Cypress · Browser testing end to end
How does video recording work in Cypress?
Short answer
Set video to true in the config to record a video during cypress run. Videos go to videosFolder and help diagnose failures that are hard to reproduce from a screenshot alone.
Video records the browser during a headless run. It is useful when a failure depends on sequence or timing, because a screenshot only shows one frame. Recording has a cost in CPU, disk and CI time, so enable it deliberately rather than for every local run.
import { defineConfig } from "cypress";
export default defineConfig({
video: true,
videoCompression: 32,
videosFolder: "cypress/videos",
e2e: {
baseUrl: "http://localhost:3000",
},
});Practical guidance
- Enable video for CI failures, not necessarily for every local run
- Upload only failed-run videos to keep artifact storage manageable
- Compression reduces size but can soften small UI details
- A video is a diagnostic aid, not a replacement for assertions or logs
- Cypress Cloud can retain run artifacts and playback when configured
If a test fails only in CI, the video plus the command log and screenshot usually reveal whether the app was slow, a request failed, or the wrong element was clicked. Keep the failing job's artifacts long enough to investigate.
Follow-ups you should expect
Interviewers use these to check whether the first answer was understanding or memorisation.
- 1How do you enable video recording?
- 2Why might you disable video locally?
- 3Where are videos written?
- 4Does video capture native OS dialogs?
Say it in the interview
Video is enabled in the Cypress config and recorded during run mode. I use it for failures that are hard to understand from one frame, especially timing-related ones in CI. I usually record on CI and upload only failed-run videos to keep artifacts small. Video is a diagnostic, so I still rely on assertions and the command log to define correctness.
Use this as a model, not a script. Saying it in your own words is what makes it survive follow-up pressure.
Related questions
Reading is step one
Now say it out loud.
Understanding an answer and delivering it under pressure are different skills. Rehearse this topic in a live Cypress mock interview and get scored feedback on depth, clarity and confidence.