Starting Cypress Automation from Zero: My First Week, Frustration, and a Fresh Beginning

When Reality Hits, Confidence Breaks, and Learning Tr
uly Begins

When Reality Hits at Work

So this happened recently.

I joined work with a quiet confidence.

Not arrogance — just that calm feeling you get when you’ve already put in effort before.
I told myself:

“Okay, I know Selenium.
I know Python.
I’ve written automation scripts.
This shouldn’t be a big problem.”

I genuinely believed automation would be the least stressful part of the job.

And then…
reality hit.

They don’t use Selenium.
They use Cypress.

And on top of that?

• Jenkins CLI

• Virtual Machine access

• VPN-based internal systems

• Terminal-heavy workflows

At that exact moment, my brain had only one honest response:

“Bro… we are cooked.”

---

The Shock Nobody Prepares You For

Here’s the thing nobody tells you in college, courses, or YouTube tutorials:

Knowing a tool
≠
Being ready for a real production environment.

At work, tools are:

• interconnected

• locked behind access

• dependent on infrastructure

• built on systems you’ve never touched before

Suddenly, automation wasn’t about writing tests.

It was about getting permission to even start.

---

The First Struggle: Virtual Machine & VPN Chaos 😵‍💫

Before I could even think about Cypress, I had to connect to a virtual machine.

Not the “download VirtualBox, click Next” type.

This was the real deal.

• VPN connection

• Configuration files

• CLI commands

• Remote environment access

• Environment variables

• Terminals that show errors without explaining anything

The terminal wasn’t angry.
It wasn’t loud.

It just sat there silently, staring back at me like:

🙂
“Figure it out.”

---

What This Phase Looked Like (Without Sensitive Details)

I won’t share internal or sensitive data, but conceptually, it went something like this:

• Install a VPN client (OpenVPN-style setup)

• Import a configuration file

• Try connecting via terminal

• Verify connection using CLI

• Test access to internal resources

• Disconnect

• Reconnect

• Fail

• Repeat

And when it didn’t work the first time?

Frustration.
Tiredness.
Self-doubt.

You start asking questions that don’t show up in tutorials:

“Am I slow?”
“Did I miss something obvious?”
“Everyone else seems fine… why not me?”
“Am I even good enough for this role?”

That mental spiral is real — especially in your first weeks.

---

The Truth Nobody Says Out Loud

Here’s the thing nobody tells you 👇
Everyone struggles at this stage. Everyone.

The only difference?

• Seniors struggled years ago

• Freshers are struggling now

• But nobody broadcasts it

At work, people often only show the output, not the confusion behind it.

---

The Turning Point: “Okay… Let’s Just Start Cypress”

At some point, I realized something important.

I was trying to:

• understand Jenkins

• understand pipelines

• understand VM setup

• understand CLI tools

• and learn Cypress

All at once.

That’s a recipe for burnout.

So I paused.

I literally told myself:

“Forget Jenkins.
Forget pipelines.
Forget everything else.
Let’s just understand Cypress first.”

And that decision changed everything.

---

Why This Blog Exists

This blog is not:

• a perfect Cypress guide

• a senior-level tutorial

• a polished success story

This blog is for you if:

• You know Selenium but not Cypress

• You joined a new job and feel lost

• You’re surrounded by tools you’ve never seen

• You think “everyone else knows more than me”

• You’re learning while delivering work

If that sounds familiar — you’re not alone.

---

What Is Cypress (In Simple Words)

Let’s strip the buzzwords.

Cypress is a JavaScript-based end-to-end testing framework designed for modern web applications.

That’s the official definition.

Here’s the human one:

Cypress is automation that feels like it was built for people who hate unnecessary pain.

---

How Cypress Feels Different from Selenium

If you’re coming from Selenium, the differences hit you immediately.

Unlike Selenium:

• Cypress runs inside the browser

• There’s no WebDriver

• Commands automatically wait

• Debugging is visual and interactive

• You can see what’s happening in real time

You’re not guessing anymore.

You’re watching.

---

Cypress vs Selenium (A Reality Check)

Selenium	Cypress
Multiple languages	JavaScript only
Needs WebDriver	No WebDriver
Manual waits	Automatic waits
Debugging via logs	Visual time travel debugging
Setup heavy	Setup light

This is exactly why many teams today choose Cypress for frontend automation.

Not because Selenium is bad —
but because Cypress reduces friction.

---

Starting Cypress When You Know Nothing (Like Me)

Let’s keep this beginner-safe.

No assumptions.
No “you should already know this”.

---

Step 1: Install Node.js

Cypress runs on Node.

Download Node.js from:
👉 https://nodejs.org

Choose the LTS version.

Verify installation:

node -v
npm -v

If this works, you’re already ahead.

---

Step 2: Create a Project Folder

mkdir cypress-starter
cd cypress-starter

Nothing fancy.

---

Step 3: Initialize the Project

npm init -y

This creates a basic package.json.

---

Step 4: Install Cypress

npm install cypress --save-dev

Wait.
Let it install.
Don’t panic if it takes time.

---

Step 5: Open Cypress

npx cypress open

This is the moment things feel different.

Cypress:

• creates its own folder structure

• opens a visual test runner

• removes that “black box” feeling

And suddenly…

Automation doesn’t feel scary anymore.

---

Cypress Folder Structure (Don’t Panic)

You’ll see folders like:

• cypress/e2e

• cypress/support

• cypress/fixtures

Ignore everything except this:

👉 cypress/e2e is your playground

That’s where tests live.

That’s where you learn.

---

Your First Cypress Test (Finally ✨)

Create a file:

cypress/e2e/firstTest.cy.js

Add this:

describe('My First Cypress Test', () => {
  it('Visits a website and checks title', () => {
    cy.visit('https://example.com')
    cy.title().should('include', 'Example')
  })
})

What this does:

• Opens a real browser

• Visits a website

• Checks page title

• Shows everything visually

No waits.
No drivers.
No configuration hell.

---

The Moment Everything Clicked

When I ran this test and saw the browser move on its own, something changed.

Not technically.
Mentally.

I realized:

“Okay… this is learnable.”

Cypress didn’t feel like a monster anymore.

It felt like a tool.

And tools are meant to be:

• learned

• explored

• practiced

Not feared.

---

What I Learned from This Phase (Beyond Cypress)

This phase taught me lessons far bigger than automation.

• Feeling lost is normal

• New tools always feel overwhelming

• Everyone pretends to know more than they do

• Starting small is the real cheat code

• You don’t need to know everything on Day 1

Most importantly:

Confusion is not incompetence.
It’s just the beginning of learning.

---

What’s Coming Next

This is only the start.

In upcoming blogs/videos, I’ll cover:

• Core Cypress commands (get, click, type)

• Assertions in Cypress

• Handling forms and buttons

• Cypress vs Selenium (real project scenarios)

• Jenkins + Cypress (slowly, calmly, realistically)

• CI mindset without fear

---

Final Words (Read This Slowly)

If you’re starting Cypress today:

• You’re not late

• You’re not dumb

• You’re not behind

• You’re not alone

You’re just in the learning phase.

And trust me —
this phase passes.

Start small.
Stay consistent.
Cypress will start making sense.