diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index aed0866a..286d94b4 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -48,7 +48,9 @@ ### 2️⃣ Create docker-compose.yml
       - PUID=1000
       - PGID=1000
       - TZ=Etc/UTC
-      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=your_secure_password # Use a strong password; must match the one in the mariadb service
+      - DATABASE_URL=jdbc:mariadb://mariadb:3306/booklore
+      - DATABASE_USERNAME=booklore
+      - DATABASE_PASSWORD=your_secure_password # Use a strong password; must match the one in the mariadb service
     depends_on:
       mariadb:
         condition: service_healthy
@@ -66,7 +68,10 @@ ### 2️⃣ Create docker-compose.yml
       - PUID=1000
       - PGID=1000
       - TZ=Etc/UTC
-      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=your_secure_password # Use a strong password; must match the one in the booklore service
+      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=your_secure_password # Use a strong password
+      - MYSQL_DATABASE=booklore
+      - MYSQL_USER=booklore
+      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=your_secure_password # Use a strong password; must match the one in the booklore service
     volumes:
       - /your/local/path/to/mariadb/config:/config
     restart: unless-stopped
@@ -107,6 +112,19 @@ ### 5️⃣ First-Time Login
 > ⚠️ **Important:**  
 > You’ll be prompted to change the default password upon your first login to ensure better security.
 
+## Configuration
+
+The following environment variables can be configured:
+
+| Variable Name     | Description               | Default Value                                                       |
+|-------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| DATABASE_URL      | JDBC connection URL       | `jdbc:mariadb://${DATABASE_HOST}:${DATABASE_PORT}/${DATABASE_NAME}` |
+| DATABASE_HOST     | Database hostname         | `mariadb`                                                           |
+| DATABASE_PORT     | Database port             | `3306`                                                              |
+| DATABASE_NAME     | Database name             | `booklore`                                                          |
+| DATABASE_USERNAME | Database username for app | `root`                                                              |
+| DATABASE_PASSWORD | Database password for app | **required**                                                        |
+
 ## Tech Stack
 
 - **Backend:** Spring Boot (Java)
diff --git a/booklore-api/src/main/resources/application.yaml b/booklore-api/src/main/resources/application.yaml
index d1140417..87155e4e 100644
--- a/booklore-api/src/main/resources/application.yaml
+++ b/booklore-api/src/main/resources/application.yaml
@@ -14,12 +14,10 @@ spring:
   application:
     name: booklore-api
   datasource:
-    driver-class-name: org.mariadb.jdbc.Driver
-    url: jdbc:mariadb://${DB_HOST:mariadb}:3306/booklore?createDatabaseIfNotExist=true
-    username: root
-    password: ${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}
+    url: ${DATABASE_URL:jdbc:mariadb://${DATABASE_HOST:${DB_HOST:mariadb}}:${DATABASE_PORT:3306}/${DATABASE_NAME:booklore}?createDatabaseIfNotExist=true}
+    username: ${DATABASE_USERNAME:root}
+    password: ${DATABASE_PASSWORD:${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}}
   jpa:
-    database-platform: org.hibernate.dialect.MariaDBDialect
     hibernate:
       naming:
         physical-strategy: org.hibernate.boot.model.naming.PhysicalNamingStrategyStandardImpl
diff --git a/example-docker/.env b/example-docker/.env
index efc05354..b5539bfa 100644
--- a/example-docker/.env
+++ b/example-docker/.env
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@ TZ=Etc/UTC     # Change this to your timezone (e.g., America/New_York, Asia/Kolk
 # Database Credentials (Replace with a secure password)
 # This password is used by MariaDB. Make sure to keep it secure.
 MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=your_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.
diff --git a/example-docker/docker-compose.yml b/example-docker/docker-compose.yml
index 5d1affcf..2851c7a0 100644
--- a/example-docker/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/example-docker/docker-compose.yml
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@ services:
     container_name: booklore_server
     env_file:
       - .env
+    environment:
+      - DATABASE_URL=jdbc:mariadb://mariadb:3306/${MYSQL_DATABASE}
+      - DATABASE_USERNAME=${MYSQL_USER}
+      - DATABASE_PASSWORD=${MYSQL_PASSWORD}
     depends_on:
       mariadb:
         condition: service_healthy
@@ -15,7 +19,7 @@ services:
       - ${BOOKLORE_BOOKS_PATH}:/books
 
   mariadb:
-    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/mariadb:11.4.5
+    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/mariadb:11.4
     container_name: booklore_mariadb
     env_file:
       - .env