Table of Contents

HTTP quickstart

The HTTP sample is the fastest way to prove your environment and understand the Cress project model because it only needs the built-in HTTP runtime driver.

Tip

Use this path first even if your final goal is web or desktop automation. It gives you a clean baseline for project structure, profiles, flows, and reports.

1. Restore the repo

dotnet tool restore
dotnet restore Cress.sln
dotnet build Cress.sln --configuration Release

2. Inspect the sample project

The repository includes specs\httpbin-smoke, a CI-friendly sample that shows the full project layout:

  • .cress\config.yaml and .cress\profiles\
  • capabilities\
  • flows\
  • fixtures\
  • steps\
  • artifacts\runs\
  • reports\

For the full file-by-file tour, open specs\httpbin-smoke\README.md in the repository.

3. Validate before you run

dotnet run --project src\Cress.Cli\Cress.Cli.csproj -- validate specs\httpbin-smoke
dotnet run --project src\Cress.Cli\Cress.Cli.csproj -- doctor

validate checks the project files and manifests. doctor confirms Cress can locate the project and gives environment-readiness diagnostics.

4. Run the flows

dotnet run --project src\Cress.Cli\Cress.Cli.csproj -- run specs\httpbin-smoke --profile ci --report html,json,junit

Expected result:

  • a run ID in the console
  • an artifact path under artifacts\runs
  • generated reports under reports\

5. Review the generated living documentation

dotnet run --project src\Cress.Cli\Cress.Cli.csproj -- doc generate specs\httpbin-smoke --output artifacts\docs\httpbin-smoke.html --template executive

This produces a shareable HTML page that combines the project structure, capability context, and selected flow detail into a single artifact.

6. Explore the project catalog

dotnet run --project src\Cress.Cli\Cress.Cli.csproj -- discover --json

The discovery command is useful during onboarding because it shows the flows, capabilities, fixtures, steps, and runtime drivers that Cress found in the project.

7. What to try next

  1. Change a profile value in specs\httpbin-smoke\.cress\profiles\ci.yaml.
  2. Run cress plan --json or cress run --dry-run to inspect the execution plan.
  3. Move to the web quickstart or desktop quickstart once the project model feels familiar.