diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7fe5658
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+.git
+__pycache__
+*.pyc
+*.pyo
+config.json
+screenshots/
+.claude/
+CLAUDE.md
+*.swp
+*.swo
+.DS_Store
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..49130cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+FROM python:3.11-slim
+
+RUN apt-get update && \
+    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends gcc python3-dev && \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+WORKDIR /app
+
+COPY requirements.txt .
+RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt && \
+    apt-get purge -y gcc python3-dev && \
+    apt-get autoremove -y && \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+COPY . .
+
+EXPOSE 2001
+
+ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
+
+CMD ["python3", "server.py"]
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index cd003aa..c6fa4cc 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -33,6 +33,59 @@ python3 server.py
 
 On first run, visit http://localhost:2001 and the setup wizard will guide you through configuration.
 
+## Docker / Podman
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+- [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/) with Compose V2, **or** [Podman](https://podman.io/) with `podman-compose`
+
+### First Run
+
+```bash
+# Create a config file (the setup wizard runs if you skip this)
+cp config.json.example config.json
+
+# Build and start
+docker compose up -d
+```
+
+The web UI is available at http://localhost:2001.
+
+### Useful Commands
+
+```bash
+# View logs
+docker compose logs -f
+
+# Stop
+docker compose down
+
+# Rebuild after a git pull
+docker compose build && docker compose up -d
+```
+
+### Podman
+
+The same `docker-compose.yml` works with Podman:
+
+```bash
+podman-compose up -d
+```
+
+On SELinux systems (Fedora, RHEL), add `:Z` to each volume mount in `docker-compose.yml` so containers can access the bind-mounted files.
+
+### Data Persistence
+
+The following paths are bind-mounted from the repo directory and persist across container recreation:
+
+| Path | Contents |
+|------|----------|
+| `config.json` | Server configuration and credentials |
+| `images/` | Aircraft and UI sprites (including uploads) |
+| `backgrounds/` | Theme background images (including custom themes) |
+
+Host networking (`network_mode: host`) is used so the server can auto-scan your LAN for ADS-B receivers.
+
 ## Requirements
 
 - Python 3.8+
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e162bde
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+services:
+  ads-bit:
+    build: .
+    container_name: ads-bit
+    network_mode: host
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    environment:
+      - PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
+    volumes:
+      # Persist config (copy config.json.example to config.json before first run)
+      - ./config.json:/app/config.json
+      # Persist custom sprite uploads
+      - ./images:/app/images
+      # Persist custom theme backgrounds
+      - ./backgrounds:/app/backgrounds