How to Use pytest-html for Test Reports in Pytest

To use pytest-html for generating test reports, first install it with pip install pytest-html. Then run your tests with pytest --html=report.html to create an HTML report file showing test results.

Syntax

The basic syntax to generate an HTML report with pytest-html is:

• pytest --html=report.html: Runs tests and saves the report as report.html.
• --self-contained-html (optional): Embeds CSS and JavaScript inside the report for easy sharing.

You can also specify the report path and customize the report name.

bash

pytest --html=report.html --self-contained-html

Example

This example shows a simple test file and how to run pytest with pytest-html to generate a report.

python

import pytest

def test_addition():
    assert 1 + 1 == 2

def test_subtraction():
    assert 5 - 3 == 2

# Run this command in terminal:
# pytest test_sample.py --html=report.html --self-contained-html

Output

============================= test session starts =============================
collected 2 items

test_sample.py ..                                                        [100%]

============================== 2 passed in 0.01s ==============================

HTML report generated: report.html

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using pytest-html include:

• Not installing the plugin before running tests (pip install pytest-html is required).
• Forgetting to add --html=filename.html option, so no report is generated.
• Using relative paths incorrectly for the report file location.
• Not using --self-contained-html when sharing the report, causing missing styles.

Always verify the report file is created after test run.

bash

## Wrong way (no report generated):
# pytest test_sample.py

## Right way:
# pytest test_sample.py --html=report.html --self-contained-html

Quick Reference

Option	Description
--html=FILE	Generate HTML report saved to FILE
--self-contained-html	Embed CSS/JS inside report for portability
--clean-alluredir	Clean previous allure results (if using allure)
--maxfail=NUM	Stop after NUM failures
-v	Verbose output during test run

Key Takeaways

Install pytest-html plugin with pip before use.

Run tests with --html=report.html to generate the report.

Use --self-contained-html to create a portable report file.

Check that the report file is created after tests finish.

Avoid running pytest without the --html option if you want reports.