Programmatic login (cy.request) in Cypress

Introduction

Programmatic login helps you log in quickly without using the UI. It saves time and makes tests faster and more reliable.

When you want to skip the login page and test features behind login.

When the login UI is slow or flaky and slows down your tests.

When you want to test multiple scenarios without repeating the login steps.

When you want to keep your tests simple and focused on the main feature.

When you want to avoid UI changes breaking your login tests.

Syntax

Cypress

cy.request({
  method: 'POST',
  url: '/api/login',
  body: {
    username: 'yourUsername',
    password: 'yourPassword'
  }
}).then((response) => {
  // save token or cookie from response
  cy.setCookie('authToken', response.body.token)
})

Use cy.request to send HTTP requests directly to your backend.

After login, save the token or cookie to keep the session active for next steps.

Examples

Simple POST request with username and password, then save session cookie.

Cypress

cy.request('POST', '/api/login', { username: 'user1', password: 'pass123' })
  .then((response) => {
    expect(response.status).to.eq(200)
    cy.setCookie('session_id', response.body.sessionId)
  })

POST request with headers and assertion on response body token.

Cypress

cy.request({
  method: 'POST',
  url: '/api/login',
  body: { username: 'user2', password: 'pass456' },
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }
}).then((response) => {
  expect(response.body).to.have.property('token')
  cy.setCookie('authToken', response.body.token)
})

Sample Program

This test logs in by sending a POST request to the login API. It checks the response status and token, saves the token as a cookie, then visits the dashboard page. Finally, it checks that the welcome message is visible.

Cypress

describe('Programmatic Login Test', () => {
  it('logs in using cy.request and visits dashboard', () => {
    cy.request({
      method: 'POST',
      url: '/api/login',
      body: {
        username: 'testuser',
        password: 'testpass'
      }
    }).then((response) => {
      expect(response.status).to.eq(200)
      expect(response.body).to.have.property('token')
      cy.setCookie('authToken', response.body.token)

      cy.visit('/dashboard')

      cy.contains('Welcome, testuser').should('be.visible')
    })
  })
})

Important Notes

Make sure the API endpoint and request body match your backend login API.

Use cy.setCookie or localStorage to keep the login session.

Programmatic login skips UI, so test UI login separately if needed.

Summary

Programmatic login uses cy.request to log in faster without UI.

Save tokens or cookies after login to keep the session.

Use it to speed up tests and avoid flaky UI login steps.