diff --git a/.docker-compose-base.yml b/.docker-compose-base.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 663aa0e0ab95ad3ab533fabb1a352d8e194f3598..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/.docker-compose-base.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,25 +0,0 @@
-version: '3.7'
-services:
-  sqldb:
-    image: mariadb:10.4
-    environment:
-      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: caosdb1234
-  caosdb-server:
-    image: "caosdb:default"
-    depends_on:
-      - sqldb
-    ports:
-      # - "from_outside:from_inside"
-      - "10443:10443"
-      - "10080:10080"
-    # Pass information to the running docker ontainer.
-    # These variables should be set when calling docker-compose.
-    #    environment:
-    #      - SQL_RESTORE
-    #      - NIS_ENABLE
-    #      - NIS_DOMAIN
-    #      - NIS_SERVER
-    #      - PORT_SSL
-    #      - DOCKER_TZ
-    #      - DOCKER_MAIL
-    #      - MAKE_TEST
diff --git a/.docker/Dockerfile b/.docker/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..d99c3f4c5df41fe0745c33336f580c67d0b10d05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.docker/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+FROM debian:latest
+RUN apt-get update && \
+	apt-get install tox curl -y
+COPY wait-for-it.sh /wait-for-it.sh
+CMD /wait-for-it.sh caosdb-server:10443 -- curl https://caosdb-server:10443
diff --git a/.docker/docker-compose.yml b/.docker/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..facbe4d16ae25bc743b5165a4e27da8139042e1f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.docker/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+version: '3.7'
+services:
+  sqldb:
+    image: mariadb:10.4
+    environment:
+      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: caosdb1234
+  caosdb-server:
+    image: "caosdb:default"
+    depends_on:
+      - sqldb
+    ports:
+      # - "from_outside:from_inside"
+      - "10443:10443"
+      - "10080:10080"
+  tester:
+    image: pyint-tester:0.3
+    depends_on:
+      - caosdb-server
diff --git a/.docker/wait-for-it.sh b/.docker/wait-for-it.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..dd6947cd8412848f9264228cb46e86874459a599
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.docker/wait-for-it.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#  TODO add proper license
+# from githu: 
+#   Use this script to test if a given TCP host/port are available
+
+WAITFORIT_cmdname=${0##*/}
+
+echoerr() { if [[ $WAITFORIT_QUIET -ne 1 ]]; then echo "$@" 1>&2; fi }
+
+usage()
+{
+    cat << USAGE >&2
+Usage:
+    $WAITFORIT_cmdname host:port [-s] [-t timeout] [-- command args]
+    -h HOST | --host=HOST       Host or IP under test
+    -p PORT | --port=PORT       TCP port under test
+                                Alternatively, you specify the host and port as host:port
+    -s | --strict               Only execute subcommand if the test succeeds
+    -q | --quiet                Don't output any status messages
+    -t TIMEOUT | --timeout=TIMEOUT
+                                Timeout in seconds, zero for no timeout
+    -- COMMAND ARGS             Execute command with args after the test finishes
+USAGE
+    exit 1
+}
+
+wait_for()
+{
+    if [[ $WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT -gt 0 ]]; then
+        echoerr "$WAITFORIT_cmdname: waiting $WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT seconds for $WAITFORIT_HOST:$WAITFORIT_PORT"
+    else
+        echoerr "$WAITFORIT_cmdname: waiting for $WAITFORIT_HOST:$WAITFORIT_PORT without a timeout"
+    fi
+    WAITFORIT_start_ts=$(date +%s)
+    while :
+    do
+        if [[ $WAITFORIT_ISBUSY -eq 1 ]]; then
+            nc -z $WAITFORIT_HOST $WAITFORIT_PORT
+            WAITFORIT_result=$?
+        else
+            (echo > /dev/tcp/$WAITFORIT_HOST/$WAITFORIT_PORT) >/dev/null 2>&1
+            WAITFORIT_result=$?
+        fi
+        if [[ $WAITFORIT_result -eq 0 ]]; then
+            WAITFORIT_end_ts=$(date +%s)
+            echoerr "$WAITFORIT_cmdname: $WAITFORIT_HOST:$WAITFORIT_PORT is available after $((WAITFORIT_end_ts - WAITFORIT_start_ts)) seconds"
+            break
+        fi
+        sleep 1
+    done
+    return $WAITFORIT_result
+}
+
+wait_for_wrapper()
+{
+    # In order to support SIGINT during timeout: http://unix.stackexchange.com/a/57692
+    if [[ $WAITFORIT_QUIET -eq 1 ]]; then
+        timeout $WAITFORIT_BUSYTIMEFLAG $WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT $0 --quiet --child --host=$WAITFORIT_HOST --port=$WAITFORIT_PORT --timeout=$WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT &
+    else
+        timeout $WAITFORIT_BUSYTIMEFLAG $WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT $0 --child --host=$WAITFORIT_HOST --port=$WAITFORIT_PORT --timeout=$WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT &
+    fi
+    WAITFORIT_PID=$!
+    trap "kill -INT -$WAITFORIT_PID" INT
+    wait $WAITFORIT_PID
+    WAITFORIT_RESULT=$?
+    if [[ $WAITFORIT_RESULT -ne 0 ]]; then
+        echoerr "$WAITFORIT_cmdname: timeout occurred after waiting $WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT seconds for $WAITFORIT_HOST:$WAITFORIT_PORT"
+    fi
+    return $WAITFORIT_RESULT
+}
+
+# process arguments
+while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]
+do
+    case "$1" in
+        *:* )
+        WAITFORIT_hostport=(${1//:/ })
+        WAITFORIT_HOST=${WAITFORIT_hostport[0]}
+        WAITFORIT_PORT=${WAITFORIT_hostport[1]}
+        shift 1
+        ;;
+        --child)
+        WAITFORIT_CHILD=1
+        shift 1
+        ;;
+        -q | --quiet)
+        WAITFORIT_QUIET=1
+        shift 1
+        ;;
+        -s | --strict)
+        WAITFORIT_STRICT=1
+        shift 1
+        ;;
+        -h)
+        WAITFORIT_HOST="$2"
+        if [[ $WAITFORIT_HOST == "" ]]; then break; fi
+        shift 2
+        ;;
+        --host=*)
+        WAITFORIT_HOST="${1#*=}"
+        shift 1
+        ;;
+        -p)
+        WAITFORIT_PORT="$2"
+        if [[ $WAITFORIT_PORT == "" ]]; then break; fi
+        shift 2
+        ;;
+        --port=*)
+        WAITFORIT_PORT="${1#*=}"
+        shift 1
+        ;;
+        -t)
+        WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT="$2"
+        if [[ $WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT == "" ]]; then break; fi
+        shift 2
+        ;;
+        --timeout=*)
+        WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT="${1#*=}"
+        shift 1
+        ;;
+        --)
+        shift
+        WAITFORIT_CLI=("$@")
+        break
+        ;;
+        --help)
+        usage
+        ;;
+        *)
+        echoerr "Unknown argument: $1"
+        usage
+        ;;
+    esac
+done
+
+if [[ "$WAITFORIT_HOST" == "" || "$WAITFORIT_PORT" == "" ]]; then
+    echoerr "Error: you need to provide a host and port to test."
+    usage
+fi
+
+WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT=${WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT:-15}
+WAITFORIT_STRICT=${WAITFORIT_STRICT:-0}
+WAITFORIT_CHILD=${WAITFORIT_CHILD:-0}
+WAITFORIT_QUIET=${WAITFORIT_QUIET:-0}
+
+# check to see if timeout is from busybox?
+WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT_PATH=$(type -p timeout)
+WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT_PATH=$(realpath $WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT_PATH 2>/dev/null || readlink -f $WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT_PATH)
+if [[ $WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT_PATH =~ "busybox" ]]; then
+        WAITFORIT_ISBUSY=1
+        WAITFORIT_BUSYTIMEFLAG="-t"
+
+else
+        WAITFORIT_ISBUSY=0
+        WAITFORIT_BUSYTIMEFLAG=""
+fi
+
+if [[ $WAITFORIT_CHILD -gt 0 ]]; then
+    wait_for
+    WAITFORIT_RESULT=$?
+    exit $WAITFORIT_RESULT
+else
+    if [[ $WAITFORIT_TIMEOUT -gt 0 ]]; then
+        wait_for_wrapper
+        WAITFORIT_RESULT=$?
+    else
+        wait_for
+        WAITFORIT_RESULT=$?
+    fi
+fi
+
+if [[ $WAITFORIT_CLI != "" ]]; then
+    if [[ $WAITFORIT_RESULT -ne 0 && $WAITFORIT_STRICT -eq 1 ]]; then
+        echoerr "$WAITFORIT_cmdname: strict mode, refusing to execute subprocess"
+        exit $WAITFORIT_RESULT
+    fi
+    exec "${WAITFORIT_CLI[@]}"
+else
+    exit $WAITFORIT_RESULT
+fi
+
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index 7b640b789498916aaecbc8dd8a971d22c3d57452..247371fe2ad97f757e7d44ebf6cc9f3f9c1e0466 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -22,16 +22,46 @@
 # ** end header
 #
 #
+
 variables:
-   MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: caosdb1234
+   CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE: $CI_REGISTRY/caosdb-pyint-testenv
+   # When using dind service we need to instruct docker, to talk with the
+   # daemon started inside of the service. The daemon is available with
+   # a network connection instead of the default /var/run/docker.sock socket.
+   #
+   # The 'docker' hostname is the alias of the service container as described at
+   # https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/docker/using_docker_images.html#accessing-the-services
+   #
+   # Note that if you're using the Kubernetes executor, the variable should be set to
+   # tcp://localhost:2375/ because of how the Kubernetes executor connects services
+   # to the job container
+   # DOCKER_HOST: tcp://localhost:2375/
+   #
+   # For non-Kubernetes executors, we use tcp://docker:2375/
+   DOCKER_HOST: tcp://docker:2375/
+   # When using dind, it's wise to use the overlayfs driver for
+   # improved performance.
+   DOCKER_DRIVER: overlay2
 
 services:
-  - name: mariadb:10.4
-    alias: mysql
-  - name: nginx:latest
-    alias: nginx
+   - docker:dind
+
 
 test:
-  image: debian:stretch
+  image: docker:latest
   script:
-    - sleep 120
+      - docker-compose -f .docker/docker-compose.yml up
+
+build-testenv:
+    image: docker:latest
+    stage: setup
+    script: 
+        - docker login -u testuser -p $CI_REGISTRY_PASSWORD $CI_REGISTRY
+          # use here general latest or specific branch latest...
+        - docker pull $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:latest || true
+        - docker build 
+          --pull
+          --file .dockerfile
+          --cache-from $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:latest 
+          -t $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:latest .
+        - docker push $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE:latest