diff --git a/DOCKER_SETUP.md b/DOCKER_SETUP.md
index 22fa557..a730526 100644
--- a/DOCKER_SETUP.md
+++ b/DOCKER_SETUP.md
@@ -1,63 +1,148 @@
 # Docker Setup for Recipe Management App
 
-## MongoDB Configuration
+## Full Stack Containerized Setup
 
-This project now includes a Docker Compose setup for MongoDB with persistent storage.
+This project includes a complete Docker Compose setup that orchestrates the entire application stack:
+- **Frontend**: React TypeScript application with Nginx
+- **Backend**: Node.js Express API
+- **Database**: MongoDB with persistent storage
+- **Admin Interface**: Mongo Express for database management
 
-### Environment Variables
+## Quick Start
 
-Create a `.env` file in the `backend/` directory with the following variables:
+1. **Create environment file**:
+   ```bash
+   cp env.example .env
+   ```
+   Edit the `.env` file with your desired credentials.
 
-```
-# MongoDB Configuration (parameterized for security)
+2. **Start all services**:
+   ```bash
+   docker-compose up -d
+   ```
+
+3. **Access the application**:
+   - **Frontend**: http://localhost:3000
+   - **Backend API**: http://localhost:5000
+   - **Mongo Express**: http://localhost:8081
+
+## Environment Configuration
+
+Create a `.env` file in the project root with the following variables:
+
+```bash
+# MongoDB Configuration
 MONGODB_USERNAME=admin
 MONGODB_PASSWORD=password123
-MONGODB_HOST=localhost
-MONGODB_PORT=27017
 MONGODB_DATABASE=recipe-management
 
-# Alternative: Use full connection string (overrides individual parameters)
-# MONGODB_URI=mongodb://admin:password123@localhost:27017/recipe-management?authSource=admin
-
-# Server Configuration
-PORT=5000
+# JWT Secret for Backend Authentication
+JWT_SECRET=your-super-secret-jwt-key-change-this-in-production
 ```
 
-**Note**: The application will automatically construct the MongoDB URI from the individual parameters. You can also override this by setting `MONGODB_URI` directly.
+## Services Architecture
 
-### Starting the Services
+### Frontend Service
+- **Container**: `recipe-management-frontend`
+- **Port**: 3000 (mapped to container port 80)
+- **Technology**: React TypeScript with Nginx
+- **Features**: 
+  - Production-optimized build
+  - API proxy to backend
+  - Gzip compression
+  - Security headers
 
-1. Start MongoDB and Mongo Express:
+### Backend Service
+- **Container**: `recipe-management-backend`
+- **Port**: 5000
+- **Technology**: Node.js Express
+- **Features**:
+  - Health checks
+  - Environment-based configuration
+  - Automatic MongoDB connection
+  - Non-root user security
+
+### MongoDB Service
+- **Container**: `recipe-management-mongodb`
+- **Port**: 27017
+- **Features**:
+  - Persistent data volume
+  - Health checks
+  - Automatic seed data loading
+  - Authentication enabled
+
+### Mongo Express Service
+- **Container**: `recipe-management-mongo-express`
+- **Port**: 8081
+- **Features**:
+  - Web-based MongoDB administration
+  - Connected to main MongoDB instance
+
+## Development Workflow
+
+### Building and Running
 ```bash
-docker-compose up -d
+# Build and start all services
+docker-compose up -d --build
+
+# View logs
+docker-compose logs -f
+
+# Stop all services
+docker-compose down
+
+# Stop and remove volumes (WARNING: This deletes data)
+docker-compose down -v
 ```
 
-2. Start the backend application:
+### Individual Service Management
 ```bash
-cd backend
-npm start
+# Restart specific service
+docker-compose restart backend
+
+# View logs for specific service
+docker-compose logs -f frontend
+
+# Execute commands in running container
+docker-compose exec backend sh
 ```
 
-### Services Included
+## Data Persistence
 
-- **MongoDB**: Database server on port 27017 with persistent volume
-- **Mongo Express**: Web-based MongoDB admin interface on port 8081
+- **MongoDB Data**: Stored in `mongodb_data` Docker volume
+- **Seed Data**: Automatically loaded from `backend/seedData.js` on first startup
+- **Persistent Storage**: Data survives container restarts and rebuilds
 
-### Default Credentials
+## Network Architecture
 
-- **MongoDB Admin User**: admin
-- **MongoDB Admin Password**: password123
-- **Database Name**: recipe-management
+All services communicate through a dedicated Docker network (`recipe-network`):
+- Frontend → Backend: Internal container communication
+- Backend → MongoDB: Internal container communication
+- External access via mapped ports only
 
-### Accessing Services
+## Security Features
 
-- **Mongo Express**: http://localhost:8081
-- **Backend API**: http://localhost:5000
+- **Non-root containers**: All services run as non-privileged users
+- **Environment-based secrets**: Credentials managed via environment variables
+- **Network isolation**: Services communicate only through defined network
+- **Health checks**: Automatic service health monitoring
+- **Security headers**: Frontend served with security headers via Nginx
 
-### Data Persistence
+## Troubleshooting
 
-MongoDB data is stored in a Docker volume named `mongodb_data` which persists between container restarts.
+### Common Issues
+1. **Port conflicts**: Ensure ports 3000, 5000, 8081, 27017 are available
+2. **Environment variables**: Check `.env` file exists and has correct values
+3. **Build failures**: Run `docker-compose build --no-cache` to rebuild from scratch
 
-### Seed Data
+### Useful Commands
+```bash
+# Check service status
+docker-compose ps
 
-The seed data from `backend/seedData.js` is automatically loaded when the MongoDB container starts for the first time.
+# View resource usage
+docker stats
+
+# Clean up unused Docker resources
+docker system prune -f
+```
diff --git a/backend/Dockerfile b/backend/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..83a25d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# Use Node.js 18 LTS as base image
+FROM node:18-alpine
+
+# Set working directory
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Copy package files
+COPY package*.json ./
+
+# Install dependencies
+RUN npm ci --only=production
+
+# Copy application code
+COPY . .
+
+# Create non-root user for security
+RUN addgroup -g 1001 -S nodejs
+RUN adduser -S nodejs -u 1001
+
+# Change ownership of the app directory
+RUN chown -R nodejs:nodejs /app
+USER nodejs
+
+# Expose port
+EXPOSE 5000
+
+# Health check
+HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=3s --start-period=5s --retries=3 \
+  CMD node -e "require('http').get('http://localhost:5000/', (res) => { process.exit(res.statusCode === 200 ? 0 : 1) })"
+
+# Start the application
+CMD ["npm", "start"]
diff --git a/backend/dockerignore b/backend/dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7067c42
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+node_modules
+npm-debug.log*
+yarn-debug.log*
+yarn-error.log*
+.git
+.gitignore
+README.md
+.env
+.nyc_output
+coverage
+.DS_Store
+*.log
diff --git a/backend/seedData.js b/backend/seedData.js
index cff8ff8..d7be3dc 100644
--- a/backend/seedData.js
+++ b/backend/seedData.js
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ const sampleRecipes = [
     cookTime: 15,
     category: "dinner",
     difficulty: "medium",
-    imageUrl: "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1621996346565-e3dbc353d2e5?w=500"
+    imageUrl: "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1692071097529-320eb2b32292?w=500"
   },
   {
     title: "Chocolate Chip Cookies",
diff --git a/backend/server.js b/backend/server.js
index a554429..de0b2cf 100644
--- a/backend/server.js
+++ b/backend/server.js
@@ -11,17 +11,20 @@ app.use(cors());
 app.use(express.json());
 
 // MongoDB connection
-const MONGODB_USERNAME = process.env.MONGODB_USERNAME;
-const MONGODB_PASSWORD = process.env.MONGODB_PASSWORD;
-const MONGODB_HOST = process.env.MONGODB_HOST;
-const MONGODB_PORT = process.env.MONGODB_PORT;
-const MONGODB_DATABASE = process.env.MONGODB_DATABASE;
+const MONGODB_HOST = process.env.MONGODB_HOST || 'mongodb';
+const MONGODB_PORT = process.env.MONGODB_PORT || '27017';
+const MONGODB_DATABASE = process.env.MONGODB_DATABASE || 'recipe-management';
+
+const MONGODB_URI = `mongodb://${MONGODB_HOST}:${MONGODB_PORT}/${MONGODB_DATABASE}`;
+
+console.log('Connecting to MongoDB with URI:', MONGODB_URI);
 
-const MONGODB_URI = process.env.MONGODB_URI || 
-  `mongodb://${MONGODB_USERNAME}:${MONGODB_PASSWORD}@${MONGODB_HOST}:${MONGODB_PORT}/${MONGODB_DATABASE}?authSource=admin`;
 mongoose.connect(MONGODB_URI, {
   useNewUrlParser: true,
   useUnifiedTopology: true,
+  serverSelectionTimeoutMS: 30000, // 30 seconds
+  connectTimeoutMS: 30000, // 30 seconds
+  socketTimeoutMS: 30000, // 30 seconds
 });
 
 const db = mongoose.connection;
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 9e2d84e..7cf7458 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -1,21 +1,64 @@
 version: '3.8'
 
 services:
+  # MongoDB Database
   mongodb:
     image: mongo:7.0
     container_name: recipe-management-mongodb
     restart: unless-stopped
-    environment:
-      MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_USERNAME: ${MONGODB_USERNAME}
-      MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${MONGODB_PASSWORD}
-      MONGO_INITDB_DATABASE: ${MONGODB_DATABASE}
     ports:
       - "27017:27017"
     volumes:
       - mongodb_data:/data/db
-      - ./backend/seedData.js:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/seedData.js:ro
+      - ./backend/seedData.js:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/01-seedData.js:ro
     networks:
       - recipe-network
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "mongosh", "--eval", "db.adminCommand('ping')", "--quiet"]
+      interval: 30s
+      timeout: 10s
+      retries: 5
+      start_period: 40s
+
+  # Backend API Service
+  backend:
+    build:
+      context: ./backend
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    container_name: recipe-management-backend
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    environment:
+      - PORT=5000
+      - MONGODB_HOST=mongodb
+      - MONGODB_PORT=27017
+      - MONGODB_DATABASE=recipe-management
+      - JWT_SECRET=${JWT_SECRET}
+    ports:
+      - "5000:5000"
+    depends_on:
+      mongodb:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    networks:
+      - recipe-network
+    volumes:
+      - ./backend:/app
+      - /app/node_modules
+
+  # Frontend React App
+  frontend:
+    build:
+      context: ./frontend
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    container_name: recipe-management-frontend
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    ports:
+      - "3000:80"
+    depends_on:
+      - backend
+    networks:
+      - recipe-network
+    environment:
+      - REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:5000
 
   # Optional: MongoDB Express for database management
   mongo-express:
@@ -25,12 +68,11 @@ services:
     ports:
       - "8081:8081"
     environment:
-      ME_CONFIG_MONGODB_ADMINUSERNAME: ${MONGODB_USERNAME}
-      ME_CONFIG_MONGODB_ADMINPASSWORD: ${MONGODB_PASSWORD}
-      ME_CONFIG_MONGODB_URL: mongodb://${MONGODB_USERNAME}:${MONGODB_PASSWORD}@mongodb:27017/
+      ME_CONFIG_MONGODB_URL: mongodb://mongodb:27017/
       ME_CONFIG_BASICAUTH: false
     depends_on:
-      - mongodb
+      mongodb:
+        condition: service_healthy
     networks:
       - recipe-network
 
diff --git a/env.example b/env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..899756b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+# MongoDB Configuration for Docker Compose (no authentication)
+MONGODB_HOST=mongodb
+MONGODB_PORT=27017
+MONGODB_DATABASE=recipe-management
+
+# JWT Secret for Backend
+JWT_SECRET=your-super-secret-jwt-key-change-this-in-production
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/frontend/Dockerfile b/frontend/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..83ca72f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+# Multi-stage build for React TypeScript app
+FROM node:18-alpine as build
+
+# Set working directory
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Copy package files
+COPY package*.json ./
+
+# Install dependencies
+RUN npm ci
+
+# Copy source code
+COPY . .
+
+# Build the application
+RUN npm run build
+
+# Production stage with nginx
+FROM nginx:alpine
+
+# Copy custom nginx configs
+COPY nginx.conf /etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
+COPY nginx-nonroot.conf /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
+
+# Copy built app from build stage
+COPY --from=build /app/build /usr/share/nginx/html
+
+# Set proper permissions for nginx user (already exists in nginx:alpine)
+RUN chown -R nginx:nginx /usr/share/nginx/html && \
+    chown -R nginx:nginx /var/cache/nginx && \
+    chown -R nginx:nginx /var/log/nginx && \
+    chown -R nginx:nginx /etc/nginx/conf.d && \
+    mkdir -p /tmp/client_temp /tmp/proxy_temp_path /tmp/fastcgi_temp /tmp/uwsgi_temp /tmp/scgi_temp && \
+    chown -R nginx:nginx /tmp/client_temp /tmp/proxy_temp_path /tmp/fastcgi_temp /tmp/uwsgi_temp /tmp/scgi_temp
+
+# Switch to nginx user
+USER nginx
+
+# Expose port
+EXPOSE 80
+
+# Health check
+HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=3s --start-period=5s --retries=3 \
+  CMD wget --no-verbose --tries=1 --spider http://localhost:80/ || exit 1
+
+# Start nginx
+CMD ["nginx", "-g", "daemon off;"]
diff --git a/frontend/dockerignore b/frontend/dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6f311ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+node_modules
+build
+npm-debug.log*
+yarn-debug.log*
+yarn-error.log*
+.git
+.gitignore
+README.md
+.env
+.env.local
+.env.development.local
+.env.test.local
+.env.production.local
+.DS_Store
+*.log
+coverage
+.nyc_output
diff --git a/frontend/nginx-nonroot.conf b/frontend/nginx-nonroot.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b4611a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/nginx-nonroot.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+worker_processes auto;
+error_log /var/log/nginx/error.log warn;
+pid /tmp/nginx.pid;
+
+events {
+    worker_connections 1024;
+}
+
+http {
+    include /etc/nginx/mime.types;
+    default_type application/octet-stream;
+    
+    log_format main '$remote_addr - $remote_user [$time_local] "$request" '
+                    '$status $body_bytes_sent "$http_referer" '
+                    '"$http_user_agent" "$http_x_forwarded_for"';
+    
+    access_log /var/log/nginx/access.log main;
+    
+    sendfile on;
+    tcp_nopush on;
+    tcp_nodelay on;
+    keepalive_timeout 65;
+    types_hash_max_size 2048;
+    
+    # Temporary directories for nginx non-root user
+    client_body_temp_path /tmp/client_temp;
+    proxy_temp_path /tmp/proxy_temp_path;
+    fastcgi_temp_path /tmp/fastcgi_temp;
+    uwsgi_temp_path /tmp/uwsgi_temp;
+    scgi_temp_path /tmp/scgi_temp;
+    
+    include /etc/nginx/conf.d/*.conf;
+}
diff --git a/frontend/nginx.conf b/frontend/nginx.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c2969a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/nginx.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+server {
+    listen 80;
+    server_name localhost;
+    
+    # Serve static files
+    location / {
+        root /usr/share/nginx/html;
+        index index.html index.htm;
+        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
+    }
+    
+    # API proxy to backend
+    location /api/ {
+        proxy_pass http://backend:5000/api/;
+        proxy_http_version 1.1;
+        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
+        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
+        proxy_set_header Host $host;
+        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
+        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
+    }
+    
+    # Gzip compression
+    gzip on;
+    gzip_vary on;
+    gzip_min_length 1024;
+    gzip_proxied expired no-cache no-store private auth;
+    gzip_types
+        text/plain
+        text/css
+        text/xml
+        text/javascript
+        application/javascript
+        application/xml+rss
+        application/json;
+    
+    # Security headers
+    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN" always;
+    add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block" always;
+    add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always;
+    add_header Referrer-Policy "no-referrer-when-downgrade" always;
+    add_header Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self' http: https: data: blob: 'unsafe-inline'" always;
+}