before and after hooks in Cypress - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is the purpose of before hooks in Cypress tests?

before hooks run once before all tests in a block. They set up things like visiting a page or logging in, so tests start in the right state.

beginner

How does the after hook help in Cypress testing?

after hooks run once after all tests finish. They clean up or reset things, like logging out or clearing data, to keep tests independent.

intermediate

What is the difference between before and beforeEach hooks?

before runs once before all tests, while beforeEach runs before every single test. Use beforeEach to reset state before each test.

beginner

Show a simple example of using before and after hooks in Cypress.

describe('My Test Suite', () => {
  before(() => {
    cy.visit('/login')
  })

  after(() => {
    cy.clearCookies()
  })

  it('checks page title', () => {
    cy.title().should('include', 'Login')
  })
})

intermediate

Why should tests avoid relying on afterEach hooks for cleanup?

Because it can lead to tests depending on previous outcomes. It's safer to use beforeEach to reset state before each test or design tests to be independent.

When does the before hook run in Cypress?

A After each test

B Before each test

C Once before all tests in a describe block

D Once after all tests

The before hook runs once before all tests in the block to set up the test environment.

Which hook runs after all tests finish in a Cypress test suite?

A afterEach

B after

C beforeEach

D before

The after hook runs once after all tests complete, useful for cleanup.

What is a good use case for beforeEach in Cypress?

A To reset application state before each test

B To skip tests

C To clean up after all tests

D To run setup once before all tests

beforeEach runs before every test, so it's good for resetting state to keep tests independent.

What happens if a test fails before the afterEach hook runs?

A The <code>afterEach</code> hook still runs

B The test automatically passes

C The <code>afterEach</code> hook might not run, causing leftover state

D The test suite stops immediately

In Cypress, the afterEach hook still runs even if a test fails early.

Which hook is best to visit a page once before all tests?

A after

B afterEach

C beforeEach

D before

before runs once before all tests, perfect for visiting a page once.

Explain how before and after hooks help organize Cypress tests.

Think about setup and cleanup tasks.

Describe the difference between beforeEach and before hooks with examples.

Focus on how often each hook runs.