diff --git a/example-docker/.env b/example-docker/.env
deleted file mode 100644
index 34e3547f..00000000
--- a/example-docker/.env
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,32 +0,0 @@
-# Docker Image Version
-# This determines which version of the Booklore image to pull from GitHub Container Registry (GHCR).
-# Use "latest" for the most recent version or specify a tag like "v1.0.0".
-BOOKLORE_IMAGE_TAG=latest
-
-# User and Timezone Settings
-# USER_ID and GROUP_ID define the user/group running the backend service.
-# Avoid using "user" property because system won't work with it.
-# TZ sets the timezone for correct time-related operations.
-USER_ID=0      # Default root user ID (Check with `id -u` on Linux/Mac)
-GROUP_ID=0      # Default root group ID (Check with `id -g` on Linux/Mac)
-TZ=Etc/UTC     # Change this to your timezone (e.g., America/New_York, Asia/Kolkata)
-
-# Database Credentials (Replace with a secure password)
-# This password is used by MariaDB. Make sure to keep it secure.
-MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=super_secure_password
-MYSQL_DATABASE=booklore
-MYSQL_USER=booklore
-MYSQL_PASSWORD=your_secure_password
-
-# Paths for Docker Volumes (Update these paths as per your system)
-# These paths store persistent data for Booklore and MariaDB.
-# Replace "/path/to/..." with actual directories on your system.
-BOOKLORE_DATA_PATH=/path/to/booklore/data       # Example: /home/user/booklore/data (Stores app-related data)
-BOOKLORE_BOOKS_PATH=/path/to/booklore/books     # Example: /home/user/booklore/books (Stores book files)
-MARIADB_CONFIG_PATH=/path/to/mariadb/config     # Example: /home/user/booklore/mariadb/config (Stores database config)
-
-# How to find your correct paths?
-# 1. Choose a location where you want to store persistent data.
-# 2. Create the required folders if they don’t exist.
-# 3. Use `pwd` in your terminal inside those directories to get the full path.
-# 4. Replace `/path/to/...` above with your actual paths.
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diff --git a/example-docker/docker-compose.yml b/example-docker/docker-compose.yml
index 91e0a669..a4ca77d9 100644
--- a/example-docker/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/example-docker/docker-compose.yml
@@ -1,33 +1,48 @@
-name: booklore
 services:
   booklore:
-    image: booklore/booklore:${BOOKLORE_IMAGE_TAG}
-    container_name: booklore_server
-    env_file:
-      - .env
+    # Official Docker Hub image:
+    image: booklore/booklore:latest
+    # Or the GHCR image:
+    # image: ghcr.io/booklore-app/booklore:latest
+    container_name: booklore
     environment:
-      - DATABASE_URL=jdbc:mariadb://mariadb:3306/${MYSQL_DATABASE}
-      - DATABASE_USERNAME=${MYSQL_USER}
-      - DATABASE_PASSWORD=${MYSQL_PASSWORD}
+      - USER_ID=0  # Modify this if the volume's ownership is not root
+      - GROUP_ID=0 # Modify this if the volume's ownership is not root
+      - TZ=Etc/UTC
+      - DATABASE_URL=jdbc:mariadb://mariadb:3306/booklore   # Only modify this if you're familiar with JDBC and your database setup
+      - DATABASE_USERNAME=booklore                          # Must match MYSQL_USER defined in the mariadb container
+      - DATABASE_PASSWORD=your_secure_password              # Use a strong password; must match MYSQL_PASSWORD defined in the mariadb container 
+      - BOOKLORE_PORT=6060                                  # Port BookLore listens on inside the container; must match container port below
+      - SWAGGER_ENABLED=false                               # Enable or disable Swagger UI (API docs). Set to 'true' to allow access; 'false' to block access (recommended for production).
     depends_on:
       mariadb:
         condition: service_healthy
     ports:
-      - "6060:6060"
+      - "6060:6060" # HostPort:ContainerPort → Keep both numbers the same, and also ensure the container port matches BOOKLORE_PORT, no exceptions. 
+      # All three (host port, container port, BOOKLORE_PORT) must be identical for BookLore to function properly.
+      # Example: To expose on host port 7070, set BOOKLORE_PORT=7070 and use "7070:7070".
     volumes:
-      - ${BOOKLORE_DATA_PATH}:/app/data
-      - ${BOOKLORE_BOOKS_PATH}:/books
+      - ./data:/app/data       # Application data (settings, metadata, cache, etc.). Persist this folder to retain your library state across container restarts.
+      - ./books:/books         # Primary book library folder. Mount your collection here so BookLore can access and organize your books.
+      - ./bookdrop:/bookdrop   # BookDrop folder. Files placed here are automatically detected and prepared for import.
+    restart: unless-stopped
 
   mariadb:
     image: lscr.io/linuxserver/mariadb:11.4.5
-    container_name: booklore_mariadb
-    env_file:
-      - .env
+    container_name: mariadb
+    environment:
+      - PUID=1000
+      - PGID=1000
+      - TZ=Etc/UTC
+      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=super_secure_password  # Use a strong password for the database's root user, should be different from MYSQL_PASSWORD
+      - MYSQL_DATABASE=booklore
+      - MYSQL_USER=booklore                        # Must match DATABASE_USERNAME defined in the booklore container
+      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=your_secure_password        # Use a strong password; must match DATABASE_PASSWORD defined in the booklore container
     volumes:
-      - ${MARIADB_CONFIG_PATH}:/config
+      - ./config:/config
     restart: unless-stopped
     healthcheck:
-      test: ["CMD", "mariadb-admin", "ping", "-h", "localhost"]
-      interval: 10s
+      test: [ "CMD", "mariadb-admin", "ping", "-h", "localhost" ]
+      interval: 5s
       timeout: 5s
-      retries: 5
+      retries: 10
\ No newline at end of file