diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..f874b93cff83c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+# Dependencies and build outputs (rebuilt inside the image)
+**/node_modules
+**/build
+**/dist
+**/coverage
+**/.turbo
+
+# Vercel-specific scaffolding, not used in the container image
+**/.vercel
+apps/backend/_dot_vercel_copy
+apps/backend/.vercelignore
+apps/backend/vercel.json
+vercel-preparation.sh
+
+# VCS and tooling
+.git
+.github
+.husky
+.vscode
+.devcontainer
+
+# Local env and logs
+**/.env
+**/.env.*
+**/*.log
+npm-debug.log*
+
+# Docs and misc (not needed at runtime)
+**/*.md
+docs
+
+# The image files themselves
+Dockerfile
+.dockerignore
+docker-compose.yml
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..c7bf0a5e2b030
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+# syntax=docker/dockerfile:1
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# github-stats-extended -- container image for self-hosting the backend.
+#
+# This image runs the backend as an HTTP server (apps/backend/express.js),
+# so the cards can be served anywhere, not only on Vercel. The design keeps
+# room for a future static-SVG generation mode (see the issue for context):
+# additional entrypoints can be added as separate CMD targets without changing
+# the build stages below.
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+ARG NODE_VERSION=24
+ARG PNPM_VERSION=10.34.1
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Stage 1: base -- pin Node and enable pnpm via corepack.
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+FROM node:${NODE_VERSION}-slim AS base
+ARG PNPM_VERSION
+ENV PNPM_HOME="/pnpm"
+ENV PATH="$PNPM_HOME:$PATH"
+RUN corepack enable && corepack prepare pnpm@${PNPM_VERSION} --activate
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Stage 2: build -- install the whole workspace and build the core package.
+# The backend itself runs from source (.js), so only packages/core needs a
+# compile step (tsc -> build/). A pnpm store cache mount speeds up rebuilds.
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+FROM base AS build
+
+# Copy the manifests first so the dependency layer can be cached independently
+# of source changes.
+COPY pnpm-lock.yaml pnpm-workspace.yaml package.json ./
+COPY turbo.json tsconfig.base.json tsconfig.json ./
+COPY packages/core/package.json packages/core/
+COPY apps/backend/package.json apps/backend/
+COPY apps/frontend/package.json apps/frontend/
+
+# Full install (dev deps included) so turbo/tsc are available for the build.
+# --frozen-lockfile keeps the image reproducible against the committed lockfile.
+RUN --mount=type=cache,id=pnpm,target=/pnpm/store \
+    pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
+
+# Bring in the sources and build the core package.
+COPY . .
+RUN pnpm run build:packages
+
+# Produce a self-contained, production-only bundle for the backend. `pnpm deploy`
+# resolves the `workspace:^` link to packages/core and copies everything the
+# backend needs into /app/deploy, with no dev dependencies.
+RUN --mount=type=cache,id=pnpm,target=/pnpm/store \
+    pnpm --filter=@stats-organization/github-readme-stats-backend deploy \
+    --prod --legacy /app/deploy
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Stage 3: runtime -- minimal image running the backend as a non-root user.
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+FROM node:${NODE_VERSION}-slim AS runtime
+ENV NODE_ENV=production
+# The server reads PORT (falling back to 9000). We default it to 9000 and expose
+# that port; override at run time with -e PORT=... if needed.
+ENV PORT=9000
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# node:*-slim already ships an unprivileged `node` user. Use it.
+COPY --from=build --chown=node:node /app/deploy ./
+USER node
+
+EXPOSE 9000
+
+# Lightweight liveness probe against the built-in status endpoint.
+HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=5s --start-period=10s --retries=3 \
+    CMD node -e "fetch('http://127.0.0.1:'+(process.env.PORT||9000)+'/api/status/up').then(r=>process.exit(r.ok?0:1)).catch(()=>process.exit(1))"
+
+# HTTP-server mode. A future static-generation mode can be added as an
+# alternative command (e.g. CMD ["node", "generate-svg.js"]).
+CMD ["node", "express.js"]
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 3549fe8e97daa..e6ceb6f3f9218 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -67,9 +67,9 @@ GitHub-Stats-Extended aims to be fully compatible with github-readme-stats. For
 The [GitHub-Stats-Extended Wizard](https://github-stats-extended.vercel.app/frontend) offers some essential customization options. For more advanced customization check out the [advanced documentation](docs/advanced_documentation.md).
 
 # Run It Yourself
-If you want to run GitHub-Stats-Extended on your own, there are two main deployment options: you can use [github-readme-stats-action](https://github.com/stats-organization/github-readme-stats-action) to generate cards in your own GitHub Actions workflow. Or you can self-host GitHub-Stats-Extended on Vercel.
+If you want to run GitHub-Stats-Extended on your own, there are a few deployment options: you can use [github-readme-stats-action](https://github.com/stats-organization/github-readme-stats-action) to generate cards in your own GitHub Actions workflow, self-host GitHub-Stats-Extended on Vercel, or run it as a container with [Docker](docs/docker.md).
 
-See [Run It Yourself](docs/deploy.md) for detailed instructions.
+See [Run It Yourself](docs/deploy.md) for detailed instructions, or [Running with Docker](docs/docker.md) for the container setup.
 
 # Acknowledgements
 This project is based on [github-readme-stats](https://github.com/anuraghazra/github-readme-stats). On top of that project's functionality GitHub-Stats-Extended adds several new features and improvements. See [Fork Information](docs/fork.md) for a list of changes. The frontend added to GitHub-Stats-Extended is based on [GitHub Trends](https://github.com/avgupta456/github-trends). Big thanks to [@anuraghazra](https://github.com/anuraghazra), [@avgupta456](https://github.com/avgupta456), [@rickstaa](https://github.com/rickstaa), [@qwerty541](https://github.com/qwerty541) and everyone else who worked on these projects! ❤️
diff --git a/apps/backend/package.json b/apps/backend/package.json
index a1530b4be811a..a53c895e4fa8b 100644
--- a/apps/backend/package.json
+++ b/apps/backend/package.json
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
   "private": true,
   "main": "index.js",
   "scripts": {
+    "start": "node express.js",
     "test": "vitest",
     "test:update:snapshot": "vitest -u",
     "test:e2e": "vitest --config vitest.config.e2e.ts",
@@ -17,13 +18,13 @@
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "axios-mock-adapter": "2.1.0",
-    "express": "5.2.1",
     "jsdom": "catalog:default",
     "vitest": "catalog:default"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@stats-organization/github-readme-stats-core": "workspace:^",
     "axios": "catalog:default",
+    "express": "5.2.1",
     "pg": "^8.22.0"
   }
 }
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..e0be15ba4283a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+# github-stats-extended -- self-hosting via Docker Compose.
+#
+# Minimal usage (no database, cards only):
+#   PAT_1=ghp_your_token docker compose up backend
+#
+# With the optional Postgres backend (enables request analytics, the
+# authenticate/user-access endpoints, and repeat-recent):
+#   PAT_1=ghp_your_token docker compose --profile with-db up
+#
+# All configuration is passed through environment variables. At least one
+# PAT_* variable (a GitHub personal access token) is required to render cards.
+
+services:
+  backend:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    image: github-stats-extended:local
+    ports:
+      - "${PORT:-9000}:9000"
+    environment:
+      # --- Required: at least one GitHub token ---
+      PAT_1: ${PAT_1:?set PAT_1 to a GitHub personal access token}
+      # Add more tokens to spread the rate limit (PAT_2, PAT_3, ...):
+      # PAT_2: ${PAT_2:-}
+
+      # --- Optional core configuration (see packages/core config) ---
+      WHITELIST: ${WHITELIST:-}
+      GIST_WHITELIST: ${GIST_WHITELIST:-}
+      EXCLUDE_REPO: ${EXCLUDE_REPO:-}
+      FETCH_MULTI_PAGE_STARS: ${FETCH_MULTI_PAGE_STARS:-}
+
+      # --- Optional Postgres connection. Leave unset to run without a DB. ---
+      # When using the `with-db` profile below, this points at the db service.
+      POSTGRES_URL: ${POSTGRES_URL:-}
+    restart: unless-stopped
+
+  # Variant that wires the backend to the bundled Postgres service.
+  backend-with-db:
+    extends:
+      service: backend
+    profiles: ["with-db"]
+    environment:
+      POSTGRES_URL: postgres://postgres:postgres@db:5432/stats
+    depends_on:
+      db:
+        condition: service_healthy
+
+  db:
+    image: postgres:17-alpine
+    profiles: ["with-db"]
+    environment:
+      POSTGRES_USER: postgres
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: postgres
+      POSTGRES_DB: stats
+    volumes:
+      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U postgres -d stats"]
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+    restart: unless-stopped
+
+volumes:
+  pgdata:
diff --git a/docs/docker.md b/docs/docker.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..e77d46a8f33f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/docker.md
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+# Running with Docker
+
+The backend can run as a standalone HTTP server inside a container, so you can
+host the cards anywhere instead of relying on Vercel. This is useful for
+self-hosting, air-gapped environments, or local testing.
+
+## What the image does
+
+The image builds the `core` package and runs `apps/backend/express.js`, which
+starts an HTTP server that answers the same routes as the Vercel deployment
+(`/api`, `/api/pin`, `/api/top-langs`, `/api/gist`, `/api/wakatime`, and the
+status/auth endpoints). The server listens on `0.0.0.0` and reads the `PORT`
+variable, falling back to `9000`.
+
+A database is **optional**. Without `POSTGRES_URL`, all database-backed features
+(request analytics, `repeat-recent`, the authenticate / user-access flow) are
+skipped and card rendering works normally.
+
+## Requirements
+
+- Docker (with BuildKit, the default in current Docker versions).
+- At least one GitHub personal access token, exposed as `PAT_1`. Additional
+  tokens (`PAT_2`, `PAT_3`, ...) spread the requests across the GitHub API rate
+  limit.
+
+## Quick start (Docker)
+
+Build the image:
+
+```bash
+docker build -t github-stats-extended:local .
+```
+
+Run it:
+
+```bash
+docker run --rm -p 9000:9000 -e PAT_1=ghp_your_token github-stats-extended:local
+```
+
+Then request a card:
+
+```bash
+curl "http://localhost:9000/api?username=anuraghazra"
+```
+
+## Quick start (Docker Compose)
+
+Cards only, no database:
+
+```bash
+PAT_1=ghp_your_token docker compose up backend
+```
+
+With the bundled Postgres (enables analytics and the auth endpoints):
+
+```bash
+PAT_1=ghp_your_token docker compose --profile with-db up
+```
+
+## Configuration
+
+All configuration is passed through environment variables.
+
+| Variable                 | Required | Description                                                        |
+| ------------------------ | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
+| `PAT_1`, `PAT_2`, ...     | Yes      | GitHub personal access tokens. At least one is required.           |
+| `PORT`                   | No       | HTTP port. Defaults to `9000`.                                     |
+| `POSTGRES_URL`           | No       | Postgres connection string. Unset means the app runs without a DB. |
+| `WHITELIST`              | No       | Comma-separated list of allowed usernames.                         |
+| `GIST_WHITELIST`         | No       | Comma-separated list of allowed gist ids.                          |
+| `EXCLUDE_REPO`           | No       | Comma-separated list of repositories to exclude.                   |
+| `FETCH_MULTI_PAGE_STARS` | No       | Enables multi-page star counting.                                  |
+
+## Health check
+
+The image ships a `HEALTHCHECK` that polls `/api/status/up`. You can inspect it
+with `docker ps` (the `STATUS` column shows `healthy` once the server is up).
+
+## Future: static SVG generation
+
+The image is structured so a static-generation mode can be added later as an
+alternative command, without changing the build stages. Such a mode would render
+cards to `.svg` files that can be served by any static file host.
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index 5e0b678f26820..feeda8e6dc45a 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -92,6 +92,9 @@ importers:
       axios:
         specifier: catalog:default
         version: 1.18.1
+      express:
+        specifier: 5.2.1
+        version: 5.2.1
       pg:
         specifier: ^8.22.0
         version: 8.22.0
@@ -99,9 +102,6 @@ importers:
       axios-mock-adapter:
         specifier: 2.1.0
         version: 2.1.0(axios@1.18.1)
-      express:
-        specifier: 5.2.1
-        version: 5.2.1
       jsdom:
         specifier: catalog:default
         version: 29.1.1