_page_info, andcapture_pdftools for AI agents and MCP clients. - The Free plan includes 1,000 screenshots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does checking an anchor’s href prove that the destination works?
No. It verifies the address declared in the markup. To test navigation, click the link and assert the resulting location and destination state.
Should I use cy.url() or cy.location() for a fragment link?
Use cy.location(‘hash’) when the fragment is the specific value you need to check; use cy.url() when you want to assert the full active URL.
Can Cypress confirm that every generated link resolves?
A loop over anchors can validate markup values, but it does not prove that each network destination responds. Test controlled destinations separately if resolution is in scope.
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