How to Use an npm Package in Cypress Tests Without Adding It to Your Main Project

Learn how to utilize `crypto-js` in your Cypress tests without cluttering your Angular project's dependencies. This guide provides a step-by-step approach to achieving this effectively. --- This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/73813341/ asked by the user 'Journeyman' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/603355/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/73813451/ provided by the user 'Ascendise' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/10281237/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions. Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: How do I use an npm package in cypress tests without adding to main project? Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/licensing The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ ) license. If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com. --- How to Use an npm Package in Cypress Tests Without Adding It to Your Main Project If you're working on an Angular project and using Cypress for testing, you might find yourself in a situation where you need a specific npm package, like crypto-js, solely for testing purposes. The challenge lies in wanting to use the package in your Cypress tests without actually adding it to your main project's package.json. This guide will guide you through the solution step-by-step. Understanding the Problem In many scenarios, developers want to keep their project's dependencies clean and organized. Adding a package to your main project's package.json when it is only needed for testing can lead to unnecessary bloat and make dependency management harder. The good news is that there is a way to install packages for development purposes that won’t be included in the final build of your project. In this case, you can use crypto-js in your Cypress testing environment without it affecting your main Angular project’s dependencies. Solution: Installing Dev Dependencies To use crypto-js in your Cypress tests without adding it to your main project’s dependencies, follow these simple steps: Step 1: Install the Package as a Development Dependency Run the following command in your project’s root directory: [[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]] What This Does: npm install crypto-js: This command installs the crypto-js library. --save-dev: This flag tells npm to add the package to the devDependencies section of your package.json instead of dependencies. This way, crypto-js is only recognized as a dependency during development and is not included in the production build. Step 2: Import the Package in Your Cypress Tests Once you have installed crypto-js, you can now import it in your Cypress test files. Here’s how you would typically do it: [[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]] Step 3: Write Your Tests Now that you have access to crypto-js, you can write your Cypress tests as you normally would, utilizing the functionality of crypto-js wherever necessary. Additional Tips Keep Your Tests Isolated: When using third-party libraries in your tests, make sure to use them only in test files, as adding unnecessary imports can lead to confusion. Regularly Update Your Dev Dependencies: Occasionally check if any of the dev dependencies need updating to ensure security and performance enhancements. Conclusion By following the above steps, you can easily incorporate the crypto-js package into your Cypress tests without cluttering your Angular project's package.json. Keeping your dependencies organized helps maintain a clean and efficient codebase. Using the --save-dev flag is a simple yet effective strategy for managing your development dependencies, ensuring that your main project remains free from unnecessary bloat. Now that you're equipped with this knowledge, you can confidently enhance your testing capabilities with npm packages tailored for development!