diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..09dddfd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+# Python
+__pycache__/
+*.py[cod]
+*$py.class
+*.so
+.Python
+*.egg
+*.egg-info/
+dist/
+build/
+*.log
+
+# Virtual environments
+venv/
+.venv/
+env/
+ENV/
+
+# Django
+db.sqlite3
+*.sqlite3
+staticfiles/
+media/
+
+# Environment files
+.env
+.env.*
+!.env.docker.example
+
+# Git
+.git/
+.gitignore
+.gitattributes
+
+# IDE
+.vscode/
+.idea/
+*.swp
+*.swo
+*~
+
+# Docker
+Dockerfile
+Dockerfile.dev
+docker-compose.yml
+docker-compose.dev.yml
+.dockerignore
+
+# Documentation
+README.md
+*.md
+docs/
+
+# CI/CD
+.github/
+.gitlab-ci.yml
+
+# Testing
+.coverage
+htmlcov/
+.pytest_cache/
+.tox/
+
+# OS
+.DS_Store
+Thumbs.db
diff --git a/.env.docker.example b/.env.docker.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3e505ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.docker.example
@@ -0,0 +1,129 @@
+# ===================================================================
+# KeepItGoing Server - Docker Environment Configuration
+# ===================================================================
+# Copy this file to .env.docker and fill in your values
+# DO NOT commit .env.docker to version control!
+
+# ===================================================================
+# Django Core Settings
+# ===================================================================
+
+# SECURITY WARNING: Generate a strong secret key!
+# Generate with: python -c "from django.core.management.utils import get_random_secret_key; print(get_random_secret_key())"
+SECRET_KEY=CHANGE_ME_GENERATE_A_STRONG_SECRET_KEY_50_PLUS_CHARACTERS
+
+# Debug mode (MUST be False in production)
+DEBUG=False
+
+# Comma-separated list of allowed hosts
+# Example: api.yourdomain.com,localhost
+ALLOWED_HOSTS=yourdomain.com,localhost
+
+# Comma-separated list of trusted origins for CSRF (must include https://)
+# Example: https://api.yourdomain.com,https://yourdomain.com
+CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS=https://yourdomain.com
+
+# Domain used in email links
+SITE_DOMAIN=yourdomain.com
+
+# ===================================================================
+# Database Configuration (MariaDB)
+# ===================================================================
+
+DB_NAME=keepitgoing
+DB_USER=keepitgoing
+DB_PASSWORD=CHANGE_ME_STRONG_DATABASE_PASSWORD
+DB_ROOT_PASSWORD=CHANGE_ME_STRONG_ROOT_PASSWORD
+DB_HOST=mariadb
+DB_PORT=3306
+
+# ===================================================================
+# Redis Configuration
+# ===================================================================
+
+REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379/0
+
+# ===================================================================
+# Email Configuration
+# ===================================================================
+# Required for user registration (email verification)
+
+EMAIL_BACKEND=django.core.mail.backends.smtp.EmailBackend
+
+# Gmail Example (use App Password, not regular password):
+# EMAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
+# EMAIL_PORT=587
+# EMAIL_USE_TLS=True
+# EMAIL_HOST_USER=your-email@gmail.com
+# EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=your-app-password
+
+# SendGrid Example:
+# EMAIL_HOST=smtp.sendgrid.net
+# EMAIL_PORT=587
+# EMAIL_USE_TLS=True
+# EMAIL_HOST_USER=apikey
+# EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=your-sendgrid-api-key
+
+# AWS SES Example:
+# EMAIL_HOST=email-smtp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
+# EMAIL_PORT=587
+# EMAIL_USE_TLS=True
+# EMAIL_HOST_USER=your-aws-access-key
+# EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=your-aws-secret-key
+
+EMAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
+EMAIL_PORT=587
+EMAIL_USE_TLS=True
+EMAIL_HOST_USER=your-email@gmail.com
+EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=your-app-password
+DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL=KeepItGoing <noreply@yourdomain.com>
+SERVER_EMAIL=server@yourdomain.com
+
+# ===================================================================
+# Email Verification Settings
+# ===================================================================
+
+EMAIL_VERIFICATION_TOKEN_EXPIRY_HOURS=24
+
+# ===================================================================
+# CORS Configuration
+# ===================================================================
+# Comma-separated list of allowed origins
+# Example: https://yourdomain.com,https://app.yourdomain.com
+
+CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS=https://yourdomain.com
+
+# ===================================================================
+# SaaS Mode
+# ===================================================================
+# Set to True for SaaS deployment with billing/usage limits
+# Set to False for self-hosted deployment (no limits)
+
+SAAS_MODE=False
+
+# ===================================================================
+# Gunicorn Configuration
+# ===================================================================
+
+GUNICORN_WORKERS=3
+GUNICORN_TIMEOUT=60
+
+# ===================================================================
+# Push Notifications (Optional)
+# ===================================================================
+# Leave empty if not using push notifications
+
+# Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)
+FCM_CREDENTIALS_PATH=
+
+# Web Push (VAPID keys)
+VAPID_PUBLIC_KEY=
+VAPID_PRIVATE_KEY=
+VAPID_ADMIN_EMAIL=
+
+# ===================================================================
+# Additional Settings
+# ===================================================================
+
+# Django settings module (usually don't need to change)
+DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=config.settings.selfhosted
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index d1273c7..224b6e8 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ media/
 
 # Environment
 .env
+.env.docker
 *.env.local
 
 # IDE
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..21d0aac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# ===================================================================
+# Stage 1: Builder - Install dependencies
+# ===================================================================
+FROM python:3.12-slim-bookworm AS builder
+
+# Install build dependencies for mysqlclient and other packages
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+    gcc \
+    default-libmysqlclient-dev \
+    pkg-config \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# Install Python dependencies
+COPY requirements.txt /tmp/
+RUN pip install --user --no-cache-dir -r /tmp/requirements.txt \
+    && pip install --user --no-cache-dir mysqlclient gunicorn
+
+# ===================================================================
+# Stage 2: Runtime - Minimal production image
+# ===================================================================
+FROM python:3.12-slim-bookworm
+
+# Install runtime dependencies only
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+    default-mysql-client \
+    curl \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# Create django user (non-root for security)
+RUN useradd -m -u 1000 -s /bin/bash django
+
+# Set working directory
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Copy Python dependencies from builder stage
+COPY --from=builder /root/.local /home/django/.local
+
+# Copy application code
+COPY --chown=django:django . /app/
+
+# Create directories for media and static files
+RUN mkdir -p /app/media /app/staticfiles && \
+    chown -R django:django /app/media /app/staticfiles
+
+# Switch to django user
+USER django
+
+# Add .local/bin to PATH for installed packages
+ENV PATH=/home/django/.local/bin:$PATH
+
+# Set Python to run in unbuffered mode (better for Docker logs)
+ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
+
+# Expose port 8000 for Gunicorn
+EXPOSE 8000
+
+# Health check - ping the API endpoint
+HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=10s --start-period=40s --retries=3 \
+    CMD curl -f http://localhost:8000/api/ || exit 1
+
+# Entrypoint script handles migrations, static collection, and service startup
+ENTRYPOINT ["/app/docker/entrypoint.sh"]
+
+# Default command is to run Gunicorn
+CMD ["gunicorn"]
diff --git a/Dockerfile.dev b/Dockerfile.dev
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a92f312
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile.dev
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+# ===================================================================
+# Development Dockerfile - Fast builds with development tools
+# ===================================================================
+FROM python:3.12-slim-bookworm
+
+# Install build and runtime dependencies
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+    gcc \
+    default-libmysqlclient-dev \
+    default-mysql-client \
+    pkg-config \
+    curl \
+    vim \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# Create django user
+RUN useradd -m -u 1000 -s /bin/bash django
+
+# Set working directory
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Install Python dependencies
+# Note: In dev mode, code is mounted as volume, so we just install deps
+COPY requirements.txt /tmp/
+RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r /tmp/requirements.txt \
+    && pip install --no-cache-dir mysqlclient gunicorn
+
+# Create directories
+RUN mkdir -p /app/media /app/staticfiles && \
+    chown -R django:django /app
+
+# Switch to django user
+USER django
+
+# Set Python to run in unbuffered mode
+ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
+
+# Expose port 8000
+EXPOSE 8000
+
+# Entrypoint script handles service startup
+ENTRYPOINT ["/app/docker/entrypoint.sh"]
+
+# Default command for dev is Django runserver
+CMD ["runserver"]
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..374d8db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+.PHONY: help dev dev-build prod build deploy logs logs-web logs-celery shell migrate makemigrations createsuperuser test clean stop restart status backup
+
+# Default target
+help:
+	@echo "KeepItGoing Server - Docker Commands"
+	@echo "====================================="
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Development:"
+	@echo "  make dev          - Start development environment with live reload"
+	@echo "  make dev-build    - Rebuild and start development environment"
+	@echo "  make shell        - Access Django shell"
+	@echo "  make test         - Run tests"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Production:"
+	@echo "  make prod         - Start production environment"
+	@echo "  make build        - Build production containers"
+	@echo "  make deploy       - Deploy to production (pull, build, migrate, restart)"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Database:"
+	@echo "  make migrate      - Run database migrations"
+	@echo "  make makemigrations - Create new migrations"
+	@echo "  make createsuperuser - Create Django superuser"
+	@echo "  make backup       - Backup database"
+	@echo "  make dbshell      - Access MariaDB shell"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Logs & Monitoring:"
+	@echo "  make logs         - View all container logs"
+	@echo "  make logs-web     - View web container logs"
+	@echo "  make logs-celery  - View celery worker logs"
+	@echo "  make status       - Show container status"
+	@echo ""
+	@echo "Control:"
+	@echo "  make stop         - Stop all containers"
+	@echo "  make restart      - Restart all containers"
+	@echo "  make clean        - Stop and remove containers, networks, volumes"
+	@echo ""
+
+# Development
+dev:
+	docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml up
+
+dev-build:
+	docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml up --build
+
+# Production
+prod:
+	docker-compose up -d
+
+build:
+	docker-compose build --no-cache
+
+deploy:
+	@echo "Deploying to production..."
+	git pull
+	docker-compose build
+	docker-compose up -d
+	docker-compose exec web python manage.py migrate
+	docker-compose exec web python manage.py collectstatic --noinput
+	docker-compose restart web
+	@echo "Deployment complete!"
+	@make status
+
+# Database operations
+migrate:
+	docker-compose exec web python manage.py migrate
+
+makemigrations:
+	docker-compose exec web python manage.py makemigrations
+
+createsuperuser:
+	docker-compose exec web python manage.py createsuperuser
+
+dbshell:
+	docker-compose exec mariadb mysql -u keepitgoing -p keepitgoing
+
+backup:
+	@echo "Creating database backup..."
+	@mkdir -p backups
+	docker-compose exec mariadb mysqldump -u root -p keepitgoing > backups/backup-$$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).sql
+	@echo "Backup created in backups/ directory"
+
+# Django shell and tests
+shell:
+	docker-compose exec web python manage.py shell
+
+test:
+	docker-compose exec web python manage.py test
+
+# Logs
+logs:
+	docker-compose logs -f
+
+logs-web:
+	docker-compose logs -f web
+
+logs-celery:
+	docker-compose logs -f celery-worker
+
+# Control
+stop:
+	docker-compose down
+
+restart:
+	docker-compose restart
+
+status:
+	docker-compose ps
+
+clean:
+	docker-compose down -v
+	@echo "Containers, networks, and volumes removed"
diff --git a/config/settings/selfhosted.py b/config/settings/selfhosted.py
index d43d4a1..bc47dd6 100644
--- a/config/settings/selfhosted.py
+++ b/config/settings/selfhosted.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ Use this for users running their own instance.
 
 import os
 import sys
+import dj_database_url
 from .base import *
 
 # Security
@@ -28,17 +29,50 @@ if DEBUG:
 
 ALLOWED_HOSTS = os.environ.get('ALLOWED_HOSTS', 'localhost,127.0.0.1').split(',')
 
-# Database - PostgreSQL for self-hosted
-DATABASES = {
-    'default': {
-        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql',
-        'NAME': os.environ.get('POSTGRES_DB', 'keepitgoing'),
-        'USER': os.environ.get('POSTGRES_USER', 'keepitgoing'),
-        'PASSWORD': os.environ.get('POSTGRES_PASSWORD', 'keepitgoing'),
-        'HOST': os.environ.get('POSTGRES_HOST', 'db'),
-        'PORT': os.environ.get('POSTGRES_PORT', '5432'),
+# Database - Support both PostgreSQL and MariaDB/MySQL via DATABASE_URL
+# DATABASE_URL format examples:
+#   PostgreSQL: postgresql://user:password@host:5432/dbname
+#   MariaDB/MySQL: mysql://user:password@host:3306/dbname
+database_url = os.environ.get('DATABASE_URL')
+
+if database_url:
+    # Use DATABASE_URL for flexible database backend (PostgreSQL, MariaDB, MySQL, etc.)
+    DATABASES = {
+        'default': dj_database_url.config(
+            default=database_url,
+            conn_max_age=600,
+            conn_health_checks=True,
+        )
     }
-}
+
+    # Add MariaDB/MySQL specific options if using MySQL backend
+    if 'mysql' in database_url.lower():
+        DATABASES['default']['OPTIONS'] = {
+            'charset': 'utf8mb4',
+            'init_command': "SET sql_mode='STRICT_TRANS_TABLES'",
+        }
+else:
+    # Fallback to manual configuration (backwards compatibility)
+    # Supports both PostgreSQL and MariaDB/MySQL
+    db_engine = os.environ.get('DB_ENGINE', 'django.db.backends.postgresql')
+
+    DATABASES = {
+        'default': {
+            'ENGINE': db_engine,
+            'NAME': os.environ.get('DB_NAME', os.environ.get('POSTGRES_DB', 'keepitgoing')),
+            'USER': os.environ.get('DB_USER', os.environ.get('POSTGRES_USER', 'keepitgoing')),
+            'PASSWORD': os.environ.get('DB_PASSWORD', os.environ.get('POSTGRES_PASSWORD', 'keepitgoing')),
+            'HOST': os.environ.get('DB_HOST', os.environ.get('POSTGRES_HOST', 'db')),
+            'PORT': os.environ.get('DB_PORT', os.environ.get('POSTGRES_PORT', '5432')),
+        }
+    }
+
+    # Add MariaDB/MySQL specific options if using MySQL backend
+    if 'mysql' in db_engine:
+        DATABASES['default']['OPTIONS'] = {
+            'charset': 'utf8mb4',
+            'init_command': "SET sql_mode='STRICT_TRANS_TABLES'",
+        }
 
 # Redis/Celery
 REDIS_URL = os.environ.get('REDIS_URL', 'redis://redis:6379/0')
diff --git a/deploy.sh b/deploy.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..32aa1a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+# Colors for output
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+BLUE='\033[0;34m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+echo -e "${BLUE}========================================${NC}"
+echo -e "${BLUE}KeepItGoing Server - Deployment Script${NC}"
+echo -e "${BLUE}========================================${NC}"
+echo ""
+
+# Check if .env.docker exists
+if [ ! -f ".env.docker" ]; then
+    echo -e "${RED}ERROR: .env.docker file not found!${NC}"
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}Please copy .env.docker.example to .env.docker and configure it.${NC}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Step 1: Pull latest code
+echo -e "${YELLOW}[1/6] Pulling latest code from git...${NC}"
+if git pull; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✓ Code updated${NC}"
+else
+    echo -e "${RED}✗ Git pull failed${NC}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Step 2: Build containers
+echo -e "${YELLOW}[2/6] Building Docker containers...${NC}"
+if docker-compose build; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✓ Containers built${NC}"
+else
+    echo -e "${RED}✗ Build failed${NC}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Step 3: Start containers
+echo -e "${YELLOW}[3/6] Starting containers...${NC}"
+if docker-compose up -d; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✓ Containers started${NC}"
+else
+    echo -e "${RED}✗ Failed to start containers${NC}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Step 4: Wait for services to be ready
+echo -e "${YELLOW}[4/6] Waiting for services to be ready...${NC}"
+sleep 10
+echo -e "${GREEN}✓ Services ready${NC}"
+echo ""
+
+# Step 5: Run migrations
+echo -e "${YELLOW}[5/6] Running database migrations...${NC}"
+if docker-compose exec -T web python manage.py migrate --noinput; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✓ Migrations complete${NC}"
+else
+    echo -e "${RED}✗ Migrations failed${NC}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Step 6: Collect static files
+echo -e "${YELLOW}[6/6] Collecting static files...${NC}"
+if docker-compose exec -T web python manage.py collectstatic --noinput; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✓ Static files collected${NC}"
+else
+    echo -e "${RED}✗ Failed to collect static files${NC}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo ""
+
+# Restart web service for good measure
+echo -e "${YELLOW}Restarting web service...${NC}"
+docker-compose restart web
+echo -e "${GREEN}✓ Web service restarted${NC}"
+echo ""
+
+# Show status
+echo -e "${BLUE}========================================${NC}"
+echo -e "${GREEN}Deployment Complete!${NC}"
+echo -e "${BLUE}========================================${NC}"
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}Container Status:${NC}"
+docker-compose ps
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}Recent logs:${NC}"
+docker-compose logs --tail=20 web
+echo ""
+echo -e "${GREEN}Deployment successful! ✓${NC}"
diff --git a/docker-compose.dev.yml b/docker-compose.dev.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5584d79
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.dev.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+version: '3.8'
+
+# =================================================================
+# Development Overrides
+# Use with: docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml up
+# =================================================================
+
+services:
+  # Web service overrides for development
+  web:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile.dev
+    volumes:
+      # Mount source code for live reload
+      - ./:/app
+      # Override media and static with the same mounts
+      - ./media:/app/media
+      - static_files:/app/staticfiles
+    environment:
+      # Enable debug mode
+      DEBUG: "True"
+      # Use development settings (optional - can still use selfhosted)
+      DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE: config.settings.development
+    command: runserver
+    # Remove healthcheck in dev mode (optional)
+    healthcheck:
+      disable: true
+
+  # Celery worker overrides for development
+  celery-worker:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile.dev
+    volumes:
+      # Mount source code for live reload
+      - ./:/app
+    environment:
+      DEBUG: "True"
+      DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE: config.settings.development
+
+  # Celery beat overrides for development
+  celery-beat:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile.dev
+    volumes:
+      # Mount source code for live reload
+      - ./:/app
+    environment:
+      DEBUG: "True"
+      DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE: config.settings.development
+
+# Note: mariadb and redis services inherit from base docker-compose.yml
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..54cb275
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,148 @@
+version: '3.8'
+
+services:
+  # =================================================================
+  # MariaDB Database Service
+  # =================================================================
+  mariadb:
+    image: mariadb:11.2
+    container_name: keepitgoing-db
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    environment:
+      MYSQL_DATABASE: ${DB_NAME:-keepitgoing}
+      MYSQL_USER: ${DB_USER:-keepitgoing}
+      MYSQL_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
+      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${DB_ROOT_PASSWORD}
+      MYSQL_CHARACTER_SET_SERVER: utf8mb4
+      MYSQL_COLLATION_SERVER: utf8mb4_unicode_ci
+    volumes:
+      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql
+    networks:
+      - backend
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "healthcheck.sh", "--connect", "--innodb_initialized"]
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+      start_period: 30s
+
+  # =================================================================
+  # Redis Service - Message broker for Celery
+  # =================================================================
+  redis:
+    image: redis:7-alpine
+    container_name: keepitgoing-redis
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    command: redis-server --appendonly yes --maxmemory 256mb --maxmemory-policy allkeys-lru
+    volumes:
+      - redis_data:/data
+    networks:
+      - backend
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "redis-cli", "ping"]
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+
+  # =================================================================
+  # Django/Gunicorn Web Service
+  # =================================================================
+  web:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    container_name: keepitgoing-web
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    env_file:
+      - .env.docker
+    environment:
+      DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE: config.settings.selfhosted
+      DATABASE_URL: mysql://${DB_USER:-keepitgoing}:${DB_PASSWORD}@mariadb:3306/${DB_NAME:-keepitgoing}
+      REDIS_URL: redis://redis:6379/0
+    volumes:
+      - ./media:/app/media
+      - static_files:/app/staticfiles
+    ports:
+      - "8000:8000"
+    networks:
+      - frontend
+      - backend
+    depends_on:
+      mariadb:
+        condition: service_healthy
+      redis:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:8000/api/"]
+      interval: 30s
+      timeout: 10s
+      retries: 3
+      start_period: 40s
+
+  # =================================================================
+  # Celery Worker Service - Background task processor
+  # =================================================================
+  celery-worker:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    container_name: keepitgoing-celery-worker
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    env_file:
+      - .env.docker
+    environment:
+      DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE: config.settings.selfhosted
+      DATABASE_URL: mysql://${DB_USER:-keepitgoing}:${DB_PASSWORD}@mariadb:3306/${DB_NAME:-keepitgoing}
+      REDIS_URL: redis://redis:6379/0
+    networks:
+      - backend
+    depends_on:
+      mariadb:
+        condition: service_healthy
+      redis:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    command: celery-worker
+
+  # =================================================================
+  # Celery Beat Service - Scheduled task scheduler
+  # =================================================================
+  celery-beat:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    container_name: keepitgoing-celery-beat
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    env_file:
+      - .env.docker
+    environment:
+      DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE: config.settings.selfhosted
+      DATABASE_URL: mysql://${DB_USER:-keepitgoing}:${DB_PASSWORD}@mariadb:3306/${DB_NAME:-keepitgoing}
+      REDIS_URL: redis://redis:6379/0
+    networks:
+      - backend
+    depends_on:
+      mariadb:
+        condition: service_healthy
+      redis:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    command: celery-beat
+
+# =================================================================
+# Named Volumes
+# =================================================================
+volumes:
+  db_data:
+    name: keepitgoing_db_data
+  redis_data:
+    name: keepitgoing_redis_data
+  static_files:
+    name: keepitgoing_static_files
+
+# =================================================================
+# Networks
+# =================================================================
+networks:
+  frontend:
+    name: keepitgoing_frontend
+  backend:
+    name: keepitgoing_backend
diff --git a/docker/entrypoint.sh b/docker/entrypoint.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..3552646
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/entrypoint.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+# Colors for output
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+echo -e "${GREEN}========================================${NC}"
+echo -e "${GREEN}KeepItGoing Docker Entrypoint${NC}"
+echo -e "${GREEN}========================================${NC}"
+
+# Extract database host from DATABASE_URL or use DB_HOST env var
+DB_HOST=${DB_HOST:-mariadb}
+
+# Wait for MariaDB to be ready
+echo -e "${YELLOW}Waiting for MariaDB at ${DB_HOST}...${NC}"
+max_attempts=30
+attempt=0
+
+while ! mysqladmin ping -h"${DB_HOST}" --silent 2>/dev/null; do
+    attempt=$((attempt + 1))
+    if [ $attempt -eq $max_attempts ]; then
+        echo -e "${RED}ERROR: MariaDB did not become available in time${NC}"
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    echo "Waiting for MariaDB... ($attempt/$max_attempts)"
+    sleep 2
+done
+
+echo -e "${GREEN}✓ MariaDB is ready!${NC}"
+
+# Function to run migrations
+run_migrations() {
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}Running database migrations...${NC}"
+    python manage.py migrate --noinput
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✓ Migrations complete${NC}"
+}
+
+# Function to collect static files
+collect_static() {
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}Collecting static files...${NC}"
+    python manage.py collectstatic --noinput
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✓ Static files collected${NC}"
+}
+
+# Determine which service to start based on command argument
+case "$1" in
+    "gunicorn")
+        echo -e "${GREEN}Starting Gunicorn WSGI server...${NC}"
+        run_migrations
+        collect_static
+
+        # Get Gunicorn config from environment or use defaults
+        WORKERS=${GUNICORN_WORKERS:-3}
+        TIMEOUT=${GUNICORN_TIMEOUT:-60}
+
+        echo -e "${GREEN}Configuration:${NC}"
+        echo "  Workers: $WORKERS"
+        echo "  Timeout: $TIMEOUT"
+        echo "  Bind: 0.0.0.0:8000"
+
+        exec gunicorn config.wsgi:application \
+            --bind 0.0.0.0:8000 \
+            --workers $WORKERS \
+            --timeout $TIMEOUT \
+            --access-logfile - \
+            --error-logfile - \
+            --log-level info
+        ;;
+
+    "celery-worker")
+        echo -e "${GREEN}Starting Celery worker...${NC}"
+        # Wait a bit more for web service to run migrations
+        sleep 5
+        exec celery -A config worker \
+            --loglevel=info \
+            --concurrency=2
+        ;;
+
+    "celery-beat")
+        echo -e "${GREEN}Starting Celery beat scheduler...${NC}"
+        # Wait for web service to run migrations and create database tables
+        sleep 10
+        exec celery -A config beat \
+            --loglevel=info \
+            --scheduler django_celery_beat.schedulers:DatabaseScheduler
+        ;;
+
+    "runserver")
+        echo -e "${GREEN}Starting Django development server...${NC}"
+        run_migrations
+        collect_static
+        exec python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000
+        ;;
+
+    *)
+        # If command is not recognized, just execute it
+        echo -e "${YELLOW}Executing custom command: $@${NC}"
+        exec "$@"
+        ;;
+esac
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 47b4c19..184777d 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -9,8 +9,9 @@ djangorestframework>=3.14.0
 djangorestframework-simplejwt>=5.3.0
 
 # Database
-psycopg2-binary>=2.9.9
-dj-database-url>=2.1.0
+psycopg2-binary>=2.9.9  # PostgreSQL driver
+mysqlclient>=2.2.0      # MariaDB/MySQL driver
+dj-database-url>=2.1.0  # Universal database URL parser
 
 # Task queue
 celery>=5.3.0