diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
index add4c7f..dd3a67b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-name: Build
+name: Build and Deploy
 
 on:
   push:
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ on:
 jobs:
   build:
     runs-on: linux_amd64
+    timeout-minutes: 15
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
@@ -16,13 +17,43 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: npm ci
+        timeout-minutes: 5
 
       - name: Build Front End
         run: npm run build
+        timeout-minutes: 10
         env:
           NODE_OPTIONS: '--max-old-space-size=4096'
 
-      - name: Restart Server
-        run: |          
-          # Start server in background with nohup
-          nohup npm run start > /tmp/immersive.log 2>&1 &
\ No newline at end of file
+      - name: Stop Service
+        run: |
+          sudo rc-service immersive stop || true
+
+      - name: Deploy to /opt/immersive
+        run: |
+          # Remove old deployment (keep data directory if it exists)
+          rm -rf /opt/immersive.old
+          [ -d /opt/immersive ] && mv /opt/immersive /opt/immersive.old
+
+          # Copy built files to target
+          mkdir -p /opt/immersive
+          cp -r . /opt/immersive/
+
+          # Remove unnecessary directories
+          rm -rf /opt/immersive/.git /opt/immersive/.github
+
+          # Restore data directory from old deployment if it existed
+          [ -d /opt/immersive.old/data ] && mv /opt/immersive.old/data /opt/immersive/
+
+          # Clean up old deployment
+          rm -rf /opt/immersive.old
+
+          # Set permissions on start.sh
+          chmod +x /opt/immersive/start.sh
+
+          # Set ownership to immersive user
+          sudo chown -R immersive:immersive /opt/immersive
+
+      - name: Start Service
+        run: |
+          sudo rc-service immersive start
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index a7762e1..ea7f841 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -26,3 +26,4 @@ dist-ssr
 # Local Netlify folder
 .netlify
 /data/
+/.env.production
diff --git a/ALPINE_SERVICE.md b/ALPINE_SERVICE.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6b0697d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ALPINE_SERVICE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,280 @@
+# Alpine Linux Service Setup
+
+This guide covers installing and running Immersive as a service on Alpine Linux using OpenRC.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+```bash
+# Update packages
+apk update
+
+# Install Node.js 18+ and npm
+apk add nodejs npm
+
+# Install build dependencies (required for native modules like leveldown)
+apk add python3 make g++ git
+
+# Verify Node version (must be >= 18)
+node --version
+```
+
+## Create Service User
+
+Create a dedicated user to run the service (security best practice):
+
+```bash
+# Create immersive group and user (no login shell, no home directory)
+addgroup -S immersive
+adduser -S -G immersive -H -s /sbin/nologin immersive
+
+# Create directories with proper ownership
+mkdir -p /opt/immersive
+mkdir -p /var/log/immersive
+mkdir -p /var/run/immersive
+
+chown -R immersive:immersive /opt/immersive
+chown -R immersive:immersive /var/log/immersive
+chown -R immersive:immersive /var/run/immersive
+```
+
+## Installation
+
+```bash
+# Create application directory
+mkdir -p /opt/immersive
+cd /opt/immersive
+
+# Clone or copy the application
+git clone <your-repo-url> .
+# OR copy files manually
+
+# Install dependencies
+npm ci --production=false
+
+# Build the application
+NODE_OPTIONS='--max-old-space-size=4096' npm run build
+
+# Copy Havok physics WASM (if not already done by build)
+npm run havok
+
+# Create data directory for PouchDB
+mkdir -p /opt/immersive/data
+
+# Set ownership to immersive user
+chown -R immersive:immersive /opt/immersive
+```
+
+## Start Script
+
+The `start.sh` script is included in the repository. After deployment, ensure it's executable:
+
+```bash
+chmod +x /opt/immersive/start.sh
+```
+
+The script sets up the environment and starts the Node.js server, logging output to `/var/log/immersive/`.
+
+## OpenRC Service
+
+Create `/etc/init.d/immersive`:
+
+```bash
+#!/sbin/openrc-run
+
+name="immersive"
+description="Immersive WebXR Diagramming Application"
+
+command="/opt/immersive/start.sh"
+command_user="immersive:immersive"
+command_background="yes"
+pidfile="/var/run/immersive/immersive.pid"
+
+directory="/opt/immersive"
+output_log="/var/log/immersive/app.log"
+error_log="/var/log/immersive/error.log"
+
+depend() {
+    need net
+    after firewall
+}
+
+start_pre() {
+    checkpath --directory --owner immersive:immersive --mode 0755 /var/log/immersive
+    checkpath --directory --owner immersive:immersive --mode 0755 /var/run/immersive
+    checkpath --file --owner immersive:immersive --mode 0644 /var/log/immersive/app.log
+    checkpath --file --owner immersive:immersive --mode 0644 /var/log/immersive/error.log
+}
+```
+
+Make it executable and enable:
+
+```bash
+chmod +x /etc/init.d/immersive
+rc-update add immersive default
+```
+
+## Service Management
+
+```bash
+# Start the service
+rc-service immersive start
+
+# Stop the service
+rc-service immersive stop
+
+# Restart the service
+rc-service immersive restart
+
+# Check status
+rc-service immersive status
+
+# View logs
+tail -f /var/log/immersive/app.log
+tail -f /var/log/immersive/error.log
+```
+
+## Log Rotation
+
+Create `/etc/logrotate.d/immersive`:
+
+```
+/var/log/immersive/*.log {
+    daily
+    rotate 7
+    compress
+    delaycompress
+    missingok
+    notifempty
+    create 0644 immersive immersive
+    postrotate
+        rc-service immersive restart > /dev/null 2>&1 || true
+    endscript
+}
+```
+
+Install logrotate if not present:
+
+```bash
+apk add logrotate
+```
+
+## Environment Variables
+
+Create `/opt/immersive/.env.production` for production settings:
+
+```bash
+# Server
+NODE_ENV=production
+PORT=3001
+
+# Auth0 (if using authentication)
+# VITE_AUTH0_DOMAIN=your-domain.auth0.com
+# VITE_AUTH0_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
+
+# Database sync endpoint (optional)
+# VITE_SYNCDB_ENDPOINT=https://your-couchdb-server.com
+```
+
+## Firewall (if using iptables)
+
+```bash
+# Allow port 3001
+iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 3001 -j ACCEPT
+
+# Save rules
+rc-service iptables save
+```
+
+## Reverse Proxy (Optional)
+
+If using nginx as a reverse proxy:
+
+```bash
+apk add nginx
+```
+
+Create `/etc/nginx/http.d/immersive.conf`:
+
+```nginx
+server {
+    listen 80;
+    server_name your-domain.com;
+
+    location / {
+        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3001;
+        proxy_http_version 1.1;
+        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
+        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
+        proxy_set_header Host $host;
+        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
+        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
+    }
+}
+```
+
+Enable and start nginx:
+
+```bash
+rc-update add nginx default
+rc-service nginx start
+```
+
+## Gitea CI/CD Runner (Optional)
+
+If using a Gitea Actions runner to deploy, grant the runner user write access to `/opt/immersive`:
+
+```bash
+# Add gitea-runner to immersive group
+adduser gitea-runner immersive
+
+# Set group write permissions on /opt/immersive
+chmod -R g+w /opt/immersive
+
+# Ensure new files inherit group ownership
+chmod g+s /opt/immersive
+
+# Allow runner to manage the service
+# Add to /etc/sudoers.d/gitea-runner:
+echo 'gitea-runner ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /sbin/rc-service immersive *' > /etc/sudoers.d/gitea-runner
+echo 'gitea-runner ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /bin/chown -R immersive\:immersive /opt/immersive' >> /etc/sudoers.d/gitea-runner
+chmod 440 /etc/sudoers.d/gitea-runner
+```
+
+The GitHub Actions workflow in `.github/workflows/build.yml` will handle deployment automatically on push to main.
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+**Service fails to start:**
+```bash
+# Check logs
+cat /var/log/immersive/error.log
+
+# Run manually as immersive user to see errors
+su -s /bin/sh immersive -c "cd /opt/immersive && NODE_ENV=production node server.js"
+```
+
+**Native module errors (leveldown):**
+```bash
+# Rebuild native modules
+cd /opt/immersive
+npm rebuild leveldown
+```
+
+**Permission issues:**
+```bash
+# Ensure proper ownership (must be immersive user)
+chown -R immersive:immersive /opt/immersive
+chown -R immersive:immersive /var/log/immersive
+chown -R immersive:immersive /var/run/immersive
+chmod -R 755 /opt/immersive
+```
+
+**Port already in use:**
+```bash
+# Find process using port 3001
+lsof -i :3001
+# Or
+netstat -tlnp | grep 3001
+```
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 6dbf8e7..80cb498 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "immersive",
   "private": true,
-  "version": "0.0.8-43",
+  "version": "0.0.8-44",
   "type": "module",
   "license": "MIT",
   "engines": {
diff --git a/start.sh b/start.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3a0135c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/start.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+# Immersive start script for Alpine Linux
+
+APP_DIR="/opt/immersive"
+LOG_DIR="/var/log/immersive"
+PID_FILE="/var/run/immersive.pid"
+
+cd "$APP_DIR"
+
+# Environment
+export NODE_ENV=production
+export NODE_OPTIONS="--max-old-space-size=2048"
+
+# Optional: Set port (default 3001)
+# export PORT=3001
+
+# Start the server
+exec node server.js >> "$LOG_DIR/app.log" 2>> "$LOG_DIR/error.log"
\ No newline at end of file