diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 46ad006b..645887fd 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -183,18 +183,31 @@ npm install
 npm run dev   # default :8080
 ```
 
-Or with Docker:
+Or with Docker (API + MCP):
 
 ```bash
 docker compose up --build -d
 ```
 
+Optional: include the dashboard service profile:
+
+```bash
+docker compose --profile ui up --build -d
+```
+
+Check service status:
+
+```bash
+docker compose ps
+curl -f http://localhost:8080/health
+```
+
 The backend exposes:
 
 - `/api/memory/*` – memory operations
 - `/api/temporal/*` – temporal knowledge graph
 - `/mcp` – MCP server
-- dashboard UI
+- dashboard UI (when `ui` profile is enabled)
 
 ---
 
@@ -552,4 +565,4 @@ Issues and PRs are welcome.
 
 ## 13. License
 
-OpenMemory is licensed under **Apache 2.0**. See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
\ No newline at end of file
+OpenMemory is licensed under **Apache 2.0**. See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 49a23281..de8a48c1 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-version: '3.8'
-
 services:
   openmemory:
     build:
@@ -122,7 +120,13 @@ services:
       - openmemory_data:/data
     restart: unless-stopped
     healthcheck:
-      test: ['CMD', 'wget', '--no-verbose', '--tries=1', '--spider', 'http://localhost:8080/health']
+      test:
+        [
+          'CMD',
+          'node',
+          '-e',
+          'require("http").get("http://localhost:8080/health",(res)=>process.exit(res.statusCode===200?0:1)).on("error",()=>process.exit(1))',
+        ]
       interval: 30s
       timeout: 10s
       retries: 3
@@ -130,6 +134,8 @@ services:
 
   # Dashboard: Web UI for visualizing and managing memories
   dashboard:
+    profiles:
+      - ui
     build:
       context: ./dashboard
       dockerfile: Dockerfile
diff --git a/packages/openmemory-js/Dockerfile b/packages/openmemory-js/Dockerfile
index fac087d3..5f65fbc0 100644
--- a/packages/openmemory-js/Dockerfile
+++ b/packages/openmemory-js/Dockerfile
@@ -1,49 +1,31 @@
 # ===== BUILD STAGE =====
-FROM node:20-alpine AS builder
+FROM node:20-bookworm-slim AS builder
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
-# Install system dependencies required for native module compilation,
-# plus curl and bash (needed to run the Bun installation script)
-RUN apk add --no-cache python3 make g++ curl bash
-
-# Install Bun globally and relocate it to a shared, persistent location
-RUN curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash \
- && mv /root/.bun /opt/bun \
- && ln -s /opt/bun/bin/bun /usr/local/bin/bun
-
-# Ensure Bun is available in PATH for subsequent commands
-ENV PATH="/opt/bun/bin:${PATH}"
-
 # Copy package manifests to install dependencies
 COPY package*.json ./
 
-# Install all dependencies (including devDependencies) using Bun
-# --frozen-lockfile ensures reproducible builds
-# --concurrent-scripts and --network-concurrency optimize install speed
-RUN bun install --frozen-lockfile
+# Install all dependencies (including devDependencies) for build
+RUN npm ci
 
 # Copy source code and build the application
 COPY src/ ./src/
 COPY tsconfig.json ./
-RUN bun run build
+RUN NODE_OPTIONS="--max-old-space-size=4096" npm run build
 
-# Remove devDependencies to reduce image size 
-# (Removing all the devDependencies that we dont need in the final build)
+# Remove devDependencies to reduce image size for the runtime image
 RUN npm prune --omit=dev
 
 
 # ===== PRODUCTION STAGE =====
-FROM node:20-alpine AS production
+FROM node:20-bookworm-slim AS production
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
-# Install timezone data for proper TZ support
-RUN apk add --no-cache tzdata
-
 # Create a dedicated non-root user for security
-RUN addgroup -g 1001 -S appgroup \
- && adduser -u 1001 -S appuser -G appgroup
+RUN groupadd --gid 1001 appgroup \
+ && useradd --uid 1001 --gid appgroup --system --no-create-home appuser
 
 # Copy only production artifacts from the builder stage
 COPY --from=builder /app/node_modules ./node_modules/
@@ -66,4 +48,4 @@ HEALTHCHECK --interval=30s --timeout=10s --start-period=30s --retries=3 \
   CMD node -e "require('http').get('http://localhost:8080/health', (res) => process.exit(res.statusCode === 200 ? 0 : 1)).on('error', () => process.exit(1))"
 
 # Start the application using npm
-ENTRYPOINT ["npm", "start"]
\ No newline at end of file
+ENTRYPOINT ["npm", "start"]