diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 71264c6d..79db28a5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -188,3 +188,64 @@ To contribute:
 
 - Include a **deployment section (Docker / CI)**
 - Write a **more enterprise-focused version** for internal tools
+
+## Quickstart with Docker
+
+The fastest way to get the backend running locally with a matching Postgres 16 and Redis 7 (same versions as CI) is via Docker Compose.
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+- Docker and Docker Compose installed
+
+### Run it
+
+```bash
+git clone <repo-url>
+cd AssetsUp
+docker compose up
+```
+
+This brings up three containers:
+
+| Service    | Description                             | Port |
+| ---------- | --------------------------------------- | ---- |
+| `postgres` | Postgres 16, data persisted in a volume | 5432 |
+| `redis`    | Redis 7, data persisted in a volume     | 6379 |
+| `backend`  | NestJS API in watch mode (`start:dev`)  | 3000 |
+
+No manual Postgres/Redis install or configuration is required — the backend
+container is pre-wired with the same env var names used in
+`.github/workflows/backend-ci.yml` (`DB_HOST`, `DB_PORT`, `DB_USERNAME`,
+`DB_PASSWORD`, `DB_NAME`, `REDIS_HOST`, `REDIS_PORT`, `JWT_SECRET`).
+
+The API will be available at `http://localhost:3000` once all three
+containers report healthy.
+
+### Overriding defaults
+
+Create a `.env` file at the repo root to override any default credentials
+before running `docker compose up`:
+
+```bash
+DB_USERNAME=postgres
+DB_PASSWORD=postgrespassword
+DB_NAME=assetsup_dev
+JWT_SECRET=dev-secret-key
+```
+
+### Stopping / resetting
+
+```bash
+docker compose down          # stop containers, keep data
+docker compose down -v       # stop containers and wipe Postgres/Redis volumes
+```
+
+### Building a production image
+
+The backend `Dockerfile` is multi-stage. `docker compose up` builds the
+`development` target (hot reload). To build the production image used for
+deployment:
+
+```bash
+docker build --target production -t assetsup-backend ./backend
+```
diff --git a/backend/.dockerignore b/backend/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..99c291db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+node_modules
+npm-debug.log
+dist
+coverage
+.git
+.gitignore
+.env
+.env.*
+!.env.example
+.vscode
+.idea
+*.md
+Dockerfile
+.dockerignore
+docker-compose.yml
+.github
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/backend/Dockerfile b/backend/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..acbeec40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+# syntax=docker/dockerfile:1
+
+# ---------- Base ----------
+FROM node:20-alpine AS base
+WORKDIR /app
+COPY package*.json ./
+
+# ---------- Development ----------
+# Used by docker-compose for local dev (hot reload via `npm run start:dev`)
+FROM base AS development
+ENV NODE_ENV=development
+RUN npm ci
+COPY . .
+EXPOSE 3000
+CMD ["npm", "run", "start:dev"]
+
+# ---------- Production dependencies ----------
+FROM base AS dependencies
+RUN npm ci --omit=dev
+
+# ---------- Build ----------
+FROM base AS build
+RUN npm ci
+COPY . .
+RUN npm run build
+
+# ---------- Production ----------
+FROM node:20-alpine AS production
+WORKDIR /app
+ENV NODE_ENV=production
+COPY --from=dependencies /app/node_modules ./node_modules
+COPY --from=build /app/dist ./dist
+COPY package*.json ./
+EXPOSE 3000
+CMD ["node", "dist/main.js"]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f48a378c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+version: "3.9"
+
+services:
+  postgres:
+    image: postgres:16-alpine
+    container_name: assetsup_postgres
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    environment:
+      POSTGRES_USER: ${DB_USERNAME:-postgres}
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD:-postgrespassword}
+      POSTGRES_DB: ${DB_NAME:-assetsup_dev}
+    ports:
+      - "${DB_PORT:-5432}:5432"
+    volumes:
+      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U ${DB_USERNAME:-postgres}"]
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+
+  redis:
+    image: redis:7-alpine
+    container_name: assetsup_redis
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    ports:
+      - "${REDIS_PORT:-6379}:6379"
+    volumes:
+      - redis_data:/data
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "redis-cli", "ping"]
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+
+  backend:
+    build:
+      context: ./backend
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+      target: development
+    container_name: assetsup_backend
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    depends_on:
+      postgres:
+        condition: service_healthy
+      redis:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    environment:
+      NODE_ENV: development
+      DB_HOST: postgres
+      DB_PORT: 5432
+      DB_USERNAME: ${DB_USERNAME:-postgres}
+      DB_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD:-postgrespassword}
+      DB_NAME: ${DB_NAME:-assetsup_dev}
+      REDIS_HOST: redis
+      REDIS_PORT: 6379
+      JWT_SECRET: ${JWT_SECRET:-dev-secret-key}
+    ports:
+      - "3000:3000"
+    volumes:
+      - ./backend:/app
+      - /app/node_modules
+    command: npm run start:dev
+
+volumes:
+  postgres_data:
+  redis_data: