cypress dashboard vs sorry-cypress: self-hosted parallelization
Compares Cypress Cloud with sorry-cypress for parallel runs. Use when choosing how to parallelize Cypress in CI. Not for non-Cypress frameworks.
TL;DR
Cypress parallelization needs an orchestration service. Cypress Cloud is the managed option; sorry-cypress is the self-hosted open-source alternative. Choose based on budget, data residency, and how much infrastructure you want to own.
Error
(Not an error; a tooling decision. Symptom of the underlying need: `cypress run --record --parallel` fails without a recording key or service.)Steps
- Estimate scale: number of specs, runs per day, and parallelism. Expected: a rough machine count for self-hosting.
- If you want zero infrastructure, use Cypress Cloud with a record key. Expected:
--record --paralleljust works. - If you need data residency or zero license cost, deploy sorry-cypress (director, API, dashboard) on your cluster. Expected: a working dashboard at your own URL.
- Point the runner at it: sorry-cypress uses the same
--record --parallelflags with its own key. Expected: specs distribute across machines. - Compare after a month: flake rate, queue times, and maintenance hours. Expected: a data-backed keep-or-switch decision.
When to use
- CI time is dominated by serial Cypress runs.
- You are deciding between managed and self-hosted orchestration.
When not to use
- You run fewer than a dozen specs (parallelization overhead is not worth it).
- You use Playwright (its sharding needs no service).
Tool compatibility
- Cypress 10 through 14; sorry-cypress latest; any CI provider.
Variant phrasings
Cypress parallel without Cypress Cloud
The question sorry-cypress answers.
Self-hosted Cypress dashboard
Same decision; compare features (video storage, flake analytics) not just price.
Why it happens
--parallel needs a coordinator to hand specs to machines and collect results. That coordinator is a service you either rent or run.
Edge cases
- Sorry-cypress stores videos and screenshots; size that storage before day one.
- Cypress Cloud's free tier limits recorded runs; count your runs first.
- Mixing Cloud and self-hosted in one org confuses key management; pick one.
Provenance
Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_2RjKHWIP5OATf6L39PQXsw
Maintainer review
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