Cypress test runs slow and some tests are failing but if I run them single with npm run cy:open than it runs without issue = timing?

[nkamp]

I've 'earned' a project with Vue and Cypress e2e - 583 tests.
I'm running this locally on Windows 11 in Webstorm and the backend in IntelliJ. PostgreSQL database running in Docker.
I've been upgrading the application from Node.Js version 16. to 22.21.0 (npm 10.9.4)
And the webdependencies are:
cypress: 15.12.0
cypress-mochawesome-reporter: 4.02
mocha: 11.7.5
mochasome: 7.1.4
vue:3.5.15

We are using webpack.

I'm using wsl 2 and I have a .wslconfig in %Userprofile% with:
[wsl2]
memory=16GB
processors=16

It is a Dell 7680 :7, 32Gb memory, 32 threads

If I look at the cpu performance it is approx. 40% and memory enough.

I'm not an experienced cypress user\developer but these tests takes about 6 hours! There are two colleguaes running these test as wel and it takes by them approx. 2.5 hours. But one of the colleguaes has an i5 and less memory.

And there are also lot of tests failing but if run these tests with "npm run cy:open" and than run the single test, the test doesn't fail??
Or if I ran the single test it fails with a reason. Than I resolve test and run it again. Than it fails on a different - earlier- place??? I see that the page is rendered for example the button is there which need to be clicked but Cypress doesn't 'find' it. Than I start the test again and it passes these test without issue???
And the next time it is not the same test that fails with a false negative!
So if I run the complete test suite I have approx. 128 tests that fail, but the collegeuas 67???

I think this due timing, but how do I monitor this? And what is the solution?

This is the command for running the tests: "npx cypress run --spec ".../e2e/.../.../**/*" --browser electron --headless"

Here is my cypress.config.ts:

import { defineConfig } from "cypress";

export default defineConfig({
  env: {
    mailhost: "http://app.local:8025",
    backend: "http://app.local",
    snapshotOnly: true,
  },

  retries: {
    runMode: 0,
    openMode: 0,
  },

  scrollBehavior: "center",
  watchForFileChanges: false,
  defaultCommandTimeout: 40000,
  requestTimeout: 20000,
  fixturesFolder: ".../.../fixtures",
  chromeWebSecurity: false,
  reporter: "cypress-mochawesome-reporter",
  video: false,
  viewportHeight: 1080,
  viewportWidth: 1920,

  experimentalMemoryManagement: true,
  /** numTestsKeptInMemory: 50 is standaard indien 'headed' runs. headless is deze 0*/
  numTestsKeptInMemory: 50,

  reporterOptions: {
      reportDir: ".../.../html",
      embeddedScreenshots: true,
      inlineAssets: true,
      overwrite: true,
      reportPageTitle: "Cypress Test Report"
    },


  screenshotOnRunFailure: true,
  downloadsFolder: ".../downloads",
  projectId: "...",
  videosFolder: ".../.../videos",

  e2e: {
    setupNodeEvents(on, config) {
      // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-var-requires
      require("cypress-mochawesome-reporter/plugin")(on);

      on("task", {
        logToConsole(message) {
          console.log(message);
          return null;
        },
      });

      // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-var-requires
      require("./tests/e2e/plugins/index.js")(on, config);
      return config;
    },
    baseUrl: "http://app.local",
    supportFile: ".../.../.../index.ts",
    specPattern: ".../.../.../**/**/*.spec.ts",
  },

  component: {
    devServer: {
      framework: "vue",
      bundler: "webpack",
    },
  },
});

Does anyone have an idea or can put me in an direction to find out what the issue can be why the tests run so long and why some tests fails and if I run these 'solo' than it runs without an issue?

[MikeMcC399]

@nkamp

If you don't get an answer here, you can ask in the Cypress community chat on Discord. From your description it does sound like timing issues.

[MikeMcC399]

There's a Cypress plugin from a community member that might help you

https://github.com/sclavijosuero/cypress-flaky-test-audit

I have not used it myself, so I can't give any other comment.

[nkamp]

Hello Mike,
I will take a look at that plugin. I'm curious to see if I can analyze it because it is strange. When I run a test suite with some tests than for example one fails. If run that test again individually(it.only) it runs without issue. Than I run it with two tests the one before and than it fails because a link\button is not rendered!!?
It is so weird!

I run it with npm run cy:open so that I can follow the test. And when I see such element I know this test fails now.

If do this test again than both test runs without issue.

I hope that I can better analyze it with this plugin! Thanks. And I will go to the cypress community and ask it also in the community.

[nkamp]

I read also sometimes about the viewport size. My laptop is as said a Dell 7680 with 1920x1200px. So I have changed and set my viewport size 'with x height' on this size.

[nkamp]

No, the application is not running slower on my machine than on that from other colleague's, I mean normally when I'm personally working with it.
Only the e2e tests run far slower. The complete e2e-test set is running on my laptop nearly 6 hours, but on that from my colleague's 2 hours+. Two of them are also working with Windows 11, and one with Linux.

It is running on Windows 11, with Docker container for PostgreSQL, Nginx Reverse Proxy, ClamAv, Keycloak.

The backend is running locally on my laptop with the backend in IntelliJ en the frontend in Webstorm.
I'm running the test with "npx run 'path' --browser chrome --headless.

I this afternoon a colleague running the test via cy open. I saw running the tests, it was so fast (flashy), realy. I saw tests running in a few seconds which run on my computer in seconds or a minutes! But he is running it on Linux, I can't realy compare it with my environment. But we are using the same cypress.config.ts etc.
So my conclusion is than that it has something todo with Windows \ Docker (desktop). But we have the same docker-compose.

But my knowledge is not so much at the moment that I have an idea were to start and what adjustments I can make.

What I saw yesterday evening and now is that the performance:
cpu usage: 30 ~ 50%
Memory usage: 28 Gb continue! That's much!?? Why so much? (My laptop does have 32Gb.)

I'm using WSL 2 with Docker desktop, can I do some adjustments for WSL or in Docker?