diff --git a/dev-setup/.dockerignore b/dev-setup/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..979c71f54
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-setup/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+# Git files
+.git
+.gitignore
+.github
+
+# Development data
+data/
+
+# Documentation
+*.md
+docs/
+screenshot/
+
+# Test files
+tests/
+*_test.py
+*.test.js
+
+# Cache and temporary files
+__pycache__/
+*.pyc
+*.pyo
+*.pyd
+.Python
+*.so
+.cache/
+.pytest_cache/
+.coverage
+htmlcov/
+
+# Node modules (for frontend, will be installed in container)
+node_modules/
+npm-debug.log*
+yarn-debug.log*
+yarn-error.log*
+
+# IDE files
+.vscode/
+.idea/
+*.swp
+*.swo
+*~
+
+# OS files
+.DS_Store
+Thumbs.db
+
+# Build artifacts
+dist/
+build/
+*.egg-info/
+
+# Docker files
+Dockerfile*
+docker-compose*.yml
+.dockerignore
diff --git a/dev-setup/.gitignore b/dev-setup/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..219f7d593
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-setup/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# Development data directory
+data/
+
+# Docker volumes and temporary files
+.env
+*.log
diff --git a/dev-setup/Dockerfile.backend b/dev-setup/Dockerfile.backend
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2519ae0a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-setup/Dockerfile.backend
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+FROM alpine:3.22
+
+# Install build dependencies and runtime dependencies
+RUN \
+  apk add --no-cache --virtual=build-dependencies \
+    build-base \
+    cargo \
+    libffi-dev \
+    libpq-dev \
+    libxml2-dev \
+    libxslt-dev \
+    python3-dev && \
+  apk add --no-cache \
+    ffmpeg \
+    libxml2 \
+    libxslt \
+    mediainfo \
+    python3 \
+    py3-pip \
+    p7zip \
+    bash \
+    git && \
+  mkdir -p \
+    /app/bazarr/bin \
+    /app/bazarr/data/config \
+    /app/bazarr/data/cache \
+    /app/bazarr/data/log
+
+# Set working directory
+WORKDIR /app/bazarr/bin
+
+# Copy only backend-related files
+COPY requirements.txt postgres-requirements.txt dev-requirements.txt ./
+COPY bazarr.py ./
+COPY libs ./libs
+COPY custom_libs ./custom_libs
+COPY bazarr ./bazarr
+COPY migrations ./migrations
+
+# Install Python dependencies
+RUN \
+  pip install --break-system-packages -U --no-cache-dir --find-links https://wheel-index.linuxserver.io/alpine-3.22/ \
+    -r requirements.txt \
+    -r postgres-requirements.txt \
+    -r dev-requirements.txt
+
+# Clean up build dependencies
+RUN apk del build-dependencies
+
+# Expose backend port
+EXPOSE 6767
+
+# Environment variables
+ENV SZ_USER_AGENT="bazarr-dev"
+ENV BAZARR_VERSION="dev"
+# Using PYTHONPATH instead of symlinks for cleaner approach
+# The order matters: custom_libs first (to override libs), then libs, then bazarr directory
+ENV PYTHONPATH="/app/bazarr/bin/custom_libs:/app/bazarr/bin/libs:/app/bazarr/bin/bazarr:/app/bazarr/bin"
+
+# Default command
+CMD ["python3", "bazarr.py", "--debug", "--no-update", "--config", "/app/bazarr/data"]
diff --git a/dev-setup/Dockerfile.frontend b/dev-setup/Dockerfile.frontend
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0c0755bcc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-setup/Dockerfile.frontend
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+# syntax=docker/dockerfile:1
+ARG NODE_VERSION=20
+
+FROM node:${NODE_VERSION}-alpine
+
+# Install wget for healthcheck
+RUN apk add --no-cache wget
+
+# Use development node environment by default
+ENV NODE_ENV=development
+
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Copy package files first for better caching
+COPY frontend/package.json frontend/package-lock.json ./
+
+# Install dependencies
+RUN npm ci
+
+# Copy frontend source files (these will be overridden by volume mounts in dev)
+COPY frontend/ .
+
+# Copy and setup entrypoint script
+COPY dev-setup/frontend-entrypoint.sh /usr/local/bin/
+RUN chmod +x /usr/local/bin/frontend-entrypoint.sh
+
+# Change ownership of the /app directory to the node user
+RUN chown -R node:node /app
+
+# Switch to the node user for security
+USER node
+
+# Ensure node_modules/.bin is in the PATH
+ENV PATH=/app/node_modules/.bin:$PATH
+
+# Expose the Vite dev server port
+EXPOSE 5173
+
+# Run the development server via entrypoint
+CMD ["/usr/local/bin/frontend-entrypoint.sh"]
diff --git a/dev-setup/README.md b/dev-setup/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7b2f11be7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-setup/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,257 @@
+# Bazarr Development Environment
+
+A complete Docker-based development environment for Bazarr with live code reloading for both backend and frontend.
+
+> **Note**: This is the official Docker development setup for Bazarr. All Docker-related files are centralized here to avoid confusion and ensure consistency.
+
+## Quick Start
+
+### 1. Clone your fork
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/bazarr.git
+cd bazarr/dev-setup
+```
+
+### 2. Run the setup script
+```bash
+./test-setup.sh
+```
+This will create the necessary directories and a minimal config file with default credentials for development.
+
+### 3. Start development environment
+```bash
+docker compose up --build
+```
+
+### 4. Access applications
+**🌐 Open your browser to: http://localhost:5173**
+
+This is the Bazarr web interface with live reloading. The frontend automatically communicates with the backend API (port 6767).
+
+**Default credentials:**
+- Username: `admin`
+- Password: `admin`
+
+**Important**: 
+- Port 5173: Frontend development server with hot module replacement
+- Port 6767: Backend API server (not meant for direct browser access)
+- API Key: `bazarr` (for API access)
+
+## What This Provides
+
+### 🐳 **Fully Containerized Development**
+- Separate optimized containers for backend (Python/Alpine) and frontend (Node.js)
+- No need for local Node.js, Python, or other dependencies on your host
+- Consistent development environment across different machines
+- Each container only includes necessary dependencies
+
+### 🔄 **Live Code Reloading**
+- **Backend**: Python files are mounted and changes reflect immediately
+- **Frontend**: Full frontend directory mounted with Vite hot module replacement
+- **Libraries**: Both custom_libs and libs are mounted for modification
+
+### 📁 **Volume Mounts**
+```
+../bazarr         → /app/bazarr/bin/bazarr       (Backend source)
+../frontend       → /app/bazarr/bin/frontend     (Frontend source)
+../custom_libs    → /app/bazarr/bin/custom_libs  (Custom libraries)
+../libs           → /app/bazarr/bin/libs         (Third-party libraries)
+./data            → /app/bazarr/data             (Persistent data)
+```
+
+### 🌐 **Port Configuration**
+- **6767**: Bazarr backend API and web interface
+- **5173**: Vite development server with hot reloading
+
+## Development Workflow
+
+### Making Changes
+
+1. **Backend Development**:
+   - Edit files in `../bazarr/` directory
+   - Changes are immediately available in the running container
+   - No restart needed for most Python changes
+
+2. **Frontend Development**:
+   - Edit files in `../frontend/` directory
+   - Vite automatically reloads the browser
+   - Install new npm packages by rebuilding: `docker compose up --build`
+
+3. **Adding Dependencies**:
+   - **Python**: Add to `../requirements.txt` and rebuild
+   - **Node.js**: Add to `../frontend/package.json` and rebuild
+
+### Useful Commands
+
+```bash
+# Start development environment
+docker compose up
+
+# Start in background (detached)
+docker compose up -d
+
+# Rebuild after dependency changes
+docker compose up --build
+
+# View logs
+docker compose logs -f
+
+# Access backend container shell for debugging
+docker compose exec bazarr-backend sh
+
+# Access frontend container shell for debugging  
+docker compose exec bazarr-frontend sh
+
+# Stop the environment
+docker compose down
+
+# Complete cleanup (removes containers, networks, volumes)
+docker compose down -v
+```
+
+## Environment Configuration
+
+The development environment includes these settings:
+
+```bash
+NODE_ENV=development
+VITE_PROXY_URL=http://127.0.0.1:6767
+VITE_BAZARR_CONFIG_FILE=/app/bazarr/data/config/config.yaml
+VITE_CAN_UPDATE=true
+VITE_HAS_UPDATE=false
+VITE_REACT_QUERY_DEVTOOLS=true
+```
+
+## Data Persistence
+
+Configuration and data are persisted in the `./data` directory:
+- `./data/config/` - Bazarr configuration files
+- `./data/cache/` - Application cache
+- `./data/log/` - Application logs
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Port Conflicts
+If ports 6767 or 5173 are already in use:
+```bash
+# Check what's using the ports
+lsof -i :6767
+lsof -i :5173
+
+# Either stop those services or modify ports in docker-compose.yml
+```
+
+### Permission Issues
+```bash
+# Fix data directory permissions
+sudo chown -R $USER:$USER ./data
+```
+
+### Frontend Not Loading
+- Check frontend logs: `docker compose logs -f bazarr-frontend`
+- Ensure Vite dev server started successfully
+- Try rebuilding frontend: `docker compose up --build bazarr-frontend`
+
+### Backend API Issues
+- Verify backend is running: `docker compose logs bazarr-backend`
+
+### Authentication/Login Issues
+If you're prompted for a password:
+1. The default credentials are: **admin/admin**
+2. Check if `data/config/config.yaml` exists with proper auth settings
+3. If not, run `./test-setup.sh` to create the proper config
+4. Restart the containers: `docker compose restart`
+5. The API key is set to: **bazarr**
+
+If you still have issues:
+- Delete the data directory: `rm -rf data/`
+- Run the setup script: `./test-setup.sh`
+- Rebuild and start: `docker compose up --build`
+- Check if port 6767 is accessible: `curl http://localhost:6767`
+- Review Python error logs in the backend container output
+
+### Complete Reset
+If you encounter persistent issues:
+```bash
+# Stop and remove everything
+docker compose down -v
+
+# Remove built images
+docker rmi dev-setup-bazarr-backend dev-setup-bazarr-frontend
+
+# Rebuild from scratch
+docker compose up --build
+```
+
+## Development Tips
+
+### Container Shell Access
+```bash
+# Access the backend container
+docker compose exec bazarr-backend sh
+
+# Access the frontend container
+docker compose exec bazarr-frontend sh
+
+# Install additional tools inside backend container if needed
+docker compose exec bazarr-backend apk add --no-cache curl vim
+
+# Install additional tools inside frontend container if needed
+docker compose exec bazarr-frontend apk add --no-cache curl vim
+```
+
+### Logs and Debugging
+```bash
+# Follow all logs
+docker compose logs -f
+
+# Follow only backend logs
+docker compose logs -f bazarr-backend
+
+# Follow only frontend logs  
+docker compose logs -f bazarr-frontend
+```
+
+### Performance
+- Separate containers for frontend and backend for better resource utilization
+- Backend uses lightweight Alpine Linux with Python
+- Frontend uses optimized Node.js Alpine image
+- All file changes are immediately reflected due to volume mounts
+
+## Architecture
+
+```
+Host Machine
+├── bazarr/ (your code)
+│   ├── bazarr/ → mounted in backend container
+│   ├── frontend/ → mounted in frontend container  
+│   ├── custom_libs/ → mounted in backend container
+│   └── libs/ → mounted in backend container
+└── dev-setup/ (all dev environment files in one place)
+    ├── data/ → persistent data
+    ├── Dockerfile.backend → Python/Alpine backend image
+    ├── Dockerfile.frontend → Node.js frontend image (dev-optimized)
+    ├── docker-compose.yml → Orchestration config
+    ├── test-setup.sh → Setup validation script
+    └── README.md
+
+Backend Container (/app/bazarr/bin/)
+├── bazarr/ (backend source - mounted)
+├── custom_libs/ (mounted)
+├── libs/ (mounted)
+└── data/ (persistent data - mounted)
+
+Frontend Container (/app/)
+├── src/ (frontend source - mounted)
+├── public/ (static assets - mounted)
+├── config/ (configuration - mounted)
+└── node_modules/ (npm packages - container only)
+```
+
+## Next Steps
+
+1. Start developing - all changes are live!
+2. Test your modifications at http://localhost:6767 and http://localhost:5173
+3. Submit pull requests to the main repository
+
+Happy coding! 🚀
diff --git a/dev-setup/docker-compose.yml b/dev-setup/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5f442894e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-setup/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+services:
+  bazarr-backend:
+    build:
+      context: ..
+      dockerfile: dev-setup/Dockerfile.backend
+    container_name: bazarr-backend
+    ports:
+      - "6767:6767"  # Bazarr backend API
+    volumes:
+      # Mount source code for live editing
+      - ../bazarr.py:/app/bazarr/bin/bazarr.py:ro
+      - ../bazarr:/app/bazarr/bin/bazarr:ro
+      - ../custom_libs:/app/bazarr/bin/custom_libs:ro
+      - ../libs:/app/bazarr/bin/libs:ro
+      - ../migrations:/app/bazarr/bin/migrations:ro
+      
+      # Mount data directory for persistence
+      - ./data:/app/bazarr/data
+    environment:
+      - SZ_USER_AGENT=bazarr-dev
+      - BAZARR_VERSION=dev
+      - PYTHONPATH=/app/bazarr/bin/custom_libs:/app/bazarr/bin/libs:/app/bazarr/bin/bazarr:/app/bazarr/bin
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    networks:
+      - bazarr-network
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "nc", "-z", "localhost", "6767"]
+      interval: 5s
+      timeout: 10s
+      retries: 20
+      start_period: 30s
+
+  bazarr-frontend:
+    build:
+      context: ..
+      dockerfile: dev-setup/Dockerfile.frontend
+    container_name: bazarr-frontend
+    ports:
+      - "5173:5173"  # Vite frontend dev server
+    volumes:
+      # Mount frontend source code for live editing
+      - ../frontend/src:/app/src:ro
+      - ../frontend/public:/app/public:ro
+      - ../frontend/config:/app/config:ro
+      - ../frontend/vite.config.ts:/app/vite.config.ts:ro
+      - ../frontend/tsconfig.json:/app/tsconfig.json:ro
+      - ../frontend/package.json:/app/package.json:ro
+      - ../frontend/.env.development:/app/.env.development:ro
+      
+      # Ensure node_modules is not overwritten by volume mount
+      - /app/node_modules
+      
+      # Share data directory so frontend can read backend config
+      - ./data:/app/data
+    environment:
+      - NODE_ENV=development
+      - VITE_PROXY_URL=http://bazarr-backend:6767
+      - VITE_BAZARR_CONFIG_FILE=/app/data/config/config.yaml
+      - VITE_CAN_UPDATE=true
+      - VITE_HAS_UPDATE=false
+      - VITE_REACT_QUERY_DEVTOOLS=true
+      - VITE_API_KEY=bazarr # Set the API key to match config
+    depends_on:
+      - bazarr-backend
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    networks:
+      - bazarr-network
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "nc", "-z", "bazarr-backend", "6767"]
+      interval: 5s
+      timeout: 10s
+      retries: 30
+      start_period: 60s
+
+networks:
+  bazarr-network:
+    driver: bridge
+
+volumes:
+  bazarr-dev-data:
+    driver: local
diff --git a/dev-setup/frontend-entrypoint.sh b/dev-setup/frontend-entrypoint.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5ceb56314
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-setup/frontend-entrypoint.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+echo "Waiting for backend to be ready..."
+
+# Wait for backend to be reachable
+until nc -z bazarr-backend 6767 2>/dev/null; do
+    echo "Backend not ready yet, waiting..."
+    sleep 5
+done
+
+echo "Backend is ready!"
+
+# In development mode, we don't need to wait for API key since authentication might be disabled
+echo "Starting frontend in development mode..."
+
+# Start the frontend with --no-open to prevent browser auto-open attempts in container
+exec npm run start -- --host --no-open
diff --git a/dev-setup/test-setup.sh b/dev-setup/test-setup.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..beba063b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-setup/test-setup.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+echo "Testing Bazarr Development Setup..."
+echo "=================================="
+
+# Check if Docker is installed
+if ! command -v docker &> /dev/null; then
+    echo "❌ Docker is not installed. Please install Docker first."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Check if Docker Compose is installed
+if ! command -v docker compose &> /dev/null; then
+    echo "❌ Docker Compose is not installed. Please install Docker Compose first."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "✅ Docker and Docker Compose are installed"
+
+# Check if data directory exists
+if [ ! -d "./data" ]; then
+    echo "📁 Creating data directory..."
+    mkdir -p data/config data/cache data/log data/db
+else
+    echo "📁 Data directory exists, ensuring subdirectories..."
+    mkdir -p data/config data/cache data/log data/db
+fi
+
+echo "✅ Data directory is ready"
+
+# Create a minimal config for development if it doesn't exist
+if [ ! -f "./data/config/config.yaml" ]; then
+    echo "📝 Creating minimal config.yaml for development..."
+    # The password needs to be stored as MD5 hash
+    # MD5 hash of "admin" is: 21232f297a57a5a743894a0e4a801fc3
+    cat > data/config/config.yaml << 'EOF'
+auth:
+  type: form
+  apikey: 'bazarr'
+  username: 'admin'
+  password: '21232f297a57a5a743894a0e4a801fc3'
+
+general:
+  port: 6767
+  base_url: ''
+EOF
+    echo "✅ Config file created with default credentials (admin/admin)"
+else
+    echo "✅ Config file already exists"
+fi
+
+# Check if both services are defined
+if docker compose config --services | grep -q "bazarr-backend" && docker compose config --services | grep -q "bazarr-frontend"; then
+    echo "✅ Both services (backend and frontend) are properly configured"
+else
+    echo "❌ Services are not properly configured in docker-compose.yml"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Validate the compose file
+if docker compose config > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "✅ docker-compose.yml is valid"
+else
+    echo "❌ docker-compose.yml has errors"
+    docker compose config
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo "🎉 Everything looks good! You can now run:"
+echo "   docker compose up --build"
+echo ""
+echo "Once started:"
+echo "   - Frontend will be available at: http://localhost:5173"
+echo "   - Backend API will be available at: http://localhost:6767"
diff --git a/frontend/Dockerfile b/frontend/Dockerfile
deleted file mode 100644
index 1aabc6942..000000000
--- a/frontend/Dockerfile
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,33 +0,0 @@
-# syntax=docker/dockerfile:1  
-ARG NODE_VERSION=20
-
-FROM node:${NODE_VERSION}-alpine  
-
-# Use development node environment by default.  
-ENV NODE_ENV development  
-
-WORKDIR /app  
-
-# Copy package.json and package-lock.json to the working directory  
-COPY package.json package-lock.json ./  
-
-# Install dependencies  
-RUN npm install  
-
-# Copy the rest of the source files into the image  
-COPY . .  
-
-# Change ownership of the /app directory to the node user  
-RUN chown -R node:node /app  
-
-# Switch to the node user  
-USER node  
-
-# Ensure node_modules/.bin is in the PATH  
-ENV PATH /app/node_modules/.bin:$PATH  
-
-# Expose the port that the application listens on  
-EXPOSE 5173  
-
-# Run the application  
-CMD ["npm", "start"]  
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/frontend/README.md b/frontend/README.md
index 75de12446..5fcd3d481 100644
--- a/frontend/README.md
+++ b/frontend/README.md
@@ -58,31 +58,24 @@
 
 ## Building with Docker
 
-You can now build and run the frontend using Docker. Follow these steps:
+For Docker-based development, please use the comprehensive development environment provided in the `dev-setup` folder:
 
-### Benefits of Using Docker
+```bash
+cd ../dev-setup
+docker compose up --build
+```
 
-- **Consistency**: Ensures the app runs in the same environment across all systems.
-- **Isolation**: Avoids dependency conflicts with other projects on your machine.
-- **Ease of Deployment**: Simplifies the process of deploying the app to production.
+This will start both the backend and frontend in separate optimized containers with live reloading enabled.
 
-### Steps to Build and Run
+### Benefits of the dev-setup Docker Environment
 
-1. Build the Docker image with the Node.js version specified in `.nvmrc`:
+- **Full Stack**: Runs both backend and frontend with proper networking
+- **Live Reloading**: Changes to your code are immediately reflected
+- **Consistency**: Ensures the app runs in the same environment across all systems
+- **Isolation**: Avoids dependency conflicts with other projects on your machine
+- **Optimized**: Separate containers for backend (Python/Alpine) and frontend (Node.js)
 
-   ```
-   $ docker build --build-arg NODE_VERSION=$(cat .nvmrc 2>/dev/null || echo "20") -t your-image-name .
-   ```
-
-   - The `docker build --build-arg NODE_VERSION=$(cat .nvmrc 2>/dev/null || echo "20") -t your-image-name .` argument ensures the Docker image uses the Node.js version specified in the `.nvmrc` file.
-
-2. Run the Docker container:
-
-   ```
-   $ docker run -p 5173:5173 your-image-name
-   ```
-
-   - Add `.env.development.local` with the path to your environment file if needed.
+For more details, see the [dev-setup README](../dev-setup/README.md).
 
 3. Open the app in your browser at `http://localhost:5173`.