diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f2cdda6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+.git
+.env
+node_modules
+backend/node_modules
+dist
+backend/uploads
+npm-debug.log*
+Dockerfile
+docker-compose*.yml
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index a90cb55..178eb9b 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ FROM node:22-alpine AS builder
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
-COPY package.json ./
-RUN npm install
+COPY package.json package-lock.json ./
+RUN npm ci --no-audit
 
 COPY . .
 
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ ENV NODE_ENV=production
 COPY backend/package.json backend/package-lock.json ./
 
 # Install dependencies
-RUN npm ci --omit=dev
+RUN npm ci --omit=dev --no-audit
 
 # Copy backend source directly into root
 COPY backend/index.js ./index.js
diff --git a/docker-compose.local.yml b/docker-compose.local.yml
index 62ce19d..ade810e 100644
--- a/docker-compose.local.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.local.yml
@@ -20,10 +20,6 @@ services:
       - SMTP_PASS=${SMTP_PASS}
       - MAIL_FROM=${MAIL_FROM}
       - SMTP_DEBUG=${SMTP_DEBUG:-false}
-    volumes:
-      - ./dist:/app/dist # Map local build to container
-      - ./backend/index.js:/app/index.js
-      - ./backend/db.js:/app/db.js
     command: ["node", "index.js"]
     depends_on:
       - db
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 15599da..0495fe6 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1444,9 +1444,9 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/body-parser": {
-      "version": "1.20.4",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/body-parser/-/body-parser-1.20.4.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-ZTgYYLMOXY9qKU/57FAo8F+HA2dGX7bqGc71txDRC1rS4frdFI5R7NhluHxH6M0YItAP0sHB4uqAOcYKxO6uGA==",
+      "version": "1.20.5",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/body-parser/-/body-parser-1.20.5.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-3grm+/2tUOvu2cjJkvsIxrv/wVpfXQW4PsQHYm7yk4vfpu7Ekl6nEsYBoJUL6qDwZUx8wUhQ8tR2qz+ad9c9OA==",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "bytes": "~3.1.2",
@@ -1457,7 +1457,7 @@
         "http-errors": "~2.0.1",
         "iconv-lite": "~0.4.24",
         "on-finished": "~2.4.1",
-        "qs": "~6.14.0",
+        "qs": "~6.15.1",
         "raw-body": "~2.5.3",
         "type-is": "~1.6.18",
         "unpipe": "~1.0.0"
@@ -1932,9 +1932,9 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/es-object-atoms": {
-      "version": "1.1.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/es-object-atoms/-/es-object-atoms-1.1.1.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-FGgH2h8zKNim9ljj7dankFPcICIK9Cp5bm+c2gQSYePhpaG5+esrLODihIorn+Pe6FGJzWhXQotPv73jTaldXA==",
+      "version": "1.1.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/es-object-atoms/-/es-object-atoms-1.1.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-HWcBoN6NileqtSydK2FqHbS/LoDd2pqrnQHLyJzBj4kOp/ky2MWMN694xOfkK8/SnUsW2DH7EfyVlydKCsm1Zw==",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "es-errors": "^1.3.0"
@@ -2027,14 +2027,14 @@
       "license": "MIT"
     },
     "node_modules/express": {
-      "version": "4.22.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/express/-/express-4.22.1.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-F2X8g9P1X7uCPZMA3MVf9wcTqlyNp7IhH5qPCI0izhaOIYXaW9L535tGA3qmjRzpH+bZczqq7hVKxTR4NWnu+g==",
+      "version": "4.22.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/express/-/express-4.22.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-IuL+Elrou2ZvCFHs18/CIzy2Nzvo25nZ1/D2eIZlz7c+QUayAcYoiM2BthCjs+EBHVpjYjcuLDAiCWgeIX3X1Q==",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "accepts": "~1.3.8",
         "array-flatten": "1.1.1",
-        "body-parser": "~1.20.3",
+        "body-parser": "~1.20.5",
         "content-disposition": "~0.5.4",
         "content-type": "~1.0.4",
         "cookie": "~0.7.1",
@@ -2053,7 +2053,7 @@
         "parseurl": "~1.3.3",
         "path-to-regexp": "~0.1.12",
         "proxy-addr": "~2.0.7",
-        "qs": "~6.14.0",
+        "qs": "~6.15.1",
         "range-parser": "~1.2.1",
         "safe-buffer": "5.2.1",
         "send": "~0.19.0",
@@ -2261,9 +2261,9 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/hasown": {
-      "version": "2.0.2",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/hasown/-/hasown-2.0.2.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-0hJU9SCPvmMzIBdZFqNPXWa6dqh7WdH0cII9y+CyS8rG3nL48Bclra9HmKhVVUHyPWNH5Y7xDwAB7bfgSjkUMQ==",
+      "version": "2.0.4",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/hasown/-/hasown-2.0.4.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-T2UbfbBEF32wiepXIsMlTW9+dDYC6wMh/t/vYA4tuOMKqWz/n3vr1NFSxQiyP+zk2mXsoMA/i/7qV6LKut1t1A==",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "function-bind": "^1.1.2"
@@ -2590,9 +2590,9 @@
       "license": "MIT"
     },
     "node_modules/multer": {
-      "version": "2.1.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/multer/-/multer-2.1.0.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-TBm6j41rxNohqawsxlsWsNNh/VdV4QFXcBvRcPhXaA05EZ79z0qJ2bQFpync6JBoHTeNY5Q1JpG7AlTjdlfAEA==",
+      "version": "2.1.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/multer/-/multer-2.1.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-mo+QTzKlx8R7E5ylSXxWzGoXoZbOsRMpyitcht8By2KHvMbf3tjwosZ/Mu/XYU6UuJ3VZnODIrak5ZrPiPyB6A==",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "append-field": "^1.0.0",
@@ -2694,9 +2694,9 @@
       "license": "MIT"
     },
     "node_modules/nodemailer": {
-      "version": "8.0.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/nodemailer/-/nodemailer-8.0.1.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-5kcldIXmaEjZcHR6F28IKGSgpmZHaF1IXLWFTG+Xh3S+Cce4MiakLtWY+PlBU69fLbRa8HlaGIrC/QolUpHkhg==",
+      "version": "8.0.10",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/nodemailer/-/nodemailer-8.0.10.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-BLFuSth7QtHOkBzyqTehWWyub0NTRDuK2Q2SQfnGLsrJnzyU+Yeh4WpV1eZGuARFj1xQJHIdnTuJZLP+b9R1GQ==",
       "license": "MIT-0",
       "engines": {
         "node": ">=6.0.0"
@@ -2745,9 +2745,9 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/path-to-regexp": {
-      "version": "0.1.12",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/path-to-regexp/-/path-to-regexp-0.1.12.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-RA1GjUVMnvYFxuqovrEqZoxxW5NUZqbwKtYz/Tt7nXerk0LbLblQmrsgdeOxV5SFHf0UDggjS/bSeOZwt1pmEQ==",
+      "version": "0.1.13",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/path-to-regexp/-/path-to-regexp-0.1.13.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-A/AGNMFN3c8bOlvV9RreMdrv7jsmF9XIfDeCd87+I8RNg6s78BhJxMu69NEMHBSJFxKidViTEdruRwEk/WIKqA==",
       "license": "MIT"
     },
     "node_modules/picocolors": {
@@ -2813,9 +2813,9 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/qs": {
-      "version": "6.14.2",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/qs/-/qs-6.14.2.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-V/yCWTTF7VJ9hIh18Ugr2zhJMP01MY7c5kh4J870L7imm6/DIzBsNLTXzMwUA3yZ5b/KBqLx8Kp3uRvd7xSe3Q==",
+      "version": "6.15.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/qs/-/qs-6.15.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-Rzq0KEyX/w/tEybncDgdkZrJgVUsUMk3xjh3t5bv3S1HTAtg+uOYt72+ZfwiQwKdysThkTBdL/rTi6HDmX9Ddw==",
       "license": "BSD-3-Clause",
       "dependencies": {
         "side-channel": "^1.1.0"
@@ -3201,13 +3201,13 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/side-channel-list": {
-      "version": "1.0.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/side-channel-list/-/side-channel-list-1.0.0.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-FCLHtRD/gnpCiCHEiJLOwdmFP+wzCmDEkc9y7NsYxeF4u7Btsn1ZuwgwJGxImImHicJArLP4R0yX4c2KCrMrTA==",
+      "version": "1.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/side-channel-list/-/side-channel-list-1.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-mjn/0bi/oUURjc5Xl7IaWi/OJJJumuoJFQJfDDyO46+hBWsfaVM65TBHq2eoZBhzl9EchxOijpkbRC8SVBQU0w==",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "es-errors": "^1.3.0",
-        "object-inspect": "^1.13.3"
+        "object-inspect": "^1.13.4"
       },
       "engines": {
         "node": ">= 0.4"
@@ -3440,9 +3440,9 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/uuid": {
-      "version": "13.0.0",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/uuid/-/uuid-13.0.0.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-XQegIaBTVUjSHliKqcnFqYypAd4S+WCYt5NIeRs6w/UAry7z8Y9j5ZwRRL4kzq9U3sD6v+85er9FvkEaBpji2w==",
+      "version": "13.0.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/uuid/-/uuid-13.0.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-vzi9uRZ926x4XV73S/4qQaTwPXM2JBj6/6lI/byHH1jOpCzb0zDbfytgA9LcN/hzb2l7WQSQnxITOVx5un/wGw==",
       "funding": [
         "https://github.com/sponsors/broofa",
         "https://github.com/sponsors/ctavan"