diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 897030b..472957c 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,2 +1,6 @@
 bin/
 terraform/
+
+# e2e-docker fixtures are real package files (.rpm, .tgz, .whl, .zip, ...) that
+# are intentionally tracked, overriding any global ignore of those extensions.
+!e2e-docker/fixtures/**
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index e2d1889..62b99aa 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.PHONY: build test lint fmt e2e docker docker-ui compose clean tidy check-go
+.PHONY: build test lint fmt e2e docker-e2e docker docker-ui compose clean tidy check-go
 
 BINARY := bin/artifactapi
 MODULE := git.unkin.net/unkin/artifactapi
@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ fmt: check-go
 e2e: check-go
 	TESTCONTAINERS_RYUK_DISABLED=true go test -tags=e2e -race -count=1 -timeout=5m ./e2e/...
 
+# Build the container, bring up the full docker-compose stack + a mock upstream,
+# and run the black-box suite against the running product.
+docker-e2e: check-go
+	./scripts/docker-e2e.sh
+
 docker:
 	docker build -t artifactapi:$(VERSION) .
 
diff --git a/docker-compose.e2e.yml b/docker-compose.e2e.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8bfa2d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.e2e.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# Overlay for the dockerised end-to-end suite (scripts/docker-e2e.sh).
+# Adds a static mock upstream that the artifactapi container proxies, so the
+# caching tests are hermetic and need no internet access.
+services:
+  mockupstream:
+    image: nginx:alpine
+    volumes:
+      - ./e2e-docker/fixtures:/usr/share/nginx/html:ro,z
+    # No host port needed: only the artifactapi container talks to it, and the
+    # tests compare served bytes against the on-disk fixtures.
+
+  artifactapi:
+    # The host port is set via ARTIFACTAPI_PORT (see scripts/docker-e2e.sh),
+    # defaulting to 8000; the e2e run uses 8001 to avoid colliding with a
+    # locally-running instance.
+    depends_on:
+      mockupstream:
+        condition: service_started
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 7687e20..0ee2dba 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ services:
   artifactapi:
     build: .
     ports:
-      - "8000:8000"
+      - "${ARTIFACTAPI_PORT:-8000}:8000"
     environment:
       LISTEN_ADDR: ":8000"
       DBHOST: postgres
diff --git a/e2e-docker/README.md b/e2e-docker/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3a7773a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-docker/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+# Dockerised end-to-end suite
+
+Black-box tests that run against a fully **containerised** artifactapi stack
+(built image + Postgres + Redis + MinIO) plus a static mock upstream. Unlike the
+in-process `e2e/` suite (testcontainers, server run in-process), these only speak
+HTTP to the running product, so they exercise the shipped container image.
+
+## Run
+
+```bash
+make docker-e2e          # build image, compose up, run suite, compose down
+```
+
+`scripts/docker-e2e.sh` builds and starts `docker-compose.yml` +
+`docker-compose.e2e.yml`, waits for `/health`, then runs
+`go test -tags=dockere2e ./e2e-docker/...` and tears everything down.
+
+The stack publishes artifactapi on host port **8001** (to avoid colliding with a
+local instance on 8000). Override with `ARTIFACTAPI_URL` to point the tests at an
+already-running stack.
+
+## Coverage
+
+- **Repository lifecycle** — add / change / delete for remote, local and virtual repos.
+- **Caching** — one immutable artifact per remote package type (generic, docker,
+  helm, pypi, npm, rpm, alpine, puppet, terraform, goproxy) proxied through the
+  mock upstream: first fetch `X-Artifact-Source: remote`, second `cache`, bytes
+  verified against the origin fixture.
+- **Local uploads** — generic (upload/download), pypi (wheel + generated `simple/`
+  index), rpm (real package + **automatic repodata** generation).
+- **Virtual repositories** — pypi simple-index merge and helm `index.yaml` merge
+  across two members.
+
+## Fixtures
+
+`fixtures/` is served by the mock upstream at its web root. Paths mirror each
+provider's upstream URL layout (e.g. `v2/...` for docker, `v1/providers/...` for
+terraform). The RPM under `fixtures/rpmrepo/Packages/` is a real package so the
+rpm provider can parse its metadata for repodata generation.
diff --git a/e2e-docker/caching_test.go b/e2e-docker/caching_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8f60307
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-docker/caching_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+//go:build dockere2e
+
+package e2edocker
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"fmt"
+	"net/http"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestCachingPerProvider proxies one immutable artifact for every remote
+// package type through the mock upstream and asserts: first fetch is served
+// from the remote, the second from cache, and the bytes match the origin.
+func TestCachingPerProvider(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		pkgType string
+		// path is the request path under /api/v1/remote/<name>/. The provider
+		// derives the upstream URL from it (docker prepends /v2/, terraform
+		// prepends /v1/providers/), and the fixture lives at that resolved path.
+		path    string
+		fixture string
+	}{
+		{"generic", "blobs/hello.bin", "blobs/hello.bin"},
+		{"npm", "mypkg/-/mypkg-1.0.0.tgz", "mypkg/-/mypkg-1.0.0.tgz"},
+		{"helm", "charts/mychart-1.0.0.tgz", "charts/mychart-1.0.0.tgz"},
+		{"pypi", "packages/foo-1.0-py3-none-any.whl", "packages/foo-1.0-py3-none-any.whl"},
+		{"rpm", "rpmrepo/Packages/e2e-testpkg-1.0-1.noarch.rpm", "rpmrepo/Packages/e2e-testpkg-1.0-1.noarch.rpm"},
+		{"alpine", "alpine/x86_64/testpkg-1.0-r0.apk", "alpine/x86_64/testpkg-1.0-r0.apk"},
+		{"puppet", "puppet-releases/author-mod-1.0.0.tar.gz", "puppet-releases/author-mod-1.0.0.tar.gz"},
+		{"goproxy", "goproxy/example.com/mod/@v/v1.0.0.zip", "goproxy/example.com/mod/@v/v1.0.0.zip"},
+		{"terraform", "hashicorp/aws/download/pkg.zip", "v1/providers/hashicorp/aws/download/pkg.zip"},
+		{"docker", "library/testimg/blobs/blobdata", "v2/library/testimg/blobs/blobdata"},
+	}
+
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(tc.pkgType, func(t *testing.T) {
+			name := "cache-" + tc.pkgType
+			createRepo(t, fmt.Sprintf(`{
+				"name": %q,
+				"package_type": %q,
+				"repo_type": "remote",
+				"base_url": %q,
+				"stale_on_error": true
+			}`, name, tc.pkgType, mockUpstream()))
+			defer deleteRepo(t, name)
+
+			want := fixtureBytes(t, tc.fixture)
+			url := api("/api/v1/remote/" + name + "/" + tc.path)
+
+			// First fetch: from remote.
+			resp, body := doRequest(t, http.MethodGet, url, nil, "")
+			if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+				t.Fatalf("first fetch: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+			}
+			if src := resp.Header.Get("X-Artifact-Source"); src != "remote" {
+				t.Fatalf("first fetch source = %q, want remote", src)
+			}
+			if !bytes.Equal(body, want) {
+				t.Fatalf("first fetch body mismatch: got %d bytes, want %d", len(body), len(want))
+			}
+
+			// Second fetch: from cache, identical bytes.
+			resp, body = doRequest(t, http.MethodGet, url, nil, "")
+			if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+				t.Fatalf("second fetch: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+			}
+			if src := resp.Header.Get("X-Artifact-Source"); src != "cache" {
+				t.Fatalf("second fetch source = %q, want cache", src)
+			}
+			if !bytes.Equal(body, want) {
+				t.Fatalf("cached body mismatch: got %d bytes, want %d", len(body), len(want))
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/e2e-docker/fixtures/alpine/x86_64/testpkg-1.0-r0.apk b/e2e-docker/fixtures/alpine/x86_64/testpkg-1.0-r0.apk
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9b901a6
Binary files /dev/null and b/e2e-docker/fixtures/alpine/x86_64/testpkg-1.0-r0.apk differ
diff --git a/e2e-docker/fixtures/blobs/hello.bin b/e2e-docker/fixtures/blobs/hello.bin
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..014592c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-docker/fixtures/blobs/hello.bin
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+hello artifactapi generic blob
diff --git a/e2e-docker/fixtures/charts/mychart-1.0.0.tgz b/e2e-docker/fixtures/charts/mychart-1.0.0.tgz
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7094432
Binary files /dev/null and b/e2e-docker/fixtures/charts/mychart-1.0.0.tgz differ
diff --git a/e2e-docker/fixtures/goproxy/example.com/mod/@v/v1.0.0.zip b/e2e-docker/fixtures/goproxy/example.com/mod/@v/v1.0.0.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c07b15
Binary files /dev/null and b/e2e-docker/fixtures/goproxy/example.com/mod/@v/v1.0.0.zip differ
diff --git a/e2e-docker/fixtures/helm-a/index.yaml b/e2e-docker/fixtures/helm-a/index.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..79c1f28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-docker/fixtures/helm-a/index.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+apiVersion: v1
+entries:
+  alpha:
+    - name: alpha
+      version: 1.0.0
+      urls:
+        - charts/alpha-1.0.0.tgz
+generated: "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"
diff --git a/e2e-docker/fixtures/helm-b/index.yaml b/e2e-docker/fixtures/helm-b/index.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7d0c06b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-docker/fixtures/helm-b/index.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+apiVersion: v1
+entries:
+  beta:
+    - name: beta
+      version: 2.0.0
+      urls:
+        - charts/beta-2.0.0.tgz
+generated: "2026-01-01T00:00:00Z"
diff --git a/e2e-docker/fixtures/mypkg/-/mypkg-1.0.0.tgz b/e2e-docker/fixtures/mypkg/-/mypkg-1.0.0.tgz
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..be1df01
Binary files /dev/null and b/e2e-docker/fixtures/mypkg/-/mypkg-1.0.0.tgz differ
diff --git a/e2e-docker/fixtures/packages/foo-1.0-py3-none-any.whl b/e2e-docker/fixtures/packages/foo-1.0-py3-none-any.whl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ce06330
Binary files /dev/null and b/e2e-docker/fixtures/packages/foo-1.0-py3-none-any.whl differ
diff --git a/e2e-docker/fixtures/puppet-releases/author-mod-1.0.0.tar.gz b/e2e-docker/fixtures/puppet-releases/author-mod-1.0.0.tar.gz
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..46abd92
Binary files /dev/null and b/e2e-docker/fixtures/puppet-releases/author-mod-1.0.0.tar.gz differ
diff --git a/e2e-docker/fixtures/rpmrepo/Packages/e2e-testpkg-1.0-1.noarch.rpm b/e2e-docker/fixtures/rpmrepo/Packages/e2e-testpkg-1.0-1.noarch.rpm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1977530
Binary files /dev/null and b/e2e-docker/fixtures/rpmrepo/Packages/e2e-testpkg-1.0-1.noarch.rpm differ
diff --git a/e2e-docker/fixtures/v1/providers/hashicorp/aws/download/pkg.zip b/e2e-docker/fixtures/v1/providers/hashicorp/aws/download/pkg.zip
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1834c30
Binary files /dev/null and b/e2e-docker/fixtures/v1/providers/hashicorp/aws/download/pkg.zip differ
diff --git a/e2e-docker/fixtures/v2/library/testimg/blobs/blobdata b/e2e-docker/fixtures/v2/library/testimg/blobs/blobdata
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ed84624
Binary files /dev/null and b/e2e-docker/fixtures/v2/library/testimg/blobs/blobdata differ
diff --git a/e2e-docker/helpers_test.go b/e2e-docker/helpers_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c9bea92
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-docker/helpers_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+//go:build dockere2e
+
+// Package e2edocker holds the black-box end-to-end suite that runs against a
+// fully dockerised artifactapi stack (see scripts/docker-e2e.sh). Unlike the
+// in-process e2e suite, these tests only speak HTTP to the running container.
+package e2edocker
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func baseURL() string {
+	if v := os.Getenv("ARTIFACTAPI_URL"); v != "" {
+		return strings.TrimRight(v, "/")
+	}
+	return "http://localhost:8000"
+}
+
+// mockUpstream is the base URL the artifactapi *container* uses to reach the
+// static mock upstream. It is resolved on the compose network, not the host.
+func mockUpstream() string {
+	if v := os.Getenv("MOCK_UPSTREAM_INTERNAL"); v != "" {
+		return strings.TrimRight(v, "/")
+	}
+	return "http://mockupstream"
+}
+
+func api(path string) string { return baseURL() + path }
+
+func fixtureBytes(t *testing.T, rel string) []byte {
+	t.Helper()
+	b, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join("fixtures", rel))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read fixture %s: %v", rel, err)
+	}
+	return b
+}
+
+func doRequest(t *testing.T, method, url string, body []byte, contentType string) (*http.Response, []byte) {
+	t.Helper()
+	var r io.Reader
+	if body != nil {
+		r = bytes.NewReader(body)
+	}
+	req, err := http.NewRequest(method, url, r)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("%s %s: %v", method, url, err)
+	}
+	if contentType != "" {
+		req.Header.Set("Content-Type", contentType)
+	}
+	resp, err := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("%s %s: %v", method, url, err)
+	}
+	defer resp.Body.Close()
+	respBody, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
+	return resp, respBody
+}
+
+func createRepo(t *testing.T, jsonBody string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	resp, body := doRequest(t, http.MethodPost, api("/api/v2/remotes"), []byte(jsonBody), "application/json")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusCreated {
+		t.Fatalf("create repo: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+	}
+}
+
+func deleteRepo(t *testing.T, name string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	doRequest(t, http.MethodDelete, api("/api/v2/remotes/"+name), nil, "")
+}
+
+func createVirtual(t *testing.T, jsonBody string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	resp, body := doRequest(t, http.MethodPost, api("/api/v2/virtuals"), []byte(jsonBody), "application/json")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusCreated {
+		t.Fatalf("create virtual: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+	}
+}
+
+func deleteVirtual(t *testing.T, name string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	doRequest(t, http.MethodDelete, api("/api/v2/virtuals/"+name), nil, "")
+}
+
+// getEventually retries a GET until it returns 200 or the deadline passes. Used
+// for asynchronously-generated artifacts (e.g. rpm repodata after upload).
+func getEventually(t *testing.T, url string, timeout time.Duration) (*http.Response, []byte) {
+	t.Helper()
+	deadline := time.Now().Add(timeout)
+	var resp *http.Response
+	var body []byte
+	for {
+		resp, body = doRequest(t, http.MethodGet, url, nil, "")
+		if resp.StatusCode == http.StatusOK || time.Now().After(deadline) {
+			return resp, body
+		}
+		time.Sleep(250 * time.Millisecond)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/e2e-docker/local_test.go b/e2e-docker/local_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..013faad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-docker/local_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+//go:build dockere2e
+
+package e2edocker
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"net/http"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func uploadFile(t *testing.T, repo, filePath string, body []byte, contentType string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	url := api("/api/v2/remotes/" + repo + "/files/" + filePath)
+	resp, respBody := doRequest(t, http.MethodPut, url, body, contentType)
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusCreated {
+		t.Fatalf("upload %s: status %d: %s", filePath, resp.StatusCode, respBody)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestLocalGenericUpload uploads a generic file and downloads it back.
+func TestLocalGenericUpload(t *testing.T) {
+	createRepo(t, `{"name":"local-generic","package_type":"generic","repo_type":"local"}`)
+	defer deleteRepo(t, "local-generic")
+
+	content := []byte("artifactapi local generic upload payload")
+	uploadFile(t, "local-generic", "data/hello.bin", content, "application/octet-stream")
+
+	resp, body := doRequest(t, http.MethodGet, api("/api/v1/local/local-generic/data/hello.bin"), nil, "")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("download: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+	}
+	if !bytes.Equal(body, content) {
+		t.Fatalf("downloaded content mismatch")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestLocalPyPIUpload uploads a wheel and validates the generated simple index.
+func TestLocalPyPIUpload(t *testing.T) {
+	createRepo(t, `{"name":"local-pypi","package_type":"pypi","repo_type":"local"}`)
+	defer deleteRepo(t, "local-pypi")
+
+	wheel := fixtureBytes(t, "packages/foo-1.0-py3-none-any.whl")
+	uploadFile(t, "local-pypi", "foo-1.0-py3-none-any.whl", wheel, "application/zip")
+
+	// Root index lists the package.
+	resp, body := doRequest(t, http.MethodGet, api("/api/v1/local/local-pypi/simple/"), nil, "")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("simple index: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(string(body), "foo") {
+		t.Fatalf("simple index missing package 'foo': %s", body)
+	}
+
+	// Per-package index lists the wheel file.
+	resp, body = doRequest(t, http.MethodGet, api("/api/v1/local/local-pypi/simple/foo/"), nil, "")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("package index: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(string(body), "foo-1.0-py3-none-any.whl") {
+		t.Fatalf("package index missing wheel: %s", body)
+	}
+
+	// The wheel downloads back byte-identical.
+	resp, body = doRequest(t, http.MethodGet, api("/api/v1/local/local-pypi/foo/foo-1.0-py3-none-any.whl"), nil, "")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("download wheel: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+	}
+	if !bytes.Equal(body, wheel) {
+		t.Fatalf("wheel content mismatch")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestLocalRPMRepodata uploads a real RPM and validates that repodata is
+// generated automatically (the special rpm-local feature).
+func TestLocalRPMRepodata(t *testing.T) {
+	createRepo(t, `{"name":"local-rpm","package_type":"rpm","repo_type":"local"}`)
+	defer deleteRepo(t, "local-rpm")
+
+	rpm := fixtureBytes(t, "rpmrepo/Packages/e2e-testpkg-1.0-1.noarch.rpm")
+	uploadFile(t, "local-rpm", "e2e-testpkg-1.0-1.noarch.rpm", rpm, "application/x-rpm")
+
+	// repodata is generated asynchronously after upload; poll for it.
+	resp, body := getEventually(t, api("/api/v1/local/local-rpm/repodata/repomd.xml"), 15*time.Second)
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("repomd.xml: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+	}
+	s := string(body)
+	if !strings.Contains(s, "<repomd") || !strings.Contains(s, "primary") {
+		t.Fatalf("repomd.xml not a valid repodata document: %s", s)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/e2e-docker/repos_test.go b/e2e-docker/repos_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9c057d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-docker/repos_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+//go:build dockere2e
+
+package e2edocker
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"net/http"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestHealth(t *testing.T) {
+	resp, body := doRequest(t, http.MethodGet, api("/health"), nil, "")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("health: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestRemoteLifecycle covers add/change/delete for a remote repository.
+func TestRemoteLifecycle(t *testing.T) {
+	createRepo(t, `{
+		"name": "crud-remote",
+		"package_type": "generic",
+		"repo_type": "remote",
+		"base_url": "https://example.com",
+		"mutable_ttl": 600,
+		"stale_on_error": true
+	}`)
+	defer deleteRepo(t, "crud-remote")
+
+	got := getRepo(t, "crud-remote")
+	if got["base_url"] != "https://example.com" || got["mutable_ttl"].(float64) != 600 {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected created remote: %v", got)
+	}
+
+	// change
+	resp, body := doRequest(t, http.MethodPut, api("/api/v2/remotes/crud-remote"), []byte(`{
+		"package_type": "generic",
+		"base_url": "https://updated.example.com",
+		"mutable_ttl": 120,
+		"stale_on_error": true
+	}`), "application/json")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("update remote: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+	}
+	got = getRepo(t, "crud-remote")
+	if got["base_url"] != "https://updated.example.com" || got["mutable_ttl"].(float64) != 120 {
+		t.Fatalf("update not applied: %v", got)
+	}
+
+	// delete
+	resp, _ = doRequest(t, http.MethodDelete, api("/api/v2/remotes/crud-remote"), nil, "")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusNoContent {
+		t.Fatalf("delete remote: status %d", resp.StatusCode)
+	}
+	resp, _ = doRequest(t, http.MethodGet, api("/api/v2/remotes/crud-remote"), nil, "")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusNotFound {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 404 after delete, got %d", resp.StatusCode)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestLocalLifecycle covers add/delete for a local repository.
+func TestLocalLifecycle(t *testing.T) {
+	createRepo(t, `{
+		"name": "crud-local",
+		"package_type": "generic",
+		"repo_type": "local"
+	}`)
+	defer deleteRepo(t, "crud-local")
+
+	got := getRepo(t, "crud-local")
+	if got["repo_type"] != "local" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected repo_type local, got %v", got["repo_type"])
+	}
+
+	resp, _ := doRequest(t, http.MethodDelete, api("/api/v2/remotes/crud-local"), nil, "")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusNoContent {
+		t.Fatalf("delete local: status %d", resp.StatusCode)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestVirtualLifecycle covers add/change/delete for a virtual repository.
+func TestVirtualLifecycle(t *testing.T) {
+	createRepo(t, `{"name":"vmem-a","package_type":"helm","repo_type":"remote","base_url":"https://a.example.com","stale_on_error":true}`)
+	createRepo(t, `{"name":"vmem-b","package_type":"helm","repo_type":"remote","base_url":"https://b.example.com","stale_on_error":true}`)
+	defer deleteRepo(t, "vmem-a")
+	defer deleteRepo(t, "vmem-b")
+
+	createVirtual(t, `{
+		"name": "crud-virtual",
+		"package_type": "helm",
+		"members": ["vmem-a"]
+	}`)
+	defer deleteVirtual(t, "crud-virtual")
+
+	// change members
+	resp, body := doRequest(t, http.MethodPut, api("/api/v2/virtuals/crud-virtual"), []byte(`{
+		"package_type": "helm",
+		"members": ["vmem-a", "vmem-b"]
+	}`), "application/json")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("update virtual: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+	}
+
+	resp, body = doRequest(t, http.MethodGet, api("/api/v2/virtuals/crud-virtual"), nil, "")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("get virtual: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+	}
+	var v map[string]any
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(body, &v); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("decode virtual: %v", err)
+	}
+	members, _ := v["members"].([]any)
+	if len(members) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 2 members after update, got %v", v["members"])
+	}
+
+	resp, _ = doRequest(t, http.MethodDelete, api("/api/v2/virtuals/crud-virtual"), nil, "")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusNoContent {
+		t.Fatalf("delete virtual: status %d", resp.StatusCode)
+	}
+}
+
+func getRepo(t *testing.T, name string) map[string]any {
+	t.Helper()
+	resp, body := doRequest(t, http.MethodGet, api("/api/v2/remotes/"+name), nil, "")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("get remote %s: status %d: %s", name, resp.StatusCode, body)
+	}
+	var m map[string]any
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(body, &m); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("decode remote %s: %v", name, err)
+	}
+	return m
+}
diff --git a/e2e-docker/virtual_test.go b/e2e-docker/virtual_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..42796cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/e2e-docker/virtual_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+//go:build dockere2e
+
+package e2edocker
+
+import (
+	"net/http"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestVirtualPyPIMerge uploads different packages to two pypi locals and
+// checks that a virtual over them serves a merged simple index.
+func TestVirtualPyPIMerge(t *testing.T) {
+	createRepo(t, `{"name":"pmerge-a","package_type":"pypi","repo_type":"local"}`)
+	createRepo(t, `{"name":"pmerge-b","package_type":"pypi","repo_type":"local"}`)
+	defer deleteRepo(t, "pmerge-a")
+	defer deleteRepo(t, "pmerge-b")
+
+	uploadFile(t, "pmerge-a", "foo-1.0-py3-none-any.whl", fixtureBytes(t, "packages/foo-1.0-py3-none-any.whl"), "application/zip")
+	uploadFile(t, "pmerge-b", "bar-2.0-py3-none-any.whl", []byte("bar wheel payload"), "application/zip")
+
+	createVirtual(t, `{"name":"pmerge-v","package_type":"pypi","members":["pmerge-a","pmerge-b"]}`)
+	defer deleteVirtual(t, "pmerge-v")
+
+	resp, body := doRequest(t, http.MethodGet, api("/api/v1/virtual/pmerge-v/simple/"), nil, "")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("virtual simple index: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+	}
+	s := string(body)
+	if !strings.Contains(s, "foo") || !strings.Contains(s, "bar") {
+		t.Fatalf("merged index missing a member package (want foo and bar): %s", s)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestVirtualHelmMerge points two helm remotes at mock index.yaml documents
+// with distinct charts and checks the virtual merges both into one index.
+func TestVirtualHelmMerge(t *testing.T) {
+	createRepo(t, `{"name":"hmerge-a","package_type":"helm","repo_type":"remote","base_url":"`+mockUpstream()+`/helm-a","stale_on_error":true}`)
+	createRepo(t, `{"name":"hmerge-b","package_type":"helm","repo_type":"remote","base_url":"`+mockUpstream()+`/helm-b","stale_on_error":true}`)
+	defer deleteRepo(t, "hmerge-a")
+	defer deleteRepo(t, "hmerge-b")
+
+	createVirtual(t, `{"name":"hmerge-v","package_type":"helm","members":["hmerge-a","hmerge-b"]}`)
+	defer deleteVirtual(t, "hmerge-v")
+
+	resp, body := doRequest(t, http.MethodGet, api("/api/v1/virtual/hmerge-v/index.yaml"), nil, "")
+	if resp.StatusCode != http.StatusOK {
+		t.Fatalf("virtual index.yaml: status %d: %s", resp.StatusCode, body)
+	}
+	s := string(body)
+	if !strings.Contains(s, "alpha") || !strings.Contains(s, "beta") {
+		t.Fatalf("merged helm index missing a member chart (want alpha and beta): %s", s)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/scripts/docker-e2e.sh b/scripts/docker-e2e.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..80c4f15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/docker-e2e.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Build the artifactapi container, bring up the full stack (postgres, redis,
+# minio, artifactapi) plus a static mock upstream, and run the dockerised e2e
+# suite against the running product over HTTP. Tears everything down on exit.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+cd "$(dirname "$0")/.."
+
+# Publish artifactapi on 8001 to avoid colliding with a local instance on 8000.
+export ARTIFACTAPI_PORT="${ARTIFACTAPI_PORT:-8001}"
+COMPOSE=(docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.e2e.yml)
+API_URL="${ARTIFACTAPI_URL:-http://localhost:${ARTIFACTAPI_PORT}}"
+
+cleanup() {
+  echo "==> tearing down stack"
+  "${COMPOSE[@]}" down -v --remove-orphans >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT
+
+echo "==> building and starting stack (postgres, redis, minio, mockupstream, artifactapi)"
+"${COMPOSE[@]}" up -d --build postgres redis minio mockupstream artifactapi
+
+echo "==> waiting for artifactapi health at ${API_URL}"
+for i in $(seq 1 60); do
+  if curl -fsS "${API_URL}/health" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "    healthy after ${i}s"
+    break
+  fi
+  if [ "$i" -eq 60 ]; then
+    echo "!!! artifactapi did not become healthy in time; recent logs:"
+    "${COMPOSE[@]}" logs --tail=50 artifactapi
+    exit 1
+  fi
+  sleep 1
+done
+
+echo "==> running dockerised e2e suite"
+ARTIFACTAPI_URL="${API_URL}" \
+MOCK_UPSTREAM_INTERNAL="${MOCK_UPSTREAM_INTERNAL:-http://mockupstream}" \
+  go test -tags=dockere2e -count=1 -timeout=10m -v ./e2e-docker/...