diff --git a/.codex/project.md b/.codex/project.md
index 8b6341e..4aca4ee 100644
--- a/.codex/project.md
+++ b/.codex/project.md
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ All tests MUST be executed inside Docker containers.
 Configure the canonical test command for this repository:
 
 ```bash
-CHANGE_ME
+docker compose --env-file .env.example -f infra/docker/compose.yml config
 ```
 
 Examples:
diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0ff479d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# AzioneLab Docker Compose example environment.
+# Copy this file to .env and replace placeholder values before deployment.
+
+COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME=azionelab
+
+NGINX_HTTP_PORT=8080
+
+BACKEND_HOST=backend
+BACKEND_PORT=8000
+FRONTEND_HOST=frontend
+FRONTEND_PORT=8080
+
+DJANGO_SECRET_KEY=change-me
+DJANGO_ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1
+DJANGO_CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:8080
+DJANGO_DEBUG=false
+
+POSTGRES_DB=azionelab
+POSTGRES_USER=azionelab
+POSTGRES_PASSWORD=change-me
+POSTGRES_HOST=postgres
+POSTGRES_PORT=5432
+
+DATABASE_URL=postgres://azionelab:change-me@postgres:5432/azionelab
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2cef73e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+.env
+.env.*
+!.env.example
diff --git a/docs/adr/0007-use-docker-compose-for-deployment.md b/docs/adr/0007-use-docker-compose-for-deployment.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9d52271
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/adr/0007-use-docker-compose-for-deployment.md
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# ADR-0007: Use Docker Compose for Deployment
+
+Date: 2026-04-28
+
+## Status
+
+Accepted
+
+## Context
+
+AzioneLab needs a simple production-oriented deployment for a small theatre company website. The initial runtime services are Django with gunicorn, an Angular frontend served by nginx, PostgreSQL, and an nginx reverse proxy.
+
+The project does not need Celery, Redis, a container orchestrator, or a more complex platform at this stage.
+
+## Decision
+
+Use Docker Compose as the initial deployment mechanism.
+
+The Compose setup will define explicit `backend`, `frontend`, `postgres`, and `nginx` services under `infra/docker/compose.yml`. Configuration is provided through `.env`, PostgreSQL data is stored in a named volume, and only the reverse proxy publishes a host port.
+
+## Consequences
+
+- The deployment remains easy to understand, run, and review.
+- The same topology can support local infrastructure checks and small production deployments.
+- PostgreSQL persistence is explicit through a named volume.
+- The setup can be replaced later if hosting or scaling needs outgrow Docker Compose.
+- Operators must manage `.env`, backups, TLS, and image updates carefully.
diff --git a/docs/architecture.md b/docs/architecture.md
index eec4195..30c0ada 100644
--- a/docs/architecture.md
+++ b/docs/architecture.md
@@ -137,10 +137,12 @@ The initial deployment uses Docker Compose with these services:
 - `nginx`: public reverse proxy and static frontend server;
 - `frontend`: Angular build stage or static asset build source;
 - `backend`: Django application served by gunicorn;
-- `db`: PostgreSQL database.
+- `postgres`: PostgreSQL database.
 
 Only nginx should be publicly exposed. The backend and database should be reachable only on the internal Compose network.
 
+The initial Compose files live under `infra/docker/`. The backend and frontend images are placeholders until the Django and Angular applications are implemented.
+
 ## Architectural Constraints
 
 - Keep the booking workflow synchronous and explicit.
@@ -153,4 +155,8 @@ Only nginx should be publicly exposed. The backend and database should be reacha
 
 ## Relevant ADRs
 
-No ADRs are recorded yet. The technology stack and initial constraints are documented here from the project request.
+- [ADR-0001: Use Django Monolith](adr/0001-use-django-monolith.md)
+- [ADR-0002: Do Not Add an Async Task Queue Yet](adr/0002-no-async-task-queue.md)
+- [ADR-0003: Use Opaque Tokens in QR Codes](adr/0003-qr-code-token-strategy.md)
+- [ADR-0004: Use Email Confirmation for Reservations](adr/0004-email-confirmation-flow.md)
+- [ADR-0007: Use Docker Compose for Deployment](adr/0007-use-docker-compose-for-deployment.md)
diff --git a/docs/deployment.md b/docs/deployment.md
index 938e1b7..54f82c1 100644
--- a/docs/deployment.md
+++ b/docs/deployment.md
@@ -5,10 +5,12 @@ AzioneLab should deploy with a simple Docker Compose topology:
 - `nginx`: public reverse proxy and static frontend server;
 - `frontend`: Angular build source or build stage for static assets;
 - `backend`: Django 5.2 LTS application served by gunicorn;
-- `db`: PostgreSQL database.
+- `postgres`: PostgreSQL database.
 
 Only nginx should expose public ports. The backend and database should stay on the internal Compose network.
 
+The initial Compose setup is located at `infra/docker/compose.yml`.
+
 ## Services
 
 ### nginx
@@ -37,6 +39,8 @@ Deployment options:
 
 The first option is preferred for a simple production deployment because nginx can serve immutable built assets without a long-running Node process.
 
+At the infrastructure placeholder stage, the `frontend` service serves a static placeholder page with nginx. The Angular build will replace this placeholder later.
+
 ### backend
 
 The backend is a Django application served by gunicorn.
@@ -51,7 +55,9 @@ Responsibilities:
 
 The backend should run database migrations before or during deployment through an explicit operational command, not as hidden startup magic unless that choice is documented later.
 
-### db
+At the infrastructure placeholder stage, the `backend` service runs gunicorn against a minimal placeholder WSGI application. The real Django application will replace it later.
+
+### postgres
 
 PostgreSQL is the only database service.
 
@@ -84,6 +90,8 @@ Generated QR codes may also be generated on demand instead of stored as files. I
 
 ## Configuration
 
+Copy `.env.example` to `.env` and replace all placeholder values before running or deploying the stack.
+
 Required backend configuration:
 
 - `DJANGO_SECRET_KEY`;
@@ -129,21 +137,25 @@ The exact commands will be finalized when application code and Compose files are
 Expected production-style flow:
 
 ```bash
-docker compose build
-docker compose run --rm backend python manage.py migrate
-docker compose run --rm backend python manage.py collectstatic --noinput
-docker compose up -d
+docker compose --env-file .env -f infra/docker/compose.yml build
+docker compose --env-file .env -f infra/docker/compose.yml run --rm backend python manage.py migrate
+docker compose --env-file .env -f infra/docker/compose.yml run --rm backend python manage.py collectstatic --noinput
+docker compose --env-file .env -f infra/docker/compose.yml up -d
 ```
 
 Expected validation commands:
 
 ```bash
-docker compose config
-docker compose run --rm backend python manage.py check --deploy
-docker compose run --rm backend python manage.py test
+docker compose --env-file .env.example -f infra/docker/compose.yml config
+docker compose --env-file .env -f infra/docker/compose.yml run --rm backend python manage.py check --deploy
+docker compose --env-file .env -f infra/docker/compose.yml run --rm backend python manage.py test
 ```
 
-The repository does not yet define the canonical Docker-based test command.
+The canonical repository check for the current infrastructure stage is:
+
+```bash
+docker compose --env-file .env.example -f infra/docker/compose.yml config
+```
 
 ## Rollback
 
diff --git a/docs/security-notes.md b/docs/security-notes.md
index ce7ea88..809a9ff 100644
--- a/docs/security-notes.md
+++ b/docs/security-notes.md
@@ -115,12 +115,15 @@ Expected secret configuration:
 
 Use environment variables, Docker secrets, or deployment-managed secret injection. Documentation and example configuration should use placeholders only.
 
+For the Docker Compose setup, copy `.env.example` to `.env` and replace placeholder values outside version control. The repository ignores `.env` and `.env.*` files except `.env.example`.
+
 ## Deployment Security
 
 Deployment should follow least privilege:
 
 - expose only nginx publicly;
 - keep backend and database on an internal Docker network;
+- do not publish backend, frontend, or PostgreSQL ports to the host in production;
 - avoid privileged containers;
 - use explicit image tags rather than `latest`;
 - persist PostgreSQL data in a named volume;
diff --git a/docs/testing.md b/docs/testing.md
index 928ca48..f23e36d 100644
--- a/docs/testing.md
+++ b/docs/testing.md
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ All tests should run inside Docker containers.
 ## Canonical test command
 
 ```bash
-CHANGE_ME
+docker compose --env-file .env.example -f infra/docker/compose.yml config
 ```
 
 ## Test categories
diff --git a/infra/docker/backend/Dockerfile b/infra/docker/backend/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..763831f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/docker/backend/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+FROM python:3.13.4-slim
+
+ENV PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE=1
+ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
+
+WORKDIR /app
+
+RUN pip install --no-cache-dir \
+    "Django==5.2.3" \
+    "djangorestframework==3.16.0" \
+    "gunicorn==23.0.0" \
+    "psycopg[binary]==3.2.9"
+
+RUN useradd --create-home --shell /usr/sbin/nologin appuser
+
+COPY placeholder_wsgi.py /app/placeholder_wsgi.py
+
+USER appuser
+
+EXPOSE 8000
+
+CMD ["gunicorn", "--bind", "0.0.0.0:8000", "placeholder_wsgi:application"]
diff --git a/infra/docker/backend/placeholder_wsgi.py b/infra/docker/backend/placeholder_wsgi.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac8f182
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/docker/backend/placeholder_wsgi.py
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+def application(environ, start_response):
+    body = b"AzioneLab backend placeholder\n"
+    start_response(
+        "503 Service Unavailable",
+        [
+            ("Content-Type", "text/plain; charset=utf-8"),
+            ("Content-Length", str(len(body))),
+        ],
+    )
+    return [body]
diff --git a/infra/docker/compose.yml b/infra/docker/compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..87e31a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/docker/compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+services:
+  backend:
+    build:
+      context: ./backend
+    image: azionelab-backend:local
+    environment:
+      DJANGO_SECRET_KEY: ${DJANGO_SECRET_KEY}
+      DJANGO_ALLOWED_HOSTS: ${DJANGO_ALLOWED_HOSTS}
+      DJANGO_CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS: ${DJANGO_CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS}
+      DJANGO_DEBUG: ${DJANGO_DEBUG:-false}
+      DATABASE_URL: ${DATABASE_URL}
+      POSTGRES_DB: ${POSTGRES_DB}
+      POSTGRES_USER: ${POSTGRES_USER}
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
+      POSTGRES_HOST: ${POSTGRES_HOST:-postgres}
+      POSTGRES_PORT: ${POSTGRES_PORT:-5432}
+    expose:
+      - "${BACKEND_PORT:-8000}"
+    depends_on:
+      postgres:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    networks:
+      - internal
+    restart: unless-stopped
+
+  frontend:
+    build:
+      context: ./frontend
+    image: azionelab-frontend:local
+    expose:
+      - "${FRONTEND_PORT:-8080}"
+    networks:
+      - internal
+    restart: unless-stopped
+
+  postgres:
+    image: postgres:16.3-alpine
+    environment:
+      POSTGRES_DB: ${POSTGRES_DB}
+      POSTGRES_USER: ${POSTGRES_USER}
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
+    volumes:
+      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U \"$${POSTGRES_USER}\" -d \"$${POSTGRES_DB}\""]
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+    networks:
+      - internal
+    restart: unless-stopped
+
+  nginx:
+    image: nginx:1.27.0-alpine
+    ports:
+      - "${NGINX_HTTP_PORT:-8080}:80"
+    environment:
+      BACKEND_HOST: ${BACKEND_HOST:-backend}
+      BACKEND_PORT: ${BACKEND_PORT:-8000}
+      FRONTEND_HOST: ${FRONTEND_HOST:-frontend}
+      FRONTEND_PORT: ${FRONTEND_PORT:-8080}
+      NGINX_ENVSUBST_FILTER: "^(BACKEND_HOST|BACKEND_PORT|FRONTEND_HOST|FRONTEND_PORT)$"
+    volumes:
+      - ./nginx/templates:/etc/nginx/templates:ro
+    depends_on:
+      - backend
+      - frontend
+    networks:
+      - internal
+    restart: unless-stopped
+
+volumes:
+  postgres_data:
+
+networks:
+  internal:
+    driver: bridge
diff --git a/infra/docker/frontend/Dockerfile b/infra/docker/frontend/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0f494ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/docker/frontend/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+FROM nginx:1.27.0-alpine
+
+COPY nginx.conf /etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
+COPY html/ /usr/share/nginx/html/
+
+EXPOSE 8080
diff --git a/infra/docker/frontend/html/index.html b/infra/docker/frontend/html/index.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c8733e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/docker/frontend/html/index.html
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+<!doctype html>
+<html lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <meta charset="utf-8">
+    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
+    <title>AzioneLab</title>
+  </head>
+  <body>
+    <main>
+      <h1>AzioneLab frontend placeholder</h1>
+      <p>The Angular application build will replace this page.</p>
+    </main>
+  </body>
+</html>
diff --git a/infra/docker/frontend/nginx.conf b/infra/docker/frontend/nginx.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cac4dcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/docker/frontend/nginx.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+server {
+    listen 8080;
+    server_name _;
+
+    root /usr/share/nginx/html;
+    index index.html;
+
+    location / {
+        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/infra/docker/nginx/templates/default.conf.template b/infra/docker/nginx/templates/default.conf.template
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..664e95f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/docker/nginx/templates/default.conf.template
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+upstream azionelab_backend {
+    server ${BACKEND_HOST}:${BACKEND_PORT};
+}
+
+upstream azionelab_frontend {
+    server ${FRONTEND_HOST}:${FRONTEND_PORT};
+}
+
+server {
+    listen 80;
+    server_name _;
+
+    client_max_body_size 10m;
+
+    location /api/ {
+        proxy_pass http://azionelab_backend;
+        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;
+    }
+
+    location /admin/ {
+        proxy_pass http://azionelab_backend;
+        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;
+    }
+
+    location /static/ {
+        proxy_pass http://azionelab_backend;
+        proxy_set_header Host $host;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
+    }
+
+    location /media/ {
+        proxy_pass http://azionelab_backend;
+        proxy_set_header Host $host;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
+    }
+
+    location / {
+        proxy_pass http://azionelab_frontend;
+        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;
+    }
+}