diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-e2e.yml b/.github/workflows/test-e2e.yml
index 332d77553..3503bad4b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-e2e.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-e2e.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-name: ocelot.social end-to-end test CI
+name: Realistic E2E CI
 
 on:
   push:
@@ -10,83 +10,101 @@ on:
       - '.github/workflows/test-e2e.yml'
 
 jobs:
-  build_images:
-    name: Build Docker Images
+  prepare_backend_environment:
+    name: Fullstack | prepare backend environment
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    strategy:
-      matrix:
-        include:
-          - service: backend
-            dockerfile: backend/Dockerfile
-            context: backend
-            target: build
-          - service: webapp
-            dockerfile: webapp/Dockerfile
-            context: webapp
-            target: build
-          - service: neo4j
-            dockerfile: neo4j/Dockerfile
-            context: neo4j
-            target: community
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      - uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
-      - name: Build ${{ matrix.service }} image
-        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+      - name: Copy env files
+        run: |
+          cp backend/.env.test_e2e backend/.env || true
+          cp webapp/.env.template webapp/.env || true
+
+      - name: Build backend and dependencies
+        run: |
+          docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml up --detach backend --build
+
+      - name: Save docker images to disk
+        run: |
+          docker save ocelotsocialnetwork/backend:test > /tmp/backend.tar
+          docker save ocelotsocialnetwork/neo4j:test > /tmp/neo4j.tar
+          docker save ocelotsocialnetwork/webapp:test > /tmp/webapp.tar
+
+      - name: Cache docker images
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
         with:
-          context: ./${{ matrix.context }}
-          file: ./${{ matrix.dockerfile }}
-          target: ${{ matrix.target }}
-          tags: ocelotsocialnetwork/${{ matrix.service }}:test
-          outputs: type=docker,dest=/tmp/${{ matrix.service }}.tar
+          path: |
+            /tmp/backend.tar
+            /tmp/neo4j.tar
+            /tmp/webapp.tar
+          key: ${{ github.run_id }}-e2e-images
 
-  prepare_env:
-    name: Prepare Environment
+      - name: Shutdown services after image save
+        run: docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml down
+
+  run_tests:
+    name: Run Cypress Tests Against Docker Setup
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: prepare_backend_environment
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Restore docker image cache
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
         with:
-          node-version: '20'
+          path: |
+            /tmp/backend.tar
+            /tmp/neo4j.tar
+            /tmp/webapp.tar
+          key: ${{ github.run_id }}-e2e-images
 
-      - name: Setup .env and deps
+      - name: Load Docker Images
         run: |
-          cp webapp/.env.template webapp/.env || touch webapp/.env
-          cp backend/.env.test_e2e backend/.env || touch backend/.env
-          yarn --version || npm install -g yarn
-          mkdir -p /tmp/bin && curl -sL https://github.com/cucumber/json-formatter/releases/download/v19.0.0/cucumber-json-formatter-linux-386 -o /tmp/bin/cucumber-json-formatter
-          chmod +x /tmp/bin/cucumber-json-formatter
-          export PATH="/tmp/bin:$PATH"
-          yarn install || true
-          (cd backend && yarn install || true)
-          (cd webapp && yarn install || true)
+          docker load -i /tmp/backend.tar
+          docker load -i /tmp/neo4j.tar
+          docker load -i /tmp/webapp.tar
 
-  fullstack_tests:
-    name: Run Fullstack E2E Tests
-    needs: [build_images, prepare_env]
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    strategy:
-      matrix:
-        job: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
-    env:
-      jobs: 8
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Load Docker images
+      - name: Prepare env files
         run: |
-          docker load < /tmp/neo4j.tar || true
-          docker load < /tmp/backend.tar || true
-          docker load < /tmp/webapp.tar || true
+          cp backend/.env.test_e2e backend/.env || true
+          cp webapp/.env.template webapp/.env || true
 
-      - name: Start system
+      - name: Restore Cypress cache
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.cache/Cypress
+            ./cypress
+            /opt/cucumber-json-formatter
+          key: ${{ runner.os }}-cypress-${{ hashFiles('**/package-lock.json') }}
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
         run: |
-          docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml up --build --detach webapp mailserver
+          cd backend && yarn install && yarn build
+          cd .. && yarn install
 
-      - name: Wait for webapp
+      - name: Start selected services via Compose
         run: |
-          for i in {1..30}; do curl -sf http://localhost:3000 && exit 0 || sleep 2; done; exit 1
+          docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml up --detach backend mailserver webapp
 
-      - name: Run Cypress tests
-        run: yarn run cypress:run --spec $(cypress/parallel-features.sh ${{ matrix.job }} ${{ env.jobs }})
+      - name: Wait for webapp to be ready
+        uses: jakejarvis/wait-action@v0.1.0
+        with:
+          url: http://localhost:3000
+          timeout: 120000
+
+      - name: Run Cypress Tests
+        run: yarn run cypress:run --spec $(cypress/parallel-features.sh 1 1)
+
+      - name: Show service logs on failure
+        if: failure()
+        run: |
+          docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml logs backend
+          docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml logs webapp
+
+      - name: Shutdown Docker Compose
+        if: always()
+        run: docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.test.yml down