diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa10a0a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+node_modules
+frontend/node_modules
+backend/node_modules
+frontend/dist
+backend/dist
+backend/db.sqlite
+backend/uploads
+*.log
+.DS_Store
+.env
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 69b8d5f..d4334a5 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -8,26 +8,19 @@ dist/
 frontend/dist/
 backend/dist/
 
-# SQLite database and uploads
-backend/db.sqlite
-backend/uploads/
+# Persistent backend data (database and uploads)
+backend/data/
 
 # Logs
 logs/
 *.log
 npm-debug.log*
 yarn-debug.log*
-pnpm-debug.log*
 
 # Editor directories and files
 .vscode/
 .idea/
 .DS_Store
-*.suo
-*.ntvs*
-*.njsproj
-*.sln
-*.sw?
 
 # Environment files (if any)
 .env
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..21dfd21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+# Build frontend
+FROM node:24-alpine AS frontend
+WORKDIR /app/frontend
+COPY frontend/package*.json ./
+RUN npm install
+COPY frontend ./
+RUN npm run build
+
+# Build backend
+FROM node:24-alpine AS backend
+WORKDIR /app
+COPY backend/package*.json ./backend/
+COPY backend/ ./backend/
+RUN cd backend && npm install
+
+RUN mkdir -p /data/uploads && chmod -R 777 /data
+
+# Copy built frontend into backend
+COPY --from=frontend /app/frontend/dist ./frontend/dist
+
+WORKDIR /app/backend
+EXPOSE 3000
+
+ENV DATA_DIR=/data
+
+CMD ["node", "index.js"]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/backend/index.js b/backend/index.js
index 1dedad5..5e2166d 100644
--- a/backend/index.js
+++ b/backend/index.js
@@ -6,13 +6,19 @@ const multer = require('multer');
 const fs = require('fs');
 
 const app = express();
-const dbPath = path.join(__dirname, 'db.sqlite');
-const db = new sqlite3.Database(dbPath);
-const upload = multer({ dest: path.join(__dirname, 'uploads/') });
 
+// Use DATA_DIR env var if set, otherwise use local "data" folder
+const DATA_DIR = process.env.DATA_DIR || path.join(__dirname, 'data');
+
+const dbPath = path.join(DATA_DIR, 'db.sqlite');
+const db = new sqlite3.Database(dbPath);
+const upload = multer({ dest: path.join(DATA_DIR, 'uploads/') });
 app.use(cors());
 app.use(express.json());
-app.use('/uploads', express.static(path.join(__dirname, 'uploads')));
+app.use('/uploads', express.static(path.join(DATA_DIR, 'uploads')));
+
+// Create uploads directory if it doesn't exist
+fs.mkdirSync(path.join(DATA_DIR, 'uploads'), { recursive: true });
 
 // Initialize database and ensure counters table exists
 db.serialize(() => {
@@ -38,7 +44,6 @@ app.get('/api/counters', (req, res) => {
   });
 });
 
-
 // Create a new counter with image
 app.post('/api/counters', upload.single('image'), (req, res) => {
   const { name = 'Counter', value = 0 } = req.body;
@@ -97,12 +102,20 @@ const clientBuildPath = path.join(__dirname, '..', 'frontend', 'dist');
 app.use(express.static(clientBuildPath));
 
 // For SPA: serve index.html for any unknown route (after API and uploads)
-// app.get('*', (req, res) => {
-//   if (req.path.startsWith('/api') || req.path.startsWith('/uploads')) return res.status(404).end();
-//   res.sendFile(path.join(clientBuildPath, 'index.html'));
-// });
+app.get('/*path', (req, res) => {
+  if (req.path.startsWith('/api') || req.path.startsWith('/uploads')) return res.status(404).end();
+  res.sendFile(path.join(clientBuildPath, 'index.html'));
+});
 
 const PORT = 3000;
 app.listen(PORT, () => {
   console.log(`API server running on http://localhost:${PORT}`);
+});
+
+process.on('SIGTERM', () => {
+  console.log('SIGTERM received, shutting down gracefully...');
+  db.close(() => {
+    console.log('Database connection closed.');
+    process.exit(0);
+  });
 });
\ No newline at end of file