perf: reduce the initial timeout for proxy connections, make configurable (#31283)

* use cached preflight response on subsequent cloud requests that require a preflight

* introduce env var to skip initial proxy-api request

* rename env to CYPRESS_INTERNAL prefix

* change noproxy timeout default to 5 seconds

* fix

* rm internal

* changelog

* Update packages/server/test/unit/cloud/api/api_spec.js

Co-authored-by: Jennifer Shehane <jennifer@cypress.io>

* Update packages/server/lib/cloud/api/index.ts

Co-authored-by: Bill Glesias <bglesias@gmail.com>

* fix ts

---------

Co-authored-by: Jennifer Shehane <jennifer@cypress.io>
Co-authored-by: Bill Glesias <bglesias@gmail.com>

cli/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@
 
 _Released 4/22/2025 (PENDING)_
 
+**Performance:**
+
+- Reduced the initial timeout for the preflight API request to determine proxy conditions from sixty seconds to five, and made this timeout duration configurable with the `CYPRESS_INITIAL_PREFLIGHT_TIMEOUT` environment variable. Addresses [#28423](https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/issues/28423). Addressed in [#31283](https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/pull/31283).
+
 **Bugfixes:**
 
 - The [`cy.press()`](http://on.cypress.io/api/press) command no longer errors when used in specs subsequent to the first spec in run mode. Fixes [#31466](https://github.com/cypress-io/cypress/issues/31466).

packages/server/lib/cloud/api/index.ts

@@ -6,14 +6,19 @@ const request = require('@cypress/request-promise')
 const humanInterval = require('human-interval')
 
 const RequestErrors = require('@cypress/request-promise/errors')
-const { agent } = require('@packages/network')
+
 const pkg = require('@packages/root')
 
 const machineId = require('../machine_id')
 const errors = require('../../errors')
-const { apiUrl, apiRoutes, makeRoutes } = require('../routes')
 
 import Bluebird from 'bluebird'
+
+import type { AfterSpecDurations } from '@packages/types'
+import { agent } from '@packages/network'
+import type { CombinedAgent } from '@packages/network/lib/agent'
+
+import { apiUrl, apiRoutes, makeRoutes } from '../routes'
 import { getText } from '../../util/status_code'
 import * as enc from '../encryption'
 import getEnvInformationForProjectRoot from '../environment'
@@ -22,7 +27,7 @@ import type { OptionsWithUrl } from 'request-promise'
 import { fs } from '../../util/fs'
 import ProtocolManager from '../protocol'
 import type { ProjectBase } from '../../project-base'
-import type { AfterSpecDurations } from '@packages/types'
+
 import { PUBLIC_KEY_VERSION } from '../constants'
 
 // axios implementation disabled until proxy issues can be diagnosed/fixed
@@ -235,6 +240,16 @@ const isRetriableError = (err) => {
     (err.statusCode == null)
 }
 
+function noProxyPreflightTimeout (): number {
+  try {
+    const timeoutFromEnv = Number(process.env.CYPRESS_INITIAL_PREFLIGHT_TIMEOUT)
+
+    return isNaN(timeoutFromEnv) ? 5000 : timeoutFromEnv
+  } catch (e: unknown) {
+    return 5000
+  }
+}
+
 export type CreateRunOptions = {
   projectRoot: string
   ci: {
@@ -307,8 +322,21 @@ type UpdateInstanceArtifactsOptions = {
   instanceId: string
   timeout?: number
 }
+interface DefaultPreflightResult {
+  encrypt: true
+}
 
-let preflightResult = {
+interface PreflightWarning {
+  message: string
+}
+
+interface CachedPreflightResult {
+  encrypt: boolean
+  apiUrl: string
+  warnings?: PreflightWarning[]
+}
+
+let preflightResult: DefaultPreflightResult | CachedPreflightResult = {
   encrypt: true,
 }
 
@@ -598,14 +626,13 @@ export default {
 
   sendPreflight (preflightInfo) {
     return retryWithBackoff(async (attemptIndex) => {
-      const { timeout, projectRoot } = preflightInfo
-
-      preflightInfo = _.omit(preflightInfo, 'timeout', 'projectRoot')
+      const { projectRoot, timeout, ...preflightRequestBody } = preflightInfo
 
       const preflightBaseProxy = apiUrl.replace('api', 'api-proxy')
 
       const envInformation = await getEnvInformationForProjectRoot(projectRoot, process.pid.toString())
-      const makeReq = ({ baseUrl, agent }) => {
+
+      const makeReq = (baseUrl: string, agent: CombinedAgent | null, timeout: number) => {
         return rp.post({
           url: `${baseUrl}preflight`,
           body: {
@@ -613,13 +640,13 @@ export default {
             envUrl: envInformation.envUrl,
             dependencies: envInformation.dependencies,
             errors: envInformation.errors,
-            ...preflightInfo,
+            ...preflightRequestBody,
           },
           headers: {
             'x-route-version': '1',
             'x-cypress-request-attempt': attemptIndex,
           },
-          timeout: timeout ?? SIXTY_SECONDS,
+          timeout,
           json: true,
           encrypt: 'always',
           agent,
@@ -631,14 +658,19 @@ export default {
       }
 
       const postReqs = async () => {
-        return makeReq({ baseUrl: preflightBaseProxy, agent: null })
-        .catch((err) => {
-          if (err.statusCode === 412) {
-            throw err
-          }
+        const initialPreflightTimeout = noProxyPreflightTimeout()
 
-          return makeReq({ baseUrl: apiUrl, agent })
-        })
+        if (initialPreflightTimeout >= 0) {
+          try {
+            return await makeReq(preflightBaseProxy, null, initialPreflightTimeout)
+          } catch (err) {
+            if (err.statusCode === 412) {
+              throw err
+            }
+          }
+        }
+
+        return makeReq(apiUrl, agent, timeout)
       }
 
       const result = await postReqs()

packages/server/lib/cloud/routes.ts

@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@ import _ from 'lodash'
 import UrlParse from 'url-parse'
 
 const app_config = require('../../config/app.json')
-const apiUrl = app_config[process.env.CYPRESS_CONFIG_ENV || process.env.CYPRESS_INTERNAL_ENV || 'development'].api_url
+
+export const apiUrl = app_config[process.env.CYPRESS_CONFIG_ENV || process.env.CYPRESS_INTERNAL_ENV || 'development'].api_url
 
 const CLOUD_ENDPOINTS = {
   api: '',
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ const parseArgs = function (url, args: any[] = []) {
   return url
 }
 
-const makeRoutes = (baseUrl: string, routes: typeof CLOUD_ENDPOINTS) => {
+const _makeRoutes = (baseUrl: string, routes: typeof CLOUD_ENDPOINTS) => {
   return _.reduce(routes, (memo, value, key) => {
     memo[key] = function (...args: any[]) {
       let url = new UrlParse(baseUrl, true)
@@ -60,10 +61,6 @@ const makeRoutes = (baseUrl: string, routes: typeof CLOUD_ENDPOINTS) => {
   }, {} as Record<keyof typeof CLOUD_ENDPOINTS, (...args: any[]) => string>)
 }
 
-const apiRoutes = makeRoutes(apiUrl, CLOUD_ENDPOINTS)
+export const apiRoutes = _makeRoutes(apiUrl, CLOUD_ENDPOINTS)
 
-module.exports = {
-  apiUrl,
-  apiRoutes,
-  makeRoutes: (baseUrl) => makeRoutes(baseUrl, CLOUD_ENDPOINTS),
-}
+export const makeRoutes = (baseUrl) => _makeRoutes(baseUrl, CLOUD_ENDPOINTS)

packages/server/test/unit/cloud/api/api_spec.js

@@ -245,6 +245,8 @@ describe('lib/cloud/api', () => {
           require('../../../../lib/cloud/encryption')
         }, module)
       }
+
+      prodApi.resetPreflightResult()
     })
 
     it('POST /preflight to proxy. returns encryption', () => {
@@ -323,12 +325,75 @@ describe('lib/cloud/api', () => {
       })
     })
 
-    it('sets timeout to 60 seconds', () => {
+    it('sets timeout to 5 seconds when no CYPRESS_INITIAL_PREFLIGHT_TIMEOUT env is set', () => {
       sinon.stub(api.rp, 'post').resolves({})
 
       return api.sendPreflight({})
       .then(() => {
-        expect(api.rp.post).to.be.calledWithMatch({ timeout: 60000 })
+        expect(api.rp.post).to.be.calledWithMatch({ timeout: 5000 })
+      })
+    })
+
+    describe('when CYPRESS_INITIAL_PREFLIGHT_TIMEOUT env is set to a negative number', () => {
+      const configuredTimeout = -1
+      let prevEnv
+
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        prevEnv = process.env.CYPRESS_INITIAL_PREFLIGHT_TIMEOUT
+        process.env.CYPRESS_INITIAL_PREFLIGHT_TIMEOUT = configuredTimeout
+      })
+
+      afterEach(() => {
+        process.env.CYPRESS_INITIAL_PREFLIGHT_TIMEOUT = prevEnv
+      })
+
+      it('skips the no-agent preflight request', () => {
+        preflightNock(API_PROD_PROXY_BASEURL)
+        .replyWithError('should not be called')
+
+        preflightNock(API_PROD_BASEURL)
+        .reply(200, decryptReqBodyAndRespond({
+          reqBody: {
+            envUrl: 'https://some.server.com',
+            dependencies: {},
+            errors: [],
+            apiUrl: 'https://api.cypress.io/',
+            projectId: 'abc123',
+          },
+          resBody: {
+            encrypt: true,
+            apiUrl: `${API_PROD_BASEURL}/`,
+          },
+        }))
+
+        return prodApi.sendPreflight({ projectId: 'abc123' })
+        .then((ret) => {
+          expect(ret).to.deep.eq({ encrypt: true, apiUrl: `${API_PROD_BASEURL}/` })
+        })
+      })
+    })
+
+    describe('when CYPRESS_INITIAL_PREFLIGHT_TIMEOUT env is set to a positive number', () => {
+      const configuredTimeout = 10000
+      let prevEnv
+
+      beforeEach(() => {
+        prevEnv = process.env.CYPRESS_INITIAL_PREFLIGHT_TIMEOUT
+        process.env.CYPRESS_INITIAL_PREFLIGHT_TIMEOUT = configuredTimeout
+      })
+
+      afterEach(() => {
+        process.env.CYPRESS_INITIAL_PREFLIGHT_TIMEOUT = prevEnv
+        api.rp.post.restore()
+      })
+
+      it('makes the initial request with the number set in the env', () => {
+        sinon.stub(api.rp, 'post').resolves({})
+
+        return api.sendPreflight({})
+        .then(() => {
+          expect(api.rp.post).to.be.calledWithMatch({ timeout: configuredTimeout })
+        })
       })
     })