Asserting request properties in Cypress - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ assertion

intermediate

Check HTTP method in intercepted request

You intercept a network request in Cypress and want to assert that the HTTP method used is POST. Which assertion correctly checks this property?

Cypress

cy.intercept('/api/data').as('getData');
cy.visit('/page');
cy.wait('@getData').its('request.method').should(/* your assertion here */);

A "contain", "POST"

B "include", "POST"

C "equal", "POST"

D "have.property", "POST"

💡 Hint

Use the assertion that checks exact equality of the HTTP method string.

The request.method property is a string representing the HTTP method. To assert it is exactly 'POST', use should('equal', 'POST'). Other assertions like 'contain' or 'include' are for partial matches or objects, which are not appropriate here.

❓ Predict Output

intermediate

Output of request header assertion

Given the following Cypress test code, what will be the test result if the intercepted request does NOT include the header 'Authorization'?

Cypress

cy.intercept('/api/user').as('getUser');
cy.visit('/profile');
cy.wait('@getUser').its('request.headers').should('have.property', 'authorization');

A Test passes successfully

B Test fails with an assertion error about missing 'authorization' property

C Test fails with a timeout error waiting for the request

D Test throws a syntax error

💡 Hint

Think about what happens when you assert a property that does not exist on an object.

The assertion should('have.property', 'authorization') expects the 'authorization' header to exist. If it is missing, Cypress throws an assertion error indicating the property is not found.

🔧 Debug

advanced

Identify the error in request body assertion

This Cypress code tries to assert that the intercepted request body contains a field 'userId' equal to 123. What is wrong with the assertion?

Cypress

cy.intercept('POST', '/api/orders').as('postOrder');
cy.visit('/order');
cy.wait('@postOrder').its('request.body').should('contain', { userId: 123 });

A The 'request.body' is a string, so object comparison fails

B The 'should' assertion is missing a callback function

C The 'contain' assertion does not work with objects; use 'deep.include' instead

D The alias '@postOrder' is not defined before use

💡 Hint

Check the data type of the request body in intercepted requests.

In Cypress, the request.body is often a JSON string, not an object. Using should('contain', { userId: 123 }) fails because it compares an object to a string. You must parse the body or assert on the string content.

🧠 Conceptual

advanced

Best practice for asserting JSON response properties

When asserting properties in a JSON response intercepted by Cypress, which approach is best to ensure the test is reliable and clear?

A Use 'expect(response.body.key).to.exist' inside a '.then()' callback

B Use 'should("contain", { key: value })' directly on the response body

C Use 'should("have.property", "key")' on the response body object

D Use 'should("include", { key: value })' on the entire response object

💡 Hint

Consider how Cypress handles asynchronous commands and object references.

Using .then() with expect() allows you to work with the fully resolved response object and write clear assertions. Other options may fail if the response body is not directly accessible or if partial matches cause false positives.

❓ framework

expert

Correct Cypress code to assert multiple request properties

You want to assert that an intercepted request has method POST, includes a header 'Content-Type' with value 'application/json', and the JSON body contains a field 'active' set to true. Which Cypress code snippet correctly performs all these assertions?

A

cy.wait('@req').then(({ request }) => {
  expect(request.method).to.equal('POST');
  expect(request.headers['Content-Type']).to.equal('application/json');
  expect(request.body).to.include('active:true');
});

B

cy.wait('@req').its('request').should('have.property', 'method', 'POST')
  .and('have.property', 'headers').and('contain', { 'content-type': 'application/json' })
  .and('have.property', 'body').and('include', { active: true });

C

cy.wait('@req').should(({ request }) => {
  expect(request.method).to.equal('POST');
  expect(request.headers.contentType).to.equal('application/json');
  expect(request.body.active).to.be.true;
});

D

cy.wait('@req').then(({ request }) => {
  expect(request.method).to.equal('POST');
  expect(request.headers['content-type']).to.equal('application/json');
  const body = JSON.parse(request.body);
  expect(body.active).to.be.true;
});

💡 Hint

Remember header keys are case-insensitive but usually lowercase in Cypress. Also, parse JSON body before checking fields.

Option D correctly waits for the request, asserts the method, accesses the header with lowercase key, parses the JSON body string, and asserts the 'active' field is true. Other options fail due to incorrect header key casing, missing JSON parsing, or wrong assertion methods.