diff --git a/.github/.keep b/.github/.keep
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/starter-code-simple/.env.example b/starter-code-simple/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..52c07db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/starter-code-simple/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# Flask app settings
+FLASK_APP=app.py
+FLASK_ENV=development
+SECRET_KEY=replace_with_a_secure_random_string
+
+# Database (if using SQLite you can leave it as-is, otherwise point to Postgres/MySQL etc.)
+DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///app.db
+
+# JWT or session tokens (dummy values)
+JWT_SECRET_KEY=replace_with_another_secure_random_string
+
+# Debug settings
+DEBUG=True
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/starter-code-simple/.github/pull_request_template.md b/starter-code-simple/.github/pull_request_template.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4d81b44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/starter-code-simple/.github/pull_request_template.md
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+# Pull Request Template
+
+## Description
+- Provide a clear and concise description of the changes.
+
+## Type of Change
+- [ ] Bug fix
+- [ ] New feature
+- [ ] Documentation update
+- [ ] Security fix
+
+## Checklist
+- [ ] Tests added or updated
+- [ ] Documentation updated
+- [ ] Code follows style guidelines
+- [ ] Security checks passed
+
+## Related Issues
+- Closes #
diff --git a/starter-code-simple/.gitignore b/starter-code-simple/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..da01337
--- /dev/null
+++ b/starter-code-simple/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+
+# Keep local secrets out of git
+.env
diff --git a/starter-code-simple/CONTRIBUTING.md b/starter-code-simple/CONTRIBUTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3d2041d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/starter-code-simple/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# Contributing Guidelines
+
+## Branch Strategy
+- Create feature branches from `main` using the pattern: `feat/<short-name>` or `fix/<short-name>`.
+- Open a Pull Request (PR) to `main` and request a review before merging.
+
+## Setup
+```bash
+python -m venv .venv
+source .venv/bin/activate   # Linux/Mac
+# OR
+.\venv\Scripts\activate     # Windows
+
+pip install -r requirements.txt
+cp .env.example .env  # Set your environment variables
diff --git a/starter-code-simple/app.py b/starter-code-simple/app.py
index 3d01862..4df74b7 100644
--- a/starter-code-simple/app.py
+++ b/starter-code-simple/app.py
@@ -1,81 +1,110 @@
-# Simple Python API - Starting Point for GitHub Classroom Assignment
-# This code has intentional security flaws for educational purposes
-
-from flask import Flask, request, jsonify
+import os
 import sqlite3
-import hashlib
+import logging
+from flask import Flask, request, jsonify
+from werkzeug.security import generate_password_hash, check_password_hash
+
+try:
+    from dotenv import load_dotenv  # for local dev
+    load_dotenv()
+except Exception:
+    pass
 
 app = Flask(__name__)
 
-# Security Issue: Hardcoded secrets
-DATABASE_URL = "postgresql://admin:password123@localhost/prod"
-API_SECRET = "sk-live-1234567890abcdef"
+DB_PATH = os.getenv("DATABASE_PATH", "users.db")
+
+# ---------- logging (no secrets) ----------
+logging.basicConfig(
+    level=os.getenv("LOG_LEVEL", "INFO"),
+    format="%(asctime)s %(levelname)s %(message)s"
+)
+log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+# ---------- helpers ----------
+def get_conn():
+    conn = sqlite3.connect(DB_PATH)
+    conn.row_factory = sqlite3.Row
+    return conn
+
+def init_db():
+    with get_conn() as conn:
+        conn.execute(
+            """
+            CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (
+                id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
+                username TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
+                password_hash TEXT NOT NULL,
+                created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
+            )
+            """
+        )
+
+def validate_username(u: str) -> bool:
+    return isinstance(u, str) and 3 <= len(u) <= 64
 
-def get_db_connection():
-    return sqlite3.connect('users.db')
+def validate_password(p: str) -> bool:
+    return isinstance(p, str) and 8 <= len(p) <= 256
 
-@app.route('/health')
+# ---------- routes ----------
+@app.route("/health", methods=["GET"])
 def health_check():
-    return jsonify({"status": "healthy", "database": DATABASE_URL})
+    return jsonify({"status": "healthy", "database": DB_PATH}), 200
 
-@app.route('/users', methods=['GET'])
+@app.route("/users", methods=["GET"])
 def get_users():
-    conn = get_db_connection()
-    users = conn.execute('SELECT id, username FROM users').fetchall()
-    conn.close()
-    return jsonify({"users": [{"id": u[0], "username": u[1]} for u in users]})
+    with get_conn() as conn:
+        rows = conn.execute("SELECT id, username, created_at FROM users ORDER BY id").fetchall()
+    # never return password hashes
+    return jsonify([dict(r) for r in rows]), 200
 
-@app.route('/users', methods=['POST'])
+@app.route("/users", methods=["POST"])
 def create_user():
-    data = request.get_json()
-    username = data.get('username')
-    password = data.get('password')
-    
-    # Security Issue: Weak password hashing
-    hashed_password = hashlib.md5(password.encode()).hexdigest()
-    
-    conn = get_db_connection()
-    # Security Issue: SQL injection vulnerability
-    conn.execute(
-        f"INSERT INTO users (username, password) VALUES ('{username}', '{hashed_password}')"
-    )
-    conn.commit()
-    conn.close()
-    
-    # Security Issue: Logging sensitive information
-    print(f"Created user: {username} with password: {password}")
-    return jsonify({"message": "User created", "username": username})
-
-@app.route('/login', methods=['POST'])
+    data = request.get_json(silent=True) or {}
+    username = (data.get("username") or "").strip()
+    password = data.get("password") or ""
+
+    if not (validate_username(username) and validate_password(password)):
+        return jsonify({"error": "invalid username or password"}), 400
+
+    pwd_hash = generate_password_hash(password)
+
+    try:
+        with get_conn() as conn:
+            conn.execute(
+                "INSERT INTO users (username, password_hash) VALUES (?, ?)",
+                (username, pwd_hash)
+            )
+        log.info("created user '%s'", username)
+        return jsonify({"message": "user created", "username": username}), 201
+    except sqlite3.IntegrityError:
+        return jsonify({"error": "username already exists"}), 409
+
+@app.route("/login", methods=["POST"])
 def login():
-    data = request.get_json()
-    username = data.get('username')
-    password = data.get('password')
-    
-    hashed_password = hashlib.md5(password.encode()).hexdigest()
-    
-    conn = get_db_connection()
-    # Security Issue: SQL injection vulnerability
-    query = f"SELECT * FROM users WHERE username='{username}' AND password='{hashed_password}'"
-    user = conn.execute(query).fetchone()
-    conn.close()
-    
-    if user:
-        return jsonify({"message": "Login successful", "user_id": user[0]})
-    return jsonify({"message": "Invalid credentials"}), 401
+    data = request.get_json(silent=True) or {}
+    username = (data.get("username") or "").strip()
+    password = data.get("password") or ""
 
-def init_db():
-    conn = get_db_connection()
-    conn.execute('''
-        CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (
-            id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
-            username TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
-            password TEXT NOT NULL
-        )
-    ''')
-    conn.commit()
-    conn.close()
+    if not (validate_username(username) and isinstance(password, str)):
+        return jsonify({"error": "invalid credentials"}), 400
+
+    with get_conn() as conn:
+        row = conn.execute(
+            "SELECT password_hash FROM users WHERE username = ?",
+            (username,)
+        ).fetchone()
+
+    if not row or not check_password_hash(row["password_hash"], password):
+        log.warning("failed login for '%s'", username)
+        return jsonify({"error": "invalid credentials"}), 401
+
+    log.info("successful login for '%s'", username)
+    # For exercise-just acknowledge-do NOT return secrets/tokens here
+    return jsonify({"message": "login ok"}), 200
 
-if __name__ == '__main__':
+# ---------- bootstrap ----------
+if __name__ == "__main__":
     init_db()
-    app.run(debug=True)
\ No newline at end of file
+    debug = os.getenv("FLASK_DEBUG", "0") == "1"
+    app.run(host="0.0.0.0", port=int(os.getenv("PORT", "5000")), debug=debug)
diff --git a/starter-code-simple/requirements.txt b/starter-code-simple/requirements.txt
index 04752bd..491bfea 100644
--- a/starter-code-simple/requirements.txt
+++ b/starter-code-simple/requirements.txt
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 Flask==2.3.2
-requests==2.31.0
\ No newline at end of file
+requests==2.31.0
+python-dotenv==1.0.1