diff --git a/CI_CD_PIPELINE_SETUP_GUIDE.md b/CI_CD_PIPELINE_SETUP_GUIDE.md
index b54c04a..2352d1e 100644
--- a/CI_CD_PIPELINE_SETUP_GUIDE.md
+++ b/CI_CD_PIPELINE_SETUP_GUIDE.md
@@ -1359,7 +1359,7 @@ The CI/CD pipeline uses ephemeral Podman-in-Podman containers with a secure four
 
 #### 7.5 Production Deployment Architecture
 
-The production deployment uses a separate pod configuration (`prod-pod.yaml`) that pulls built images from the Forgejo Container Registry and deploys the complete application stack.
+The production deployment uses a separate pod configuration (`prod-pod.yml`) that pulls built images from the Forgejo Container Registry and deploys the complete application stack.
 
 **Production Stack Components:**
 - **PostgreSQL**: Production database with persistent storage
@@ -1370,7 +1370,7 @@ The production deployment uses a separate pod configuration (`prod-pod.yaml`) th
 **Deployment Flow:**
 1. **Production Runner**: Runs on Production Linode with `production` label
 2. **Image Pull**: Pulls latest images from Forgejo Container Registry
-3. **Stack Deployment**: Uses `prod-pod.yaml` to deploy complete stack
+3. **Stack Deployment**: Uses `prod-pod.yml` to deploy complete stack
 4. **Health Verification**: Ensures all services are healthy before completion
 
 **Key Benefits:**
@@ -1992,7 +1992,7 @@ sudo journalctl -u forgejo-runner.service -f --no-pager
 When the workflow runs, it will:
 
 1. Pull the latest Docker images from Forgejo Container Registry
-2. Use the `prod-pod.yaml` file to deploy the application stack
+2. Use the `prod-pod.yml` file to deploy the application stack
 3. Create the necessary environment variables for production deployment
 4. Verify that all services are healthy after deployment
 
@@ -2000,7 +2000,7 @@ The production runner will automatically handle the deployment process when you
 
 #### 12.6 Understanding the Production Pod Setup
 
-The `prod-pod.yaml` file is specifically designed for production deployment and uses Kubernetes pod specifications:
+The `prod-pod.yml` file is specifically designed for production deployment and uses Kubernetes pod specifications:
 
 **Key Features**:
 - **Image-based deployment**: Uses pre-built images from Forgejo Container Registry instead of building from source
@@ -2019,7 +2019,7 @@ The `prod-pod.yaml` file is specifically designed for production deployment and
 **Deployment Process**:
 1. The production runner pulls the latest images from Forgejo Container Registry
 2. Creates environment variables for the deployment
-3. Runs `podman play kube prod-pod.yaml`
+3. Runs `podman play kube prod-pod.yml`
 4. Waits for all services to be healthy
 5. Verifies the deployment was successful
 
@@ -2424,12 +2424,12 @@ After successful setup, you can clean up the installation files to remove sensit
 |---------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
 | Test    | All integration/unit tests| `ci-pod.yaml`           |
 | Build   | Build & push images      | Podman build & push      |
-| Deploy  | Deploy to production     | `prod-pod.yaml`         |
+| Deploy  | Deploy to production     | `prod-pod.yml`         |
 
 **How it works:**
 - **Test:** The workflow spins up a full test environment using `ci-pod.yaml` (Postgres, backend, frontend, etc.) and runs all tests inside containers.
 - **Build:** If tests pass, the workflow uses Podman to build backend and frontend images and push them to Forgejo Container Registry.
-- **Deploy:** The production runner pulls images from Forgejo Container Registry and deploys the stack using `prod-pod.yaml`.
+- **Deploy:** The production runner pulls images from Forgejo Container Registry and deploys the stack using `prod-pod.yml`.
 
 **Expected Output:**
 - Each stage runs in its own isolated environment.
diff --git a/deploy/prod-pod.yml b/deploy/prod-pod.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8383872
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/prod-pod.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,185 @@
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Pod
+metadata:
+  name: prod-pod
+  labels:
+    app: sharenet-production
+  annotations:
+    io.containers.no-new-privileges: "true"
+spec:
+  hostname: prod-pod
+  # Security: run as non-root user with specific UID/GID
+  securityContext:
+    runAsNonRoot: true
+    runAsUser: 1000
+    runAsGroup: 1000
+    fsGroup: 1000
+
+  containers:
+  - name: postgres
+    image: localhost/postgres:deployed
+    # Security: drop all capabilities, read-only root filesystem except data volume
+    securityContext:
+      readOnlyRootFilesystem: true
+      allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
+      capabilities:
+        drop: ["ALL"]
+    envFrom:
+    - secretRef:
+        name: postgres-secrets
+    ports:
+    - containerPort: 5432
+      protocol: TCP
+    volumeMounts:
+    - name: pgdata
+      mountPath: /var/lib/postgresql/data
+      readOnly: false
+    # Health checks
+    livenessProbe:
+      exec:
+        command: ["pg_isready", "-U", "sharenet"]
+      initialDelaySeconds: 30
+      periodSeconds: 30
+      timeoutSeconds: 10
+      failureThreshold: 3
+    readinessProbe:
+      exec:
+        command: ["pg_isready", "-U", "sharenet"]
+      initialDelaySeconds: 5
+      periodSeconds: 10
+      timeoutSeconds: 5
+    # Resource limits
+    resources:
+      requests:
+        memory: "256Mi"
+        cpu: "250m"
+      limits:
+        memory: "1Gi"
+        cpu: "500m"
+
+  - name: backend
+    image: localhost/backend:deployed
+    # Security: drop all capabilities, read-only root filesystem
+    securityContext:
+      readOnlyRootFilesystem: true
+      allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
+      capabilities:
+        drop: ["ALL"]
+    envFrom:
+    - secretRef:
+        name: backend-secrets
+    ports:
+    - containerPort: 3001
+      protocol: TCP
+    # Health checks
+    livenessProbe:
+      httpGet:
+        path: /health
+        port: 3001
+        scheme: HTTP
+      initialDelaySeconds: 30
+      periodSeconds: 30
+      timeoutSeconds: 10
+      failureThreshold: 3
+    readinessProbe:
+      httpGet:
+        path: /health
+        port: 3001
+        scheme: HTTP
+      initialDelaySeconds: 10
+      periodSeconds: 10
+      timeoutSeconds: 5
+    # Resource limits
+    resources:
+      requests:
+        memory: "128Mi"
+        cpu: "100m"
+      limits:
+        memory: "512Mi"
+        cpu: "250m"
+
+  - name: frontend
+    image: localhost/frontend:deployed
+    # Security: drop all capabilities, read-only root filesystem
+    securityContext:
+      readOnlyRootFilesystem: true
+      allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
+      capabilities:
+        drop: ["ALL"]
+    envFrom:
+    - secretRef:
+        name: frontend-secrets
+    ports:
+    - containerPort: 3000
+      protocol: TCP
+    # Resource limits
+    resources:
+      requests:
+        memory: "128Mi"
+        cpu: "100m"
+      limits:
+        memory: "256Mi"
+        cpu: "250m"
+
+  - name: nginx
+    image: localhost/nginx:deployed
+    # Security: drop all capabilities, read-only root filesystem
+    securityContext:
+      readOnlyRootFilesystem: true
+      allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
+      capabilities:
+        drop: ["ALL"]
+    ports:
+    - containerPort: 80
+      protocol: TCP
+      hostPort: 80
+    - containerPort: 443
+      protocol: TCP
+      hostPort: 443
+    volumeMounts:
+    - name: nginx-conf
+      mountPath: /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
+      subPath: nginx.conf
+      readOnly: true
+    - name: nginx-cache
+      mountPath: /var/cache/nginx
+      readOnly: false
+    - name: letsencrypt
+      mountPath: /etc/letsencrypt
+      readOnly: true
+    # Health check
+    livenessProbe:
+      httpGet:
+        path: /healthz
+        port: 80
+        scheme: HTTP
+      initialDelaySeconds: 10
+      periodSeconds: 30
+      timeoutSeconds: 5
+      failureThreshold: 3
+    # Resource limits
+    resources:
+      requests:
+        memory: "64Mi"
+        cpu: "50m"
+      limits:
+        memory: "128Mi"
+        cpu: "100m"
+
+  volumes:
+  - name: pgdata
+    hostPath:
+      path: /opt/sharenet/volumes/pgdata
+      type: Directory
+  - name: nginx-conf
+    hostPath:
+      path: /opt/sharenet/nginx
+      type: Directory
+  - name: nginx-cache
+    hostPath:
+      path: /opt/sharenet/volumes/nginx-cache
+      type: Directory
+  - name: letsencrypt
+    hostPath:
+      path: /etc/letsencrypt
+      type: Directory
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/prod-pod.yaml b/prod-pod.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index cc25191..0000000
--- a/prod-pod.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,121 +0,0 @@
-apiVersion: v1
-kind: Pod
-metadata:
-  name: sharenet-production-pod
-  labels:
-    app: sharenet-production
-spec:
-  containers:
-  - name: postgres
-    image: postgres:15-alpine
-    env:
-    - name: POSTGRES_DB
-      value: "sharenet"
-    - name: POSTGRES_USER
-      value: "sharenet"
-    - name: POSTGRES_PASSWORD
-      value: "${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}"
-    ports:
-    - containerPort: 5432
-      protocol: TCP
-    volumeMounts:
-    - name: postgres-data
-      mountPath: /var/lib/postgresql/data
-    livenessProbe:
-      exec:
-        command:
-        - pg_isready
-        - -U
-        - sharenet
-      initialDelaySeconds: 30
-      periodSeconds: 30
-      timeoutSeconds: 10
-      failureThreshold: 3
-    readinessProbe:
-      exec:
-        command:
-        - pg_isready
-        - -U
-        - sharenet
-      initialDelaySeconds: 5
-      periodSeconds: 10
-      timeoutSeconds: 5
-
-  - name: backend
-    image: ${REGISTRY_HOST}/${OWNER_REPO}/backend:${IMAGE_TAG}
-    env:
-    - name: DATABASE_URL
-      value: "postgresql://${POSTGRES_USER}:${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}@localhost:5432/${POSTGRES_DB}"
-    - name: RUST_LOG
-      value: "info"
-    - name: RUST_BACKTRACE
-      value: "1"
-    ports:
-    - containerPort: 3001
-      protocol: TCP
-    livenessProbe:
-      httpGet:
-        path: /health
-        port: 3001
-      initialDelaySeconds: 30
-      periodSeconds: 30
-      timeoutSeconds: 10
-      failureThreshold: 3
-    readinessProbe:
-      httpGet:
-        path: /health
-        port: 3001
-      initialDelaySeconds: 10
-      periodSeconds: 10
-      timeoutSeconds: 5
-
-  - name: frontend
-    image: ${REGISTRY_HOST}/${OWNER_REPO}/frontend:${IMAGE_TAG}
-    env:
-    - name: NEXT_PUBLIC_API_HOST
-      value: "localhost"
-    - name: NEXT_PUBLIC_API_PORT
-      value: "3001"
-    - name: NODE_ENV
-      value: "production"
-    ports:
-    - containerPort: 3000
-      protocol: TCP
-    dependsOn:
-    - name: backend
-      condition: Ready
-
-  - name: nginx
-    image: nginx:alpine
-    ports:
-    - containerPort: 80
-      protocol: TCP
-    - containerPort: 443
-      protocol: TCP
-    volumeMounts:
-    - name: nginx-config
-      mountPath: /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
-      subPath: nginx.conf
-      readOnly: true
-    - name: nginx-ssl
-      mountPath: /etc/nginx/ssl
-      readOnly: true
-    dependsOn:
-    - name: frontend
-      condition: Ready
-    - name: backend
-      condition: Ready
-
-  volumes:
-  - name: postgres-data
-    hostPath:
-      path: /var/lib/postgresql/data
-      type: Directory
-  - name: nginx-config
-    hostPath:
-      path: /opt/sharenet/nginx/nginx.conf
-      type: File
-  - name: nginx-ssl
-    hostPath:
-      path: /opt/sharenet/nginx/ssl
-      type: Directory