diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_backend.yml b/.github/workflows/test_backend.yml
index 8d1a8e2c4..4461940b3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_backend.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_backend.yml
@@ -43,18 +43,20 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
-      - name: Backend | docker-compose mariadb
+      - name: docker-compose mariadb
         run: docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml up --detach --no-deps mariadb
+      
+      - name: Backend | install and build
+        run: cd database && yarn && yarn build && cd ../config && yarn && cd ../backend && yarn && yarn build
 
-      - name: Sleep for 30 seconds
-        run: sleep 30s
-        shell: bash
+      - name: wait for database to be ready
+        run: docker run --rm --network gradido_internal-net busybox sh -c 'until nc -z mariadb 3306; do echo waiting for db; sleep 1; done;'
 
-      - name: Backend | docker-compose database
-        run: docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml up --detach --no-deps database
+      - name: Backend | prepare database
+        run: cd database && yarn up:backend_test
 
-      - name:  Backend | Unit tests
-        run: cd database && yarn && yarn build && cd ../config && yarn install && cd ../backend && yarn && yarn test
+      - name: Backend | Unit tests
+        run: cd backend && yarn test
 
   lint:
     if: needs.files-changed.outputs.backend == 'true'
@@ -66,7 +68,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
       - name: Backend | Lint
-        run: cd database && yarn && cd ../config && yarn install && cd ../backend && yarn && yarn run lint
+        run: cd backend && yarn && yarn run lint
 
   locales:
     if: needs.files-changed.outputs.backend == 'true'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_database.yml b/.github/workflows/test_database.yml
index 6f0c1d760..aa02edf87 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_database.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_database.yml
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
-      - name: Database | docker-compose
+      - name: docker-compose mariadb
         run: docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml up --detach mariadb
       
       - name: Database | up
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_dht_node.yml b/.github/workflows/test_dht_node.yml
index 4cb50a093..0fed7b2ea 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_dht_node.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_dht_node.yml
@@ -31,15 +31,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
       - name: Build 'test' image
-        run: |
-          docker build --target test -t "gradido/dht-node:test" -f dht-node/Dockerfile .
-          docker save "gradido/dht-node:test" > /tmp/dht-node.tar
-
-      - name: Upload Artifact
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
-        with:
-          name: docker-dht-node-test
-          path: /tmp/dht-node.tar
+        run: docker build --target test -t "gradido/dht-node:test" -f dht-node/Dockerfile .
 
   lint:
     name: Lint - DHT Node
@@ -50,8 +42,8 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
-      - name: Lint
-        run: cd database && yarn && cd ../config && yarn install && cd ../dht-node && yarn && yarn run lint
+      - name: DHT-Node | Lint
+        run: cd dht-node && yarn && yarn run lint
 
   unit_test:
     name: Unit Tests - DHT Node
@@ -62,30 +54,18 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
 
-      - name: Download Docker Image
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
-        with:
-          name: docker-dht-node-test
-          path: /tmp
-
-      - name: Load Docker Image
-        run: docker load < /tmp/dht-node.tar
-
       - name: docker-compose mariadb
         run: docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml up --detach --no-deps mariadb
 
-      - name: Sleep for 30 seconds
-        run: sleep 30s
-        shell: bash
+      - name: DHT-Node | install and build
+        run: cd database && yarn && yarn build && cd ../config && yarn && cd ../dht-node && yarn && yarn build
 
-      - name: docker-compose database
-        run: docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml up --detach --no-deps database
+      - name: wait for database to be ready
+        run: docker run --rm --network gradido_internal-net busybox sh -c 'until nc -z mariadb 3306; do echo waiting for db; sleep 1; done;'
 
-      - name: Sleep for 30 seconds
-        run: sleep 30s
-        shell: bash
+      - name: DHT-Node | prepare database
+        run: cd database && yarn up:dht_test
+
+      - name: DHT-Node | Unit tests
+        run: cd dht-node && yarn test
 
-      - name: Unit tests
-        run: cd database && yarn && yarn build && cd ../config && yarn install && cd ../dht-node && yarn && yarn test
-      #- name: Unit tests
-      # run: docker run --env NODE_ENV=test --env DB_HOST=mariadb --network gradido_internal-net --rm gradido/dht-node:test yarn run test
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_e2e.yml b/.github/workflows/test_e2e.yml
index 3fb92562c..6dbc31704 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_e2e.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_e2e.yml
@@ -13,25 +13,10 @@ jobs:
       - name: Boot up test system | docker-compose mariadb
         run: docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml up --detach mariadb
 
-      - name: Sleep for 10 seconds
-        run: sleep 10s
-
-      - name: Boot up test system | seed backend
-        run: |
-          sudo chown runner:docker -R *
-          cd database
-          yarn && yarn dev_reset
-          cd ../config
-          yarn install
-          cd ../backend
-          yarn && yarn seed
-
-      - name: Boot up test system | docker-compose backend, frontend, admin, nginx, mailserver
-        run: |
-          cd backend
-          cp .env.test_e2e .env
-          cd ..
-          docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml up --detach --no-deps backend frontend admin nginx mailserver
+      - name: Prepare test system
+        run: sudo chown runner:docker -R *
+          cd database && yarn 
+          cd ../backend && yarn
 
       - name: End-to-end tests | prepare
         run: |
@@ -41,6 +26,21 @@ jobs:
           cd e2e-tests/
           yarn
 
+      - name: wait for database to be ready
+        run: docker run --rm --network gradido_internal-net busybox sh -c 'until nc -z mariadb 3306; do echo waiting for db; sleep 1; done;'
+
+      - name: Boot up test system | seed backend
+        run: |
+          cd database && yarn dev_reset
+          cd ../backend && yarn seed
+
+      - name: Boot up test system | docker-compose backend, frontend, admin, nginx, mailserver
+        run: |
+          cd backend
+          cp .env.test_e2e .env
+          cd ..
+          docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml up --detach --no-deps backend frontend admin nginx mailserver
+
       - name: End-to-end tests | run tests
         id: e2e-tests
         run: |
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_federation.yml b/.github/workflows/test_federation.yml
index 8f5acb344..8e912d41a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_federation.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_federation.yml
@@ -72,20 +72,15 @@ jobs:
       
       - name: docker-compose mariadb
         run: docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml up --detach --no-deps mariadb
-      
-      - name: Sleep for 30 seconds
-        run: sleep 30s
-        shell: bash
 
-      - name: docker-compose database
-        run: docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml up --detach --no-deps database
+      - name: Federation | install and build
+        run: cd database && yarn && yarn build && cd ../config && yarn && cd ../federation && yarn && yarn build
 
-      - name: Sleep for 30 seconds
-        run: sleep 30s
-        shell: bash
+      - name: wait for database to be ready
+        run: docker run --rm --network gradido_internal-net busybox sh -c 'until nc -z mariadb 3306; do echo waiting for db; sleep 1; done;'
 
-      #- name: Unit tests
-      #  run: cd database && yarn && yarn build && cd ../dht-node && yarn && yarn test
-      - name: Unit tests
-        run: |
-          docker run --env NODE_ENV=test --env DB_HOST=mariadb --network gradido_internal-net --rm gradido/federation:test yarn run test
+      - name: Federation | prepare database
+        run: cd database && yarn up:federation_test
+
+      - name: Federation | Unit tests
+        run: docker run --env NODE_ENV=test --env DB_HOST=mariadb --network gradido_internal-net --rm gradido/federation:test yarn run test