diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 4abc3e3..8c71cd8 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -1,22 +1,47 @@
 # Application Configuration
 # Copy this file to .env and update with your values
 
-# Hostname for the application (e.g., https://awards.dj7nt.de)
+# ===================================================================
+# Environment
+# ===================================================================
+# Development: development
+# Production: production
+NODE_ENV=development
+
+# Log Level (debug, info, warn, error)
+# Development: debug
+# Production: info
+LOG_LEVEL=debug
+
+# Server Port (default: 3001)
+PORT=3001
+
+# ===================================================================
+# URLs
+# ===================================================================
+# Frontend URL (e.g., https://awards.dj7nt.de)
 # Leave empty for development (uses localhost)
 VITE_APP_URL=
 
-# API Base URL (in production, can be same domain or separate)
-# Leave empty to use relative paths (recommended for same-domain deployment)
+# API Base URL (leave empty for same-domain deployment)
+# Only set if API is on different domain
 VITE_API_BASE_URL=
 
 # Allowed CORS origins for backend (comma-separated)
-# Only needed for production if not using same domain
+# Add all domains that should access the API
 # Example: https://awards.dj7nt.de,https://www.awards.dj7nt.de
 ALLOWED_ORIGINS=
 
-# JWT Secret (for production, use a strong random string)
-# Generate with: openssl rand -base64 32
+# ===================================================================
+# Security
+# ===================================================================
+# JWT Secret (REQUIRED for production)
+# Development: uses default if not set
+# Production: Generate with: openssl rand -base64 32
 JWT_SECRET=change-this-in-production
 
-# Node Environment
-NODE_ENV=development
+# ===================================================================
+# Database (Optional)
+# ===================================================================
+# Leave empty to use default SQLite database
+# DATABASE_URL=file:/path/to/custom.db
diff --git a/.env.production.template b/.env.production.template
deleted file mode 100644
index 7389809..0000000
--- a/.env.production.template
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,30 +0,0 @@
-# Production Configuration Template
-# Copy this file to .env.production and update with your production values
-
-# Application Environment
-NODE_ENV=production
-
-# Log Level (debug, info, warn, error)
-# Recommended: info for production
-LOG_LEVEL=info
-
-# Server Port (default: 3001)
-PORT=3001
-
-# Frontend URL (e.g., https://awards.dj7nt.de)
-VITE_APP_URL=https://awards.dj7nt.de
-
-# API Base URL (leave empty for same-domain deployment)
-VITE_API_BASE_URL=
-
-# Allowed CORS origins (comma-separated)
-# Add all domains that should access the API
-ALLOWED_ORIGINS=https://awards.dj7nt.de,https://www.awards.dj7nt.de
-
-# JWT Secret (REQUIRED - generate a strong secret!)
-# Generate with: openssl rand -base64 32
-JWT_SECRET=REPLACE_WITH_SECURE_RANDOM_STRING
-
-# Database (if using external database)
-# Leave empty to use default SQLite database
-# DATABASE_URL=file:/path/to/production.db
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 94c4804..396d23f 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -77,58 +77,6 @@ test("hello world", () => {
 });
 ```
 
-## Docker Deployment
-
-The application supports Docker deployment with single-port architecture and host-mounted database persistence.
-
-**Quick Start**:
-```bash
-# Create environment file
-cp .env.docker.example .env
-
-# Generate JWT secret
-openssl rand -base64 32  # Add to .env as JWT_SECRET
-
-# Start application
-docker-compose up -d --build
-
-# Access at http://localhost:3001
-```
-
-**Architecture**:
-- **Single Port**: Port 3001 serves both API (`/api/*`) and frontend (all other routes)
-- **Database Persistence**: SQLite database stored at `./data/award.db` on host
-- **Auto-initialization**: Database created from template on first startup
-- **Health Checks**: Built-in health monitoring at `/api/health`
-
-**Key Docker Files**:
-- `Dockerfile`: Multi-stage build using official Bun runtime
-- `docker-compose.yml`: Stack orchestration with volume mounts
-- `docker-entrypoint.sh`: Database initialization logic
-- `.env.docker.example`: Environment variable template
-- `DOCKER.md`: Complete deployment documentation
-
-**Environment Variables**:
-- `NODE_ENV`: Environment mode (default: production)
-- `PORT`: Application port (default: 3001)
-- `LOG_LEVEL`: Logging level (debug/info/warn/error)
-- `JWT_SECRET`: JWT signing secret (required, change in production!)
-- `VITE_APP_URL`: Your application's public URL
-- `ALLOWED_ORIGINS`: CORS allowed origins (comma-separated)
-
-**Database Management**:
-- Database location: `./data/award.db` (host-mounted volume)
-- Backups: `cp data/award.db data/award.db.backup.$(date +%Y%m%d)`
-- Reset: `docker-compose down -v && docker-compose up -d`
-
-**Important Notes**:
-- Database persists across container restarts/recreations
-- Frontend dependencies are reinstalled in container to ensure correct platform binaries
-- Uses custom init script (`src/backend/scripts/init-db.js`) with `bun:sqlite`
-- Architecture-agnostic (works on x86, ARM64, etc.)
-
-For detailed documentation, see `DOCKER.md`.
-
 ## Frontend
 
 Use HTML imports with `Bun.serve()`. Don't use `vite`. HTML imports fully support React, CSS, Tailwind.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ac91c5c..dffda41 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ award/
 │       └── package.json
 ├── award-definitions/            # Award rule definitions (JSON)
 ├── award.db                     # SQLite database (auto-created)
-├── .env.production.template     # Production configuration template
+├── .env.example                 # Environment configuration template
 ├── bunfig.toml                  # Bun configuration
 ├── drizzle.config.js            # Drizzle ORM configuration
 ├── package.json
@@ -149,20 +149,32 @@ cp .env.example .env
 
 Edit `.env` with your configuration:
 ```env
-# Application URL (for production deployment)
-VITE_APP_URL=https://awards.dj7nt.de
+# Environment (development/production)
+NODE_ENV=development
+
+# Log Level (debug/info/warn/error)
+LOG_LEVEL=debug
+
+# Server Port (default: 3001)
+PORT=3001
+
+# Frontend URL (e.g., https://awards.dj7nt.de)
+# Leave empty for development (uses localhost)
+VITE_APP_URL=
 
 # API Base URL (leave empty for same-domain deployment)
 VITE_API_BASE_URL=
 
-# JWT Secret (generate with: openssl rand -base64 32)
-JWT_SECRET=your-generated-secret-here
+# Allowed CORS origins (comma-separated)
+# Add all domains that should access the API
+ALLOWED_ORIGINS=
 
-# Environment
-NODE_ENV=production
+# JWT Secret (generate with: openssl rand -base64 32)
+JWT_SECRET=change-this-in-production
 ```
 
-**For development**: You can leave `.env` empty or use defaults.
+**For development**: Use defaults above.
+**For production**: Set `NODE_ENV=production`, `LOG_LEVEL=info`, and generate a strong `JWT_SECRET`.
 
 4. Initialize the database with performance indexes:
 ```bash
@@ -414,20 +426,26 @@ bun run build
 Create `.env` in the project root:
 
 ```bash
-# Application URL
-VITE_APP_URL=https://awards.dj7nt.de
-
-# API Base URL (empty for same-domain)
-VITE_API_BASE_URL=
-
-# JWT Secret (generate with: openssl rand -base64 32)
-JWT_SECRET=your-generated-secret-here
-
 # Environment
 NODE_ENV=production
 
-# Database path (absolute path recommended)
-DATABASE_PATH=/path/to/award/award.db
+# Log Level (debug/info/warn/error)
+LOG_LEVEL=info
+
+# Server Port (default: 3001)
+PORT=3001
+
+# Frontend URL
+VITE_APP_URL=https://awards.dj7nt.de
+
+# API Base URL (leave empty for same-domain deployment)
+VITE_API_BASE_URL=
+
+# Allowed CORS origins (comma-separated)
+ALLOWED_ORIGINS=https://awards.dj7nt.de,https://www.awards.dj7nt.de
+
+# JWT Secret (generate with: openssl rand -base64 32)
+JWT_SECRET=your-generated-secret-here
 ```
 
 **Security**: Ensure `.env` has restricted permissions: