Executive Summary
This document presents a scalable, modular, and enterprise-grade automation framework leveraging Cypress, Cucumber (BDD), and CI/CD pipelines. It supports UI, API, E2E, Smoke, Regression, and BAC testing with a focus on maintainability, reusability, and performance optimization.
Architecture Overview
High-Level Architecture Diagram
![Architecture Diagram]()
Core Components
| Component |
Description |
| Smoke Tests |
Lightweight tests to validate critical paths. |
| Regression |
Full suite to ensure stability after changes. |
| E2E Tests |
Simulate real-world user journeys across modules. |
| API Tests |
Validate backend services independently. |
| BAC Tests |
Validate business rules and acceptance criteria. |
Technology Stack
| Layer |
Tools & Technologies |
| Test Runner |
Cypress, Mocha, Chai |
| BDD Layer |
Cucumber, Gherkin |
| Reporting |
Allure, Extent Reports |
| CI/CD |
GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Docker |
| Runtime |
Node.js |
| Version Control |
Git, GitHub |
| Test Data |
Faker.js, Fixtures, Encrypted JSON |
Project Structure
automation-suite/
├── cypress/
│ ├── fixtures/ # Static test data
│ ├── integration/
│ │ ├── smoke/
│ │ ├── regression/
│ │ ├── e2e/
│ │ └── api/
│ ├── plugins/ # Custom plugins
│ ├── support/ # Commands, intercepts, utilities
│ └── reports/ # Allure/Extent reports
├── features/ # Gherkin feature files
├── step_definitions/ # Step definitions for BDD
├── config/ # Environment configs
├── utils/ # API clients, data generators
├── docker/ # Docker setup for local runs
├── .github/workflows/ # GitHub Actions pipelines
├── package.json
└── README.md
Design Principles
- Modularization: Isolate UI, API, and BDD logic.
- Page Object Model (POM): Reusable selectors and actions.
- Tagging Strategy: @smoke, @regression, @e2e, @api, @bac.
- Security: Use .env and CI/CD secrets for credentials.
- Scalability: Parallel execution, retries, and Dockerized environments.
CI/CD Pipeline Design
Stages
- Install Dependencies
- Lint & Static Code Analysis
- Run Tests by Tags
- Generate & Archive Reports
- Publish Results to Slack/Email
- Trigger Downstream Jobs (if any)
Advanced Features
- Parallel execution using Cypress Dashboard or GitHub matrix strategy.
- Docker containers for isolated test environments.
- Retry logic for flaky tests.
Test Data Strategy
- Static Data: Stored in fixtures/.
- Dynamic Data: Generated using Faker.js or custom utilities.
- Environment-Specific Data: Managed via config/ and .env files.
- Sensitive Data: Encrypted and decrypted at runtime.
Environment Management
- Use cypress.config.js for base URLs and environment variables.
- Inject secrets via CI/CD tools.
- Support for multiple environments: dev, qa, uat, prod.
Best Practices & Recommendations
- Start with smoke tests to validate pipeline.
- Use mocks/stubs for unstable third-party services.
- Monitor test flakiness and optimize selectors.
- Regularly refactor and review test cases.
- Maintain a changelog for test suite updates.