e2e-testing by korallis

---
name: e2e-testing
description: Write comprehensive end-to-end tests that verify complete user workflows, integration between components, and system behavior from user perspective using Playwright, Cypress, or similar frameworks. Use when testing user flows, verifying feature integration, testing across real browsers, ensuring UI interactions work correctly, validating form submissions end-to-end, testing authentication flows, catching regressions, automating QA processes, testing API integrations, or building confidence in production deployments.
---

# End-to-End Testing - Testing Full User Workflows

## When to use this skill

- Testing complete user workflows end-to-end
- Verifying integration between frontend and backend
- Testing critical user journeys (signup, checkout, etc.)
- Validating form submissions and data persistence
- Testing authentication and authorization flows
- Catching regressions before production deployment
- Automating manual QA testing processes
- Testing responsive behavior across devices
- Verifying third-party integrations work correctly
- Building CI/CD confidence with automated tests
- Testing error handling and edge cases
- Ensuring accessibility features work correctly

## When to use this skill

- Verifying complete user flows, testing integrations, validating critical paths, or ensuring features work in production-like environments.
- When working on related tasks or features
- During development that requires this expertise

**Use when**: Verifying complete user flows, testing integrations, validating critical paths, or ensuring features work in production-like environments.

## Core Principles

1. **Test User Journeys, Not Implementation** - Focus on what users do
2. **Test Critical Paths First** - Happy paths and key revenue flows
3. **Stable Selectors** - Use data-testid, not brittle CSS selectors
4. **Independent Tests** - No shared state between tests
5. **Fast Feedback** - Parallel execution, smart retries

## Playwright (Recommended)

### 1. **Basic Setup**

```typescript
// playwright.config.ts
import { defineConfig, devices } from '@playwright/test';

export default defineConfig({
  testDir: './e2e',
  fullyParallel: true,
  forbidOnly: !!process.env.CI,
  retries: process.env.CI ? 2 : 0,
  workers: process.env.CI ? 1 : undefined,
  reporter: 'html',
  
  use: {
    baseURL: 'http://localhost:3000',
    trace: 'on-first-retry',
    screenshot: 'only-on-failure'
  },

  projects: [
    {
      name: 'chromium',
      use: { ...devices['Desktop Chrome'] }
    },
    {
      name: 'firefox',
      use: { ...devices['Desktop Firefox'] }
    },
    {
      name: 'Mobile Chrome',
      use: { ...devices['Pixel 5'] }
    }
  ],

  webServer: {
    command: 'npm run dev',
    url: 'http://localhost:3000',
    reuseExistingServer: !process.env.CI
  }
});
```

### 2. **Writing Tests**

```typescript
// e2e/auth.spec.ts
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test.describe('Authentication', () => {
  test('user can sign up', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/signup');
    
    // Fill form
    await page.getByLabel('Email').fill('[email protected]');
    await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('SecurePass123!');
    await page.getByLabel('Confirm Password').fill('SecurePass123!');
    
    // Submit
    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign Up' }).click();
    
    // Assert success
    await expect(page).toHaveURL('/dashboard');
    await expect(page.getByText('Welcome')).toBeVisible();
  });

  test('shows error for invalid email', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/signup');
    
    await page.getByLabel('Email').fill('invalid-email');
    await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('password123');
    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Sign Up' }).click();
    
    // Error message appears
    await expect(page.getByText('Invalid email format')).toBeVisible();
    
    // Still on signup page
    await expect(page).toHaveURL('/signup');
  });

  test('user can log in', async ({ page }) => {
    await page.goto('/login');
    
    await page.getByLabel('Email').fill('[email protected]');
    await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('password123');
    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Log In' }).click();
    
    await expect(page).toHaveURL('/dashboard');
  });
});
```

### 3. **Page Object Model**

```typescript
// ✅ Encapsulate page interactions
// e2e/pages/LoginPage.ts
import { Page } from '@playwright/test';

export class LoginPage {
  constructor(private page: Page) {}

  async goto() {
    await this.page.goto('/login');
  }

  async login(email: string, password: string) {
    await this.page.getByLabel('Email').fill(email);
    await this.page.getByLabel('Password').fill(password);
    await this.page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Log In' }).click();
  }

  async getErrorMessage() {
    return this.page.getByRole('alert').textContent();
  }
}

// Usage in tests
test('successful login', async ({ page }) => {
  const loginPage = new LoginPage(page);
  
  await loginPage.goto();
  await loginPage.login('[email protected]', 'password123');
  
  await expect(page).toHaveURL('/dashboard');
});
```

### 4. **Fixtures for Setup/Teardown**

```typescript
// ✅ Reusable test fixtures
// e2e/fixtures.ts
import { test as base } from '@playwright/test';

type Fixtures = {
  authenticatedPage: Page;
};

export const test = base.extend<Fixtures>({
  authenticatedPage: async ({ page }, use) => {
    // Setup: Log in before test
    await page.goto('/login');
    await page.getByLabel('Email').fill('[email protected]');
    await page.getByLabel('Password').fill('password123');
    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Log In' }).click();
    await page.waitForURL('/dashboard');
    
    // Run test
    await use(page);
    
    // Teardown: Log out after test
    await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Log Out' }).click();
  }
});

// Usage
test('create post as authenticated user', async ({ authenticatedPage }) => {
  await authenticatedPage.goto('/posts/new');
  await authenticatedPage.getByLabel('Title').fill('My Post');
  await authenticatedPage.getByRole('button', { name: 'Publish' }).click();
  
  await expect(authenticatedPage.getByText('Post published')).toBeVisible();
});
```

### 5. **Waiting Strategies**

```typescript
// ✅ Wait for conditions, not arbitrary timeouts
test('search functionality', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/search');
  
  // Type in search
  await page.getByPlaceholder('Search...').fill('playwright');
  
  // ❌ Bad - arbitrary timeout
  await page.waitForTimeout(2000);
  
  // ✅ Good - wait for specific condition
  await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');
  
  // ✅ Better - wait for specific element
  await page.waitForSelector('[data-testid="search-results"]');
  
  // ✅ Best - implicit wait with assertion
  await expect(page.getByTestId('search-results')).toBeVisible();
  
  const results = page.getByTestId('result-item');
  await expect(results).toHaveCount(10);
});

// ✅ Wait for API calls
test('data loads correctly', async ({ page }) => {
  // Wait for specific API call
  const responsePromise = page.waitForResponse(
    (response) => response.url().includes('/api/users') && response.status() === 200
  );
  
  await page.goto('/users');
  
  const response = await responsePromise;
  const data = await response.json();
  
  expect(data.users).toHaveLength(5);
});
```

### 6. **Testing Forms & Interactions**

```typescript
test('checkout flow', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/cart');
  
  // Click checkout button
  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Checkout' }).click();
  
  // Fill shipping info
  await page.getByLabel('Full Name').fill('John Doe');
  await page.getByLabel('Address').fill('123 Main St');
  await page.getByLabel('City').fill('San Francisco');
  await page.getByLabel('State').selectOption('CA');
  await page.getByLabel('ZIP Code').fill('94102');
  
  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Continue' }).click();
  
  // Fill payment info (use test card)
  await page.frameLocator('iframe[title="Payment"]')
    .getByPlaceholder('Card number')
    .fill('4242424242424242');
  
  await page.frameLocator('iframe[title="Payment"]')
    .getByPlaceholder('MM / YY')
    .fill('12/25');
  
  await page.frameLocator('iframe[title="Payment"]')
    .getByPlaceholder('CVC')
    .fill('123');
  
  // Submit order
  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Place Order' }).click();
  
  // Verify success
  await expect(page.getByText('Order confirmed')).toBeVisible();
  await expect(page).toHaveURL(/\/orders\/\d+/);
});
```

### 7. **Testing File Uploads**

```typescript
test('upload profile picture', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/profile/edit');
  
  // Upload file
  const fileInput = page.getByLabel('Profile Picture');
  await fileInput.setInputFiles('fixtures/avatar.png');
  
  // Wait for upload to complete
  await expect(page.getByText('Upload complete')).toBeVisible();
  
  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Save' }).click();
  
  // Verify new avatar shows
  const avatar = page.getByRole('img', { name: 'Profile picture' });
  await expect(avatar).toHaveAttribute('src', /avatar\.png/);
});
```

### 8. **Visual Regression Testing**

```typescript
test('homepage looks correct', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/');
  
  // Take screenshot and compare
  await expect(page).toHaveScreenshot('homepage.png');
});

test('button hover state', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('/');
  
  const button = page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Get Started' });
  await button.hover();
  
  await expect(button).toHaveScreenshot('button-hover.png');
});
```

## Cypress Alternative

### 1. **Cypress Setup**

```typescript
// cypress/e2e/auth.cy.ts
describe('Authentication', () => {
  beforeEach(() => {
    cy.visit('/login');
  });

  it('allows user to log in', () => {
    cy.get('[data-testid="email"]').type('[email protected]');
    cy.get('[data-testid="password"]').type('password123');
    cy.get('[data-testid="submit"]').click();
    
    cy.url().should('include', '/dashboard');
    cy.contains('Welcome back').should('be.visible');
  });

  it('shows error for wrong password', () => {
    cy.get('[data-testid="email"]').type('[email protected]');
    cy.get('[data-testid="password"]').type('wrongpassword');
    cy.get('[data-testid="submit"]').click();
    
    cy.contains('Invalid credentials').should('be.visible');
  });
});
```

### 2. **Cypress Commands**

```typescript
// cypress/support/commands.ts
declare global {
  namespace Cypress {
    interface Chainable {
      login(email: string, password: string): Chainable<void>;
      createPost(title: string, content: string): Chainable<void>;
    }
  }
}

Cypress.Commands.add('login', (email, password) => {
  cy.visit('/login');
  cy.get('[data-testid="email"]').type(email);
  cy.get('[data-testid="password"]').type(password);
  cy.get('[data-testid="submit"]').click();
  cy.url().should('include', '/dashboard');
});

Cypress.Commands.add('createPost', (title, content) => {
  cy.visit('/posts/new');
  cy.get('[data-testid="title"]').type(title);
  cy.get('[data-testid="content"]').type(content);
  cy.get('[data-testid="publish"]').click();
});

// Usage
it('creates a post', () => {
  cy.login('[email protected]', 'password123');
  cy.createPost('My Post', 'Post content here');
  cy.contains('Post published').should('be.visible');
});
```

## Best Practices

### 1. **Use Stable Selectors**

```typescript
// ❌ Brittle - breaks when styling changes
await page.locator('.btn-primary.large').click();
await page.locator('div > div > button:nth-child(2)').click();

// ✅ Semantic - uses accessible roles
await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Submit' }).click();
await page.getByRole('textbox', { name: 'Email' }).fill('[email protected]');

// ✅ Test IDs - explicit test hooks
await page.getByTestId('submit-button').click();
await page.getByTestId('email-input').fill('[email protected]');

// In your component:
<button data-testid="submit-button">Submit</button>
<input data-testid="email-input" type="email" />
```

### 2. **Independent Tests**

```typescript
// ❌ Tests depend on each other
test('create user', async ({ page }) => {
  // Creates user with ID stored globally
  globalUserId = await createUser();
});

test('update user', async ({ page }) => {
  // Fails if previous test didn't run
  await updateUser(globalUserId);
});

// ✅ Each test is self-contained
test('update user', async ({ page }) => {
  // Create user for this test only
  const user = await createTestUser();
  
  await page.goto(`/users/${user.id}/edit`);
  await page.getByLabel('Name').fill('New Name');
  await page.getByRole('button', { name: 'Save' }).click();
  
  await expect(page.getByText('Updated successfully')).toBeVisible();
  
  // Cleanup
  await deleteTestUser(user.id);
});
```

### 3. **Test Data Management**

```typescript
// ✅ Factory functions for test data
export function createTestUser(overrides = {}) {
  return {
    email: `test-${Date.now()}@example.com`,
    password: 'password123',
    name: 'Test User',
    ...overrides
  };
}

// Usage
test('create multiple users', async ({ page }) => {
  const user1 = createTestUser({ name: 'Alice' });
  const user2 = createTestUser({ name: 'Bob' });
  
  // Each gets unique email due to timestamp
});

// ✅ Database seeding
test.beforeEach(async ({ page }) => {
  // Seed database with test data
  await db.users.deleteMany();
  await db.users.createMany([
    createTestUser({ email: '[email protected]' }),
    createTestUser({ email: '[email protected]' })
  ]);
});
```

### 4. **Mocking External Services**

```typescript
// ✅ Mock API responses
test('handles API error', async ({ page }) => {
  // Intercept and mock API call
  await page.route('**/api/users', (route) => {
    route.fulfill({
      status: 500,
      body: JSON.stringify({ error: 'Server error' })
    });
  });
  
  await page.goto('/users');
  
  await expect(page.getByText('Failed to load users')).toBeVisible();
});

// ✅ Mock successful response
test('displays user list', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.route('**/api/users', (route) => {
    route.fulfill({
      status: 200,
      body: JSON.stringify({
        users: [
          { id: 1, name: 'Alice' },
          { id: 2, name: 'Bob' }
        ]
      })
    });
  });
  
  await page.goto('/users');
  
  await expect(page.getByText('Alice')).toBeVisible();
  await expect(page.getByText('Bob')).toBeVisible();
});
```

## E2E Testing Checklist

```
Test Coverage:
□ Critical user paths tested (signup, login, purchase)
□ Happy paths covered
□ Error scenarios tested
□ Edge cases included
□ Mobile viewport tested

Test Quality:
□ Stable selectors (data-testid, roles)
□ No arbitrary timeouts
□ No test interdependencies
□ Proper waits for async operations
□ Clear test descriptions

Performance:
□ Tests run in parallel
□ Fast test data creation
□ Minimal unnecessary waits
□ Strategic use of mocks
□ Cleanup after tests

CI/CD:
□ Tests run on every PR
□ Failures block merges
□ Screenshots on failure
□ Test reports generated
□ Flaky tests identified and fixed
```

## Resources

- [Playwright Documentation](https://playwright.dev/)
- [Cypress Documentation](https://www.cypress.io/)
- [Testing Best Practices](https://testingjavascript.com/)

---

**Remember**: E2E tests verify what users actually experience. Keep them focused on critical paths, stable, and fast.