diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..319ca6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# Git
+.git
+.gitignore
+
+# Documentation
+README.md
+LICENSE
+*.md
+
+# Node modules (will be installed in container)
+frontend/node_modules
+node_modules
+
+# Build artifacts
+backend/build
+frontend/build
+backend/.gradle
+backend/bin
+
+# IDE files
+.vscode
+.idea
+*.iml
+
+# OS files
+.DS_Store
+Thumbs.db
+
+# Environment files
+.env
+.env.local
+.env.development.local
+.env.test.local
+.env.production.local
+
+# Logs
+logs
+*.log
+npm-debug.log*
+yarn-debug.log*
+yarn-error.log*
+
+# Runtime data
+pids
+*.pid
+*.seed
+*.pid.lock
+
+# Coverage directory used by tools like istanbul
+coverage/
+
+# Dependency directories
+jspm_packages/
+
+# Optional npm cache directory
+.npm
+
+# Optional REPL history
+.node_repl_history
+
+# Output of 'npm pack'
+*.tgz
+
+# Yarn Integrity file
+.yarn-integrity
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index e69de29..77ce287 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# Multi-stage Dockerfile for Serena (Backend + Frontend)
+
+# Stage 1: Build Frontend
+FROM node:18-alpine AS frontend-builder
+
+WORKDIR /app/frontend
+
+# Copy package files
+COPY frontend/package*.json ./
+
+# Install dependencies
+RUN npm ci --only=production
+
+# Copy frontend source
+COPY frontend/ ./
+
+# Build frontend
+RUN npm run build
+
+# Stage 2: Build Backend
+FROM openjdk:21-jdk-slim AS backend-builder
+
+WORKDIR /app/backend
+
+# Copy Gradle wrapper and build files
+COPY backend/gradlew ./
+COPY backend/gradle/ ./gradle/
+COPY backend/build.gradle ./
+COPY backend/settings.gradle ./
+
+# Copy source code
+COPY backend/src/ ./src/
+
+# Make gradlew executable and build
+RUN chmod +x gradlew
+RUN ./gradlew build --no-daemon -x test
+
+# Stage 3: Runtime
+FROM openjdk:21-jre-slim
+
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Install curl for health checks
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# Copy built backend JAR
+COPY --from=backend-builder /app/backend/build/libs/*.jar app.jar
+
+# Copy built frontend (will be served by Spring Boot)
+COPY --from=frontend-builder /app/frontend/build/ /app/static/
+
+# Create non-root user
+RUN groupadd -r serena && useradd -r -g serena serena
+RUN chown -R serena:serena /app
+USER serena
+
+# Expose port
+EXPOSE 8080
+
+# Health check
+HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=10s --start-period=60s --retries=3 \
+  CMD curl -f http://localhost:8080/actuator/health || exit 1
+
+# Run the application
+ENTRYPOINT ["java", "-jar", "app.jar"]
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diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 759fb12..d07009c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,2 +1,124 @@
-# team-5
+# Serena - Collaborative Radio Station Platform
 
+**Serena** is a collaborative radio station platform that enables users to create and join virtual music stations for shared listening experiences. The application features a React frontend and Spring Boot backend, integrating with the Spotify API to provide real-time music playback and queue management.
+
+## 🎵 Features
+
+- **Create & Join Stations**: Users can create radio stations with unique join codes or join existing stations
+- **Collaborative Queuing**: Multiple users can add songs to their preferred queues
+- **Intelligent Recommendations**: Advanced algorithm considers song popularity, tempo similarity, audio features, and user preferences
+- **Real-time Playback**: Spotify integration for seamless music streaming (station owners control playback)
+- **User Authentication**: JWT-based authentication system with owner and client roles
+- **Responsive UI**: Modern React interface with animated backgrounds and intuitive controls
+
+## 🏗️ Architecture
+
+### Backend (Spring Boot)
+- **Language**: Java
+- **Framework**: Spring Boot
+- **Authentication**: JWT tokens
+- **Queue Algorithm**: Multi-factor recommendation system
+- **API**: RESTful endpoints for station and queue management
+
+### Frontend (React)
+- **Language**: JavaScript (JSX)
+- **Framework**: React 19.1.1
+- **Routing**: React Router DOM
+- **Spotify Integration**: Web Playback SDK
+- **Styling**: CSS with animations
+
+### External APIs
+- **Spotify Web API**: Music data and playback control
+- **Spotify Web Playback SDK**: Browser-based music streaming
+
+## 🚀 Quick Start
+
+### Prerequisites
+- Node.js (v16+)
+- Java 11+
+- Gradle
+- Docker (optional)
+- Spotify Premium account (for playback control)
+
+
+### Backend Setup
+```bash
+cd backend
+./gradlew bootRun
+```
+
+The backend will start on `http://localhost:8080`
+
+### Frontend Setup
+```bash
+cd frontend
+npm install
+npm start
+```
+
+The frontend will start on `http://localhost:3000`
+
+### Docker Setup (Alternative)
+```bash
+docker-compose up
+```
+
+## 📖 API Documentation
+
+Detailed API documentation is available in [`backend/API_DOCUMENTATION.md`](backend/API_DOCUMENTATION.md).
+
+### Key Endpoints
+- `POST /api/radio-stations` - Create a new radio station
+- `GET /api/radio-stations` - List all radio stations
+- `POST /api/clients/connect` - Join a station with join code
+- `POST /api/songs/queue` - Add song to client's preferred queue
+- `GET /api/songs/queue/recommended` - Get intelligently sorted queue
+
+## 🎯 How It Works
+
+### Station Creation
+1. User creates a station with name and description
+2. System generates unique station ID and 6-character join code
+3. Creator becomes the station owner with playback control
+
+### Joining Stations
+1. Users join with the station's join code
+2. Receive client authentication token
+3. Can add songs to their preferred queue
+
+### Queue Algorithm
+The intelligent queue system considers:
+- **Preferred Queue Position** (30%): User song preferences
+- **Popularity** (20%): Spotify popularity scores
+- **Tempo Similarity** (20%): BPM matching with current song
+- **Audio Features** (30%): Danceability, energy, valence, etc.
+
+### Playback Control
+- Only station owners can control playback
+- Automatic progression through recommended queue
+- Real-time sync with Spotify Web Playback SDK
+
+## 🔧 Configuration
+
+### Backend Configuration
+Update `backend/src/main/resources/application.properties`:
+```properties
+# Add your Spotify credentials and other settings
+```
+
+### Frontend Configuration
+Update Spotify credentials in `frontend/src/constants/ApiConstants.js`
+
+## 🧪 Testing
+
+### Backend Tests
+```bash
+cd backend
+./gradlew test
+```
+
+### Frontend Tests
+```bash
+cd frontend
+npm test
+```
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index e69de29..4624634 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+version: '3.8'
+
+services:
+  # Backend Service
+  serena-backend:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    container_name: serena-backend
+    ports:
+      - "8080:8080"
+    environment:
+      - SPRING_PROFILES_ACTIVE=docker
+      - SERVER_PORT=8080
+      - SPRING_WEB_CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:3000,http://127.0.0.1:3000
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:8080/actuator/health"]
+      interval: 30s
+      timeout: 10s
+      retries: 3
+      start_period: 60s
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    networks:
+      - serena-network
+
+  # Frontend Development Service (alternative to built-in static files)
+  serena-frontend:
+    build:
+      context: ./frontend
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile.dev
+    container_name: serena-frontend
+    ports:
+      - "3000:3000"
+    environment:
+      - REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:8080
+      - CHOKIDAR_USEPOLLING=true
+    volumes:
+      - ./frontend:/app
+      - /app/node_modules
+    depends_on:
+      - serena-backend
+    networks:
+      - serena-network
+    profiles:
+      - development
+
+  # Production Frontend (served by backend)
+  serena-app:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    container_name: serena-app
+    ports:
+      - "80:8080"
+    environment:
+      - SPRING_PROFILES_ACTIVE=production
+      - SERVER_PORT=8080
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    networks:
+      - serena-network
+    profiles:
+      - production
+
+networks:
+  serena-network:
+    driver: bridge
+
+volumes:
+  node_modules:
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