diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..66ab938
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+version: '3.8'
+
+services:
+  # Backend API server
+  backend:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    container_name: recipe-manager-backend
+    ports:
+      - "3000:3000"  # Expose for direct API access (optional, can remove if only accessed via frontend)
+    volumes:
+      - recipe-data:/app/data  # Persist SQLite database
+    environment:
+      NODE_ENV: production
+      DATABASE_PATH: /app/data/recipes.db
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "wget", "--quiet", "--tries=1", "--spider", "http://localhost:3000/api/recipes"]
+      interval: 30s
+      timeout: 10s
+      retries: 3
+      start_period: 10s
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    networks:
+      - recipe-network
+
+  # Frontend (React + nginx)
+  frontend:
+    build:
+      context: ./frontend
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    container_name: recipe-manager-frontend
+    ports:
+      - "8080:80"  # Access app at http://localhost:8080
+    depends_on:
+      backend:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "wget", "--quiet", "--tries=1", "--spider", "http://localhost/health"]
+      interval: 30s
+      timeout: 10s
+      retries: 3
+      start_period: 5s
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    networks:
+      - recipe-network
+
+volumes:
+  # Named volume for SQLite database persistence
+  recipe-data:
+    driver: local
+
+networks:
+  # Internal network for service communication
+  recipe-network:
+    driver: bridge
diff --git a/docs/docker-compose.md b/docs/docker-compose.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c5dab13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/docker-compose.md
@@ -0,0 +1,367 @@
+# Docker Compose Setup
+
+**Created:** 2026-03-24  
+**Purpose:** Orchestrate Recipe Manager backend and frontend containers
+
+---
+
+## Overview
+
+The `docker-compose.yml` file orchestrates two services:
+1. **Backend:** Node.js API server (Express + SQLite)
+2. **Frontend:** React SPA served by nginx with API proxy
+
+### Architecture
+
+```
+┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
+│  Host Machine (http://localhost:8080)       │
+└────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
+                 │
+┌────────────────┴────────────────────────────┐
+│  Frontend Container (nginx:alpine)          │
+│  - Serves React SPA on port 80              │
+│  - Proxies /api/* to backend service        │
+│  - Health check: /health endpoint           │
+└────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
+                 │ Docker network (recipe-network)
+┌────────────────┴────────────────────────────┐
+│  Backend Container (node:22-alpine)         │
+│  - Express API on port 3000                 │
+│  - SQLite database in /app/data volume      │
+│  - Runs migrations on startup               │
+│  - Health check: GET /api/recipes           │
+└────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
+                 │
+┌────────────────┴────────────────────────────┐
+│  Named Volume: recipe-data                  │
+│  - Persists SQLite database                 │
+│  - Survives container restarts              │
+└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
+```
+
+---
+
+## Services
+
+### Backend Service
+
+**Build context:** Root directory  
+**Dockerfile:** `./Dockerfile`  
+**Exposed port:** 3000 (optional, can be removed)  
+**Internal port:** 3000  
+**Volume mount:** `recipe-data:/app/data`  
+
+**Environment variables:**
+- `NODE_ENV=production`
+- `DATABASE_PATH=/app/data/recipes.db`
+
+**Health check:** `wget http://localhost:3000/api/recipes`  
+**Restart policy:** `unless-stopped`  
+
+### Frontend Service
+
+**Build context:** `./frontend`  
+**Dockerfile:** `./frontend/Dockerfile`  
+**Exposed port:** 8080 → 80  
+**Internal port:** 80  
+
+**Dependencies:** Waits for backend health check to pass  
+**Health check:** `wget http://localhost/health`  
+**Restart policy:** `unless-stopped`  
+
+**Nginx configuration:**
+- Serves static files from `/usr/share/nginx/html`
+- Proxies `/api/*` requests to `http://backend:3000`
+- SPA fallback routing (all routes → `index.html`)
+- Gzip compression for text files
+- Security headers (X-Frame-Options, etc.)
+- Aggressive caching for static assets (1 year)
+
+---
+
+## Usage
+
+### Build and Start
+
+```bash
+# Build both services
+docker compose build
+
+# Start services in detached mode
+docker compose up -d
+
+# View logs
+docker compose logs -f
+
+# View logs for specific service
+docker compose logs -f backend
+docker compose logs -f frontend
+```
+
+### Access the Application
+
+- **Frontend:** http://localhost:8080
+- **Backend API (direct):** http://localhost:3000/api
+- **Health check:** http://localhost:8080/health
+
+### Stop and Remove
+
+```bash
+# Stop services
+docker compose stop
+
+# Stop and remove containers
+docker compose down
+
+# Stop, remove containers, and delete volumes (⚠️ deletes database!)
+docker compose down -v
+```
+
+### Rebuild After Changes
+
+```bash
+# Rebuild specific service
+docker compose build backend
+docker compose build frontend
+
+# Rebuild and restart
+docker compose up -d --build
+
+# Force complete rebuild (no cache)
+docker compose build --no-cache
+```
+
+---
+
+## Networking
+
+### Internal Communication
+
+Services communicate via the `recipe-network` bridge network:
+- Frontend → Backend: `http://backend:3000/api/*`
+- Docker DNS resolves service names automatically
+
+### External Access
+
+- Frontend exposed on host port **8080**
+- Backend exposed on host port **3000** (optional, can be removed for security)
+
+### API Routing
+
+**From browser:**
+```
+User → http://localhost:8080/api/recipes
+  ↓
+nginx (frontend container) → proxy_pass to http://backend:3000/api/recipes
+  ↓
+Express API (backend container)
+```
+
+**Local development (npm run dev):**
+```
+User → http://localhost:5173/api/recipes
+  ↓
+Vite dev server → proxy to http://localhost:3000/api/recipes
+  ↓
+Express API (running separately)
+```
+
+---
+
+## Volume Management
+
+### Recipe Data Volume
+
+**Name:** `recipe-data`  
+**Mount point:** `/app/data` in backend container  
+**Contents:** `recipes.db` (SQLite database)  
+
+**Inspect volume:**
+```bash
+docker volume inspect recipe-manager_recipe-data
+```
+
+**Backup database:**
+```bash
+# Copy database from container to host
+docker compose cp backend:/app/data/recipes.db ./backup-recipes.db
+
+# Or access volume directly
+docker run --rm -v recipe-manager_recipe-data:/data -v $(pwd):/backup alpine cp /data/recipes.db /backup/recipes.db
+```
+
+**Restore database:**
+```bash
+# Copy database from host to container
+docker compose cp ./backup-recipes.db backend:/app/data/recipes.db
+
+# Restart backend to apply changes
+docker compose restart backend
+```
+
+---
+
+## Environment Configuration
+
+### Development vs Production
+
+The current `docker-compose.yml` is configured for local testing. For production deployment:
+
+1. **Remove backend port exposure** (line 12-13) — only frontend should be exposed
+2. **Add Caddy reverse proxy** for HTTPS (see ARCHITECTURE.md)
+3. **Configure environment-specific variables** via `.env` file
+4. **Set up Litestream** for database backups
+
+### Environment Variables
+
+Create a `.env` file for customization:
+
+```env
+# Backend
+NODE_ENV=production
+DATABASE_PATH=/app/data/recipes.db
+
+# Frontend (if needed)
+COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME=recipe-manager
+
+# Ports
+FRONTEND_PORT=8080
+BACKEND_PORT=3000
+```
+
+Update `docker-compose.yml` to use variables:
+
+```yaml
+ports:
+  - "${FRONTEND_PORT:-8080}:80"
+```
+
+---
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Backend won't start
+
+**Check logs:**
+```bash
+docker compose logs backend
+```
+
+**Common issues:**
+- Migration fails → Check schema.sql syntax
+- Port 3000 already in use → Change `BACKEND_PORT` in .env
+- Database permission denied → Check volume permissions
+
+**Solution:**
+```bash
+# Remove containers and volumes, rebuild
+docker compose down -v
+docker compose up -d --build
+```
+
+### Frontend can't reach backend
+
+**Check network:**
+```bash
+docker compose exec frontend ping backend
+```
+
+**Check nginx config:**
+```bash
+docker compose exec frontend cat /etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
+```
+
+**Check backend health:**
+```bash
+docker compose exec backend wget -O- http://localhost:3000/api/recipes
+```
+
+### API returns 502 Bad Gateway
+
+**Cause:** Nginx can't reach backend service  
+**Check:**
+1. Backend container is running: `docker compose ps`
+2. Backend health check passing: `docker compose ps` (should show "healthy")
+3. Network connectivity: `docker compose exec frontend ping backend`
+
+**Fix:**
+```bash
+docker compose restart backend
+docker compose restart frontend
+```
+
+### Database not persisting
+
+**Cause:** Volume not mounted correctly  
+**Check:**
+```bash
+docker volume ls | grep recipe
+docker compose exec backend ls -la /app/data
+```
+
+**Fix:** Ensure `volumes:` section in docker-compose.yml matches Dockerfile paths
+
+---
+
+## Testing the Setup
+
+### Validation Checklist
+
+```bash
+# 1. Validate docker-compose.yml syntax
+docker compose config
+
+# 2. Build services (should succeed without errors)
+docker compose build
+
+# 3. Start services
+docker compose up -d
+
+# 4. Check service status (both should be "healthy")
+docker compose ps
+
+# 5. Test backend API directly
+curl http://localhost:3000/api/recipes
+
+# 6. Test frontend
+curl http://localhost:8080
+
+# 7. Test API through frontend proxy
+curl http://localhost:8080/api/recipes
+
+# 8. Test in browser
+open http://localhost:8080
+```
+
+### Expected Results
+
+✅ Backend container running and healthy  
+✅ Frontend container running and healthy  
+✅ Database created at `/app/data/recipes.db`  
+✅ Migrations applied (recipes, tags, recipe_tags tables exist)  
+✅ Frontend accessible at http://localhost:8080  
+✅ API returns empty recipes array: `{"success":true,"data":[]}`  
+✅ Frontend UI loads without console errors  
+
+---
+
+## Next Steps
+
+After verifying this setup works:
+
+1. **Add Caddy reverse proxy** for HTTPS (production)
+2. **Configure Litestream** for database backups
+3. **Set up CI/CD** for automated builds
+4. **Document deployment** to paje.ca
+
+See `ROADMAP.md` for post-MVP features.
+
+---
+
+## Related Documentation
+
+- `docker-backend.md` — Backend Dockerfile details
+- `docker-frontend.md` — Frontend Dockerfile and nginx config
+- `ARCHITECTURE.md` — Overall system architecture
+- `docs/deployment.md` — Production deployment guide (TBD)
diff --git a/frontend/nginx.conf b/frontend/nginx.conf
index 7353360..6af292d 100644
--- a/frontend/nginx.conf
+++ b/frontend/nginx.conf
@@ -15,6 +15,19 @@ server {
     add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always;
     add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block" always;
 
+    # Proxy API requests to backend service
+    location /api/ {
+        proxy_pass http://backend:3000;
+        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 $http_upgrade;
+    }
+
     # Cache static assets
     location ~* \.(js|css|png|jpg|jpeg|gif|ico|svg|woff|woff2|ttf|eot)$ {
         expires 1y;
diff --git a/frontend/src/services/api.ts b/frontend/src/services/api.ts
index 50554d4..330a2b4 100644
--- a/frontend/src/services/api.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/services/api.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,9 @@
 
 import type { Recipe, Tag, ApiResponse } from '../types/recipe';
 
-const API_BASE_URL = 'http://localhost:3000/api';
+// Use relative URL - nginx will proxy to backend in production
+// For local development (npm run dev), configure vite.config.ts proxy
+const API_BASE_URL = '/api';
 
 /**
  * Fetch recipes with optional filters
@@ -14,7 +16,7 @@ export async function fetchRecipes(params?: {
   offset?: number;
   limit?: number;
 }): Promise<Recipe[]> {
-  const url = new URL(`${API_BASE_URL}/recipes`);
+  const url = new URL(`${API_BASE_URL}/recipes`, window.location.origin);
   
   if (params?.search) {
     url.searchParams.set('search', params.search);
diff --git a/frontend/vite.config.ts b/frontend/vite.config.ts
index 8b0f57b..a860b6b 100644
--- a/frontend/vite.config.ts
+++ b/frontend/vite.config.ts
@@ -4,4 +4,13 @@ import react from '@vitejs/plugin-react'
 // https://vite.dev/config/
 export default defineConfig({
   plugins: [react()],
+  server: {
+    proxy: {
+      // Proxy API requests to backend during development
+      '/api': {
+        target: 'http://localhost:3000',
+        changeOrigin: true,
+      },
+    },
+  },
 })