diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b9b6a039c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# urBackend — Environment Variables
+# Copy this file to .env and fill in your values before running docker-compose.
+# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+# Server
+PORT=1234
+NODE_ENV=production
+
+# ── Database & Cache ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# When using docker-compose, these are automatically overridden to point to
+# internal service names (mongo, redis). You do NOT need to change these.
+MONGO_URL=mongodb://mongo:27017/urbackend
+REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379
+
+# ── Authentication ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+JWT_SECRET=your_super_secret_jwt_key_min_32_chars
+ENCRYPTION_KEY=32_character_long_string_for_byod_creds
+API_KEY_SALT=your_random_api_key_salt
+
+# ── External Storage (Supabase) ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Required for file upload/storage features.
+SUPABASE_URL=https://your-project.supabase.co
+SUPABASE_KEY=your-supabase-anon-key
+
+# ── Email (Resend) ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Required for OTP / email verification flow.
+RESEND_API_KEY=re_your_resend_api_key
+EMAIL_FROM=onboarding@resend.dev
+
+# ── Frontend ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:5173
diff --git a/backend/.dockerignore b/backend/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e6697ebb5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+node_modules
+.env
+*.log
+tests/
+.git
+.gitignore
+npm-debug.log*
diff --git a/backend/Dockerfile b/backend/Dockerfile
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index 000000000..0a502eff9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/Dockerfile
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+# ── Stage: Production ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+FROM node:20-alpine
+
+# Set working directory
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Install dependencies first (layer caching)
+COPY package*.json ./
+RUN npm ci --omit=dev
+
+# Copy source
+COPY . .
+
+# Expose backend port
+EXPOSE 1234
+
+# Start the server
+CMD ["node", "app.js"]
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0e6a8d50c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+
+services:
+  # ── MongoDB ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+  mongo:
+    image: mongo:7
+    container_name: urbackend_mongo
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    ports:
+      - '27017:27017'
+    volumes:
+      - mongo_data:/data/db
+
+  # ── Redis ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+  redis:
+    image: redis:latest
+    container_name: urbackend_redis
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    ports:
+      - '6379:6379'
+    volumes:
+      - redis_data:/data
+
+  # ── Backend (Node.js) ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+  backend:
+    build:
+      context: ./backend
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    container_name: urbackend_api
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    ports:
+      - '1234:1234'
+    depends_on:
+      - mongo
+      - redis
+    env_file:
+      - path: .env
+        required: false
+    environment:
+      # Override DB URLs to use Docker service names
+      MONGO_URL: mongodb://mongo:27017/urbackend
+      REDIS_URL: redis://redis:6379
+      NODE_ENV: production
+      PORT: 1234
+
+volumes:
+  mongo_data:
+  redis_data: