What system testing means

System testing validates the entire application as a whole.

It checks:

• functional behavior
• performance constraints
• security requirements (basic checks)
• end-to-end workflows

Typical environment

• staging environment
• production-like config
• real databases (test data)

Example system test scenarios

• signup → login → purchase
• role-based access checks
• multi-service workflow

Relationship to E2E tests

Many people use the words interchangeably.

A useful distinction:

• System testing: focus on system behavior vs spec
• E2E: focus on user flows (often UI-driven)