It's time for another Ambassador Spotlight, a series introducing you to the testers, builders, and problem solvers who make up the Cypress community. This is where people in test automation come to share their experience, learn something new, and find others who care about software quality as much as they do. Our Ambassadors are a driving force here, bringing real depth to the craft of testing and championing quality across the applications they build and the teams they work with. Through content creation, community engagement, and speaking events, they share what they know and help others go further. If you'd like to learn more about the program, click here.
This week, we’re highlighting Peter Souza, who has been an Ambassador since 2025. Read on to find out what motivates Peter, learn some best practices, and the command he cannot live without.
What motivates you to be a Cypress Ambassador?
I like Cypress. I find it very easy to use, and it's a great tool that helps increase product reliability. It's something that's easily understood by both beginners and software professionals. The lessons built into the Cypress structure can help promote good testing habits.
How do you currently help others that are either using Cypress or interested in using Cypress?
Pair programming is still my favorite way of helping people who are currently using Cypress or learning about its features. I also like to break down the problem so that I know which solution to propose; like using an intercept, or a creative way to find an element in the UI.
What is your favorite Cypress feature?
Cy.intercept might be my favorite feature. Intercepts can be used to wait for the completion of a particular API, or to change a data payload in order to modify a conditional UI behavior.
What is your favorite "Cypress Best Practice" and why?
Test isolation is my favorite best practice. It promotes better testing overall, and it favors test setup over test teardown, because a test should run in isolation. A teardown would have little value compared to a test setup, which may be tedious but can also point out problems in the platform under test.
Outside of work, what are your favorite things to do (hobbies, passions, etc.)?
I like coding, mostly in React.js. I also like playing music. I play bass and guitar. I do also like exercise and being outdoors.
What is one professional milestone you are proud of?
After working hard to gain the trust of my colleagues, and building my own skillset, I was able to take on a management role in my organization.
For new users - what is the best way to "get started" with Cypress?
The best way for new users to get started is by practicing with a typical form submission. A form is pretty universal, and the element selectors can be determined pretty quickly. That gives the test author plenty of room to experiment and hone the test format.
What is your favorite quote or saying?
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."