Rabbit Hole: Launch Your Testing Career: Contributing to Cypress Open Source Projects | Desplega.ai

Why Cypress + Open Source = Career Gold

The answer: Open source contribution with Cypress.

Cypress has become one of the most popular end-to-end testing frameworks for modern web applications. It's beloved by developers for its intuitive API, excellent debugging capabilities, and developer-friendly experience. By contributing Cypress tests to open source projects, you're not just learning—you're building a public portfolio that demonstrates real-world testing skills.

Why Cypress is Perfect for Breaking Into Testing

1. Developer-Friendly Syntax

describe('Login Flow', () => {
  it('should successfully log in with valid credentials', () => {
    cy.visit('/login')
    cy.get('[data-test="email"]').type('user@example.com')
    cy.get('[data-test="password"]').type('password123')
    cy.get('[data-test="submit"]').click()
    cy.url().should('include', '/dashboard')
  })
})

The syntax is clean, readable, and easy to understand—even for beginners.

2. Real-Time Debugging

Cypress runs in the browser and provides time-travel debugging, making it easier to understand what's happening in your tests.

3. Strong Community & Documentation

With extensive documentation and an active community, you'll never feel stuck for long.

4. Industry Adoption

Major companies and open source projects use Cypress, making your skills immediately relevant.

How Open Source Contributions Boost Your Career

Build a Public Portfolio

Unlike traditional work that stays behind corporate walls, open source contributions are public proof of your abilities. Recruiters and hiring managers can see:

Your code quality
How you write test cases
Your understanding of testing best practices
Your ability to work with real codebases

Learn From the Best

When you contribute to established projects, you:

See how production-level test suites are structured
Learn from code reviews by experienced developers
Understand CI/CD integration in real-world scenarios
Gain experience with different testing patterns (Page Object Model, fixtures, custom commands)

Network With Industry Professionals

Open source is social. You'll interact with maintainers, other contributors, and users—building relationships that can lead to job opportunities.

Demonstrate Soft Skills

Your GitHub activity shows:

Communication skills (through issues and PR discussions)
Problem-solving abilities
Persistence and follow-through
Collaboration and teamwork

Getting Started: Your 4-Week Roadmap

Week 1: Learn Cypress Fundamentals

Day 1-3: Official Documentation

Work through Cypress's Getting Started Guide
Complete the Best Practices section
Watch the official Cypress Testing Workshop

Day 4-7: Practice Projects

Set up Cypress on a personal project or simple app
Write basic tests for common flows (login, form submission, navigation)
Experiment with different selectors and assertions

Week 2: Study Real-World Test Suites

Pick 2-3 projects from the list below and study their test structure:

How are tests organized?
What naming conventions do they use?
How do they handle authentication?
What custom commands have they created?
How is their CI/CD configured?

Week 3: Make Your First Contribution

Start Small

Look for:

Documentation improvements in test README files
Adding missing test coverage for small features
Fixing flaky tests
Improving test readability or organization

Follow This Process

Find an issue labeled "good first issue", "help wanted", or "testing"
Comment on the issue expressing interest
Fork the repository
Set up the project locally
Write your tests following the project's conventions
Submit a pull request with a clear description
Respond to feedback and iterate

Week 4: Level Up

Contribute to a second project
Take on more complex test scenarios
Write about your experience (blog post, Twitter thread)
Help others by answering questions in project discussions

10 Production Open Source Projects Using Cypress

Here are real, production-grade open source projects where you can make meaningful contributions:

1. RedwoodJS

Repository: https://github.com/redwoodjs/redwood
What It Is: Full-stack JavaScript framework for building modern web applications
Why Contribute: Large, active community with well-documented contribution guidelines
Good For: Intermediate testers wanting to work on a comprehensive framework

2. Appsmith

Repository: https://github.com/appsmithorg/appsmith
What It Is: Platform to build admin panels and internal tools (think low-code)
Why Contribute: Extensive test suite with clear patterns, actively seeking test contributors
Good For: All levels - they have issues specifically for test improvements
Tests Location: app/client/cypress/e2e/

3. Mattermost

Repository: https://github.com/mattermost/mattermost
What It Is: Open source Slack alternative for team collaboration
Why Contribute: Professional-grade test infrastructure, uses both Cypress and Playwright
Good For: Advanced testers wanting enterprise-level experience
Note: Check test pass rates in their automation dashboard

4. GitLab Testing Projects

Example Repository: https://github.com/wlsf82/gitlab-cypress
What It Is: Community-maintained Cypress tests for GitLab
Why Contribute: Learn to test a complex DevOps platform
Good For: Intermediate testers interested in CI/CD testing

5. Open edX

Repository: https://github.com/openedx/cypress-e2e-tests
What It Is: Open source learning management system (powers edX.org)
Why Contribute: Educational technology, clear test case structure
Good For: Beginners to intermediate - well-documented test patterns
Focus: Critical functionality testing with smoke and regression tags

6. Supabase Community Projects

Repository: https://github.com/supabase/supabase
What It Is: Firebase alternative with Postgres backend
Why Contribute: Many community projects need Cypress tests for authentication flows
Good For: Intermediate - requires understanding of auth patterns
Challenge: OAuth testing, magic link flows

7. Remix Starter Stacks

Example: https://github.com/nzambello/punk-stack
What It Is: Full-stack React framework starters with Cypress
Why Contribute: Multiple stacks to choose from, each with different tech
Good For: All levels - great for learning different stack combinations

8. Apache Superset

Repository: https://github.com/apache/superset
What It Is: Data visualization and exploration platform
Why Contribute: They're currently migrating from Cypress to Playwright - chance to work on both!
Good For: Advanced testers, great learning opportunity during migration

9. Trezor Suite

Repository: https://github.com/trezor/trezor-suite
What It Is: Cryptocurrency hardware wallet interface
Why Contribute: High-security application testing, migrating to Playwright
Good For: Intermediate to advanced, unique testing challenges

10. Microsoft Fluent UI

Repository: https://github.com/microsoft/fluentui
What It Is: Microsoft's design system and component library
Why Contribute: Learn component testing, work with Microsoft engineers
Good For: Intermediate testers interested in UI component testing

How to Choose Your First Project

For Absolute Beginners

Start with Open edX or Remix Stacks:

Clear documentation
Established test patterns to follow
Active maintainers willing to help
Issues labeled for newcomers

For Intermediate Testers

Try Appsmith or RedwoodJS:

More complex applications
Opportunity to improve existing tests
Chance to work on test infrastructure
Regular releases mean consistent activity

For Advanced Testers

Dive into Mattermost, GitLab, or Superset:

Enterprise-level complexity
Test performance optimization opportunities
CI/CD pipeline improvements
Architecture-level contributions

Making Your Contribution Count

1. Read the Contributing Guide

Every project has one. Read it thoroughly before starting.

2. Set Up the Project Locally

Make sure you can run the existing tests successfully before adding new ones.

3. Follow the Project's Patterns

Use their naming conventions
Match their test structure
Follow their selector strategies (data-test attributes, etc.)
Use their custom commands and helpers

4. Write Clean, Maintainable Tests

// ❌ Bad - Hard to understand, brittle selectors
it('test', () => {
  cy.get('.btn-primary').first().click()
  cy.get('input').eq(2).type('value')
})

// ✅ Good - Clear intent, stable selectors
it('should submit the contact form successfully', () => {
  cy.get('[data-test="contact-form-name"]').type('John Doe')
  cy.get('[data-test="contact-form-email"]').type('john@example.com')
  cy.get('[data-test="contact-form-submit"]').click()
  cy.get('[data-test="success-message"]')
    .should('be.visible')
    .and('contain', 'Message sent successfully')
})

5. Document Your Tests

Use clear test descriptions that explain what is being tested and why it matters.

6. Handle Feedback Professionally

Thank reviewers for their time
Ask questions if you don't understand feedback
Make requested changes promptly
Don't take criticism personally

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Flaky Tests

Avoid tests that sometimes pass and sometimes fail:

Use proper waits (cy.wait() for network requests, not time-based waits)
Ensure proper test isolation
Don't rely on timing-dependent assertions

2. Testing Implementation Details

Test user behavior, not internal implementation:

// ❌ Bad - Tests implementation
it('calls the API endpoint', () => {
  cy.intercept('POST', '/api/users').as('createUser')
  // ... actions
  cy.wait('@createUser')
})

// ✅ Good - Tests user-visible outcome
it('displays success message after creating user', () => {
  cy.get('[data-test="create-user-button"]').click()
  cy.get('[data-test="success-message"]')
    .should('contain', 'User created successfully')
})

3. Over-Mocking

Balance between speed and confidence. Test real flows when possible.

4. Poor Selector Strategies

Use data-test attributes or semantic selectors, avoid CSS classes that can change.

Building Your Portfolio

Document Your Contributions

Create a "Testing Portfolio" section in your GitHub README:

## Open Source Testing Contributions

### Appsmith - Internal Tools Platform
- **PRs**: #123, #145, #167
- **Impact**: Added 15 new test cases covering widget interactions
- **Technologies**: Cypress, Page Object Model, CI/CD with GitHub Actions

### RedwoodJS - Full-Stack Framework  
- **PRs**: #234, #256
- **Impact**: Fixed 3 flaky tests, improved test performance by 20%
- **Technologies**: Cypress, Jest, API testing

Write About Your Experience

Blog posts: "How I Added E2E Tests to [Project]"
Tutorial videos: "Testing [Feature] with Cypress"
Twitter threads documenting your journey

Share Your Learnings

Answer questions on Stack Overflow
Help newcomers in project discussions
Create reusable test patterns as gists

The Path Forward

Your journey into testing through open source isn't just about the code—it's about building a reputation, developing skills, and creating opportunities.

Month 1-3: Make 5-10 small contributions
Month 4-6: Take on larger test suites or improvements
Month 7-9: Help review others' test contributions
Month 10-12: Become a go-to person for testing in a project

By the end of your first year, you'll have:

A GitHub profile full of meaningful contributions
Experience with real-world codebases
References from open source maintainers
A network in the testing community
Concrete examples for your resume and interviews

Ready to Start?

This Week: Pick one project from the list above
Today: Star the repository and read through their issues
Right Now: Set up the project locally and run their existing tests

Your testing career starts with a single cy.visit().

Good luck, and happy testing! 🎯

Additional Resources

This post is part of a series on building a testing career through open source. Follow for more guides on test automation, career development, and open source contribution.

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