End-to-end test
also: end-to-end tests, e2e test, e2e tests, e2e
An automated test that uses your app the way a real person would, clicking through screens from start to finish, to check a whole task works.
A test that drives the full running system, usually through a real browser controlled by a tool like Playwright or Cypress. It covers frontend, backend, database and services in one flow, such as sign up, add to cart, pay.
A restaurant owner eating a meal as a customer: walking in, ordering, eating, paying. Not inspecting the oven or the till separately, but the whole experience.
It's the closest automated check to "does this actually work for a user?" One end-to-end test of the main path is strong evidence an agent's feature works. They are slow, so save them for important flows.
I added a Playwright end-to-end test for signup: it fills in the form, follows the confirmation link, and checks you land on the dashboard.
Write one end-to-end test for the core checkout path: add an item, pay with the Stripe test card, see the confirmation page. Just that one flow for now.
Wanting end-to-end tests for everything. They are slow and break easily, so most teams keep a few for key paths and use smaller tests for details.