diff --git a/.dockerignore.prebuilt b/.dockerignore.prebuilt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1e36ddd9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore.prebuilt
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# Dockerignore for pre-built frontend approach
+# frontend/dist is INCLUDED (not ignored) for this build
+
+**/node_modules
+frontend/src/.plugins-staged
+frontend/src/router/routes.gen.js
+
+# Python caches
+**/__pycache__
+**/*.pyc
+.venv
+venv
+
+# Local dev and VCS
+.git
+.gitignore
+*.log
+.env.local
+
+# Installer artifacts
+installer-arch-dev/build
+installer-arch-dev/dist
diff --git a/DOCKER-PREBUILT-APPROACH.md b/DOCKER-PREBUILT-APPROACH.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f47343ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/DOCKER-PREBUILT-APPROACH.md
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+# Docker Pre-Built Frontend Approach
+
+**Problem:** Zscaler corporate proxy causes npm to fail inside Docker builds with "Exit handler never called" error.
+
+**Solution:** Build frontend on host (where npm works), copy pre-built dist/ into Docker image.
+
+## Quick Start
+
+```bash
+# 1. Build frontend on host
+cd frontend
+npm ci
+npm run build
+
+# 2. Build Docker image (uses pre-built dist/)
+cd ..
+docker compose -f docker-compose.prebuilt.yml build
+
+# 3. Start services
+docker compose -f docker-compose.prebuilt.yml up -d
+
+# 4. Initialize (first time only)
+docker compose -f docker-compose.prebuilt.yml exec api flask db upgrade
+docker compose -f docker-compose.prebuilt.yml exec api bash /app/scripts/bootstrap-plugins.sh
+
+# 5. Access
+https://localhost:5001
+```
+
+## Files
+
+- `Dockerfile.prebuilt` - Simplified Dockerfile without npm build
+- `docker-compose.prebuilt.yml` - Uses Dockerfile.prebuilt
+- `.dockerignore.prebuilt` - Allows frontend/dist to be copied
+
+## Why This Works
+
+**Normal Dockerfile:**
+- Multi-stage build
+- Stage 1: Node 20 runs `npm ci` and `npm run build`
+- Stage 2: Copies built frontend from stage 1
+- **PROBLEM:** npm fails inside Docker with Zscaler proxy
+
+**Pre-Built Approach:**
+- Build frontend on Windows host (npm works here)
+- Single-stage Dockerfile copies pre-built `frontend/dist/`
+- Only installs Python dependencies
+- **FASTER:** 2-3 minutes vs 15+ minutes
+
+## Trade-offs
+
+**Pros:**
+- Avoids corporate proxy issues
+- Much faster builds (no npm in container)
+- Frontend build errors visible immediately
+- Can iterate on frontend without rebuilding container
+
+**Cons:**
+- Requires npm on host machine
+- Two-step build process
+- frontend/dist must be in version control OR built before deployment
+
+## For Production (CI/CD)
+
+```yaml
+# GitHub Actions / Jenkins example
+- name: Build frontend
+  run: |
+    cd frontend
+    npm ci
+    npm run build
+
+- name: Build Docker image
+  run: |
+    docker build -f Dockerfile.prebuilt -t shopdb:${{ github.sha }} .
+
+- name: Push to registry
+  run: |
+    docker push shopdb:${{ github.sha }}
+```
+
+## Comparison
+
+| Approach | Build Time | Corporate Proxy | Complexity | Production Ready |
+|----------|-----------|----------------|------------|------------------|
+| Multi-stage Dockerfile | 15+ min | ❌ Fails | High | ❌ No |
+| Pre-built frontend | 2-3 min | ✅ Works | Medium | ⚠️ Yes (with CI/CD) |
+| Pre-built images from registry | 30 sec | ✅ Works | Low | ✅ Yes |
+
+## Next Steps
+
+For true production deployment:
+1. Set up CI/CD to build frontend + Docker image
+2. Push to container registry
+3. Sites pull pre-built images
+4. No build step at deployment site
diff --git a/Dockerfile.prebuilt b/Dockerfile.prebuilt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2a53d0dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile.prebuilt
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+# Dockerfile for pre-built frontend
+# Use this when frontend/dist is already built on the host
+# Avoids npm issues with corporate proxy
+
+FROM python:3.14-slim AS base
+
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Install system dependencies
+RUN apt-get update \
+    && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+        build-essential \
+        default-libmysqlclient-dev \
+        pkg-config \
+        curl \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# Install Python dependencies
+COPY requirements.txt ./
+RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt \
+    && pip install --no-cache-dir gunicorn gevent
+
+# Copy application code
+COPY shopdb/ ./shopdb/
+COPY plugins/ ./plugins/
+COPY migrations/ ./migrations/
+COPY scripts/ ./scripts/
+COPY wsgi.py ./
+
+# Copy pre-built frontend
+COPY frontend/dist ./frontend/dist
+
+# Make scripts executable
+RUN chmod +x /app/scripts/docker-entrypoint.sh /app/scripts/bootstrap-plugins.sh
+
+# Create instance directory
+RUN mkdir -p /app/instance
+
+# Expose port
+EXPOSE 5001
+
+# Set environment
+ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
+ENV FLASK_APP=shopdb
+
+# Entrypoint runs migrations and starts gunicorn
+ENTRYPOINT ["/app/scripts/docker-entrypoint.sh"]
diff --git a/docker-compose.prebuilt.yml b/docker-compose.prebuilt.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fe1df5f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.prebuilt.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# Docker Compose using pre-built frontend
+# Build frontend on host first: cd frontend && npm run build
+# Then: docker compose -f docker-compose.prebuilt.yml build
+
+services:
+  db:
+    image: mysql:8.4
+    environment:
+      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: ${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}
+      MYSQL_DATABASE: shopdb_flask
+      MYSQL_USER: shopdb
+      MYSQL_PASSWORD: ${MYSQL_PASSWORD}
+    volumes:
+      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "mysqladmin", "ping", "-h", "localhost"]
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+    restart: unless-stopped
+
+  api:
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile.prebuilt
+    ports:
+      - "${API_PORT:-5001}:5001"
+    environment:
+      - DATABASE_URL=mysql+pymysql://shopdb:${MYSQL_PASSWORD}@db:3306/shopdb_flask
+      - SECRET_KEY=${SECRET_KEY}
+      - JWT_SECRET_KEY=${JWT_SECRET_KEY}
+      - FLASK_ENV=${FLASK_ENV:-production}
+      - FLASK_DEBUG=${FLASK_DEBUG:-0}
+      - CORS_ORIGINS=${CORS_ORIGINS}
+      - SHOPDB_ENV_LABEL=${SHOPDB_ENV_LABEL}
+      - LOG_LEVEL=${LOG_LEVEL:-INFO}
+      - ZABBIX_URL=${ZABBIX_URL:-}
+      - ZABBIX_TOKEN=${ZABBIX_TOKEN:-}
+      - COLLECTOR_API_KEY=${COLLECTOR_API_KEY:-}
+      - COLLECTOR_API_KEY_ENDPOINTS=${COLLECTOR_API_KEY_ENDPOINTS:-}
+    volumes:
+      - instance_data:/app/instance
+      - ./plugins:/app/plugins:ro
+      - ./scripts:/app/scripts:ro
+      - ./certs:/app/certs:ro
+    depends_on:
+      db:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    command: >
+      gunicorn
+      --bind 0.0.0.0:5001
+      --workers 4
+      --worker-class gevent
+      --worker-connections 2000
+      --timeout 300
+      --certfile /app/certs/server.crt
+      --keyfile /app/certs/server.key
+      --access-logfile -
+      --error-logfile -
+      wsgi:app
+
+volumes:
+  db_data:
+  instance_data:
diff --git a/start-docker-quick.sh b/start-docker-quick.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c25be622
--- /dev/null
+++ b/start-docker-quick.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Quick start for ShopDB Docker - skips rebuild if images exist
+# Use this for daily restarts after initial build
+
+set -e
+
+echo "==> ShopDB Docker - Quick Start"
+echo ""
+
+# Check prerequisites
+if [ ! -f .env ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: .env file not found"
+    echo "Copy .env.docker-dev to .env first:"
+    echo "  cp .env.docker-dev .env"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Check if API image exists
+if ! docker images | grep -q "flask-shopdb-api"; then
+    echo "ERROR: Docker images not built yet"
+    echo "Run this first: docker compose build"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Start services (no rebuild)
+echo "==> Starting services..."
+docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.backup.yml --profile backup up -d
+
+# Wait for database
+echo "==> Waiting for database..."
+sleep 10
+
+# Check status
+docker compose ps
+
+# Initialize if needed
+echo ""
+echo "==> Checking database state..."
+if docker compose exec -T api flask db current 2>&1 | grep -q "Can't locate revision"; then
+    echo "==> Running migrations..."
+    docker compose exec api flask db upgrade
+fi
+
+# Check plugins
+echo ""
+echo "==> Checking plugins..."
+PLUGIN_COUNT=$(docker compose exec -T api flask plugin list 2>/dev/null | grep -c "^\s\+\w" || echo "0")
+
+if [ "$PLUGIN_COUNT" -lt 5 ]; then
+    echo "==> Installing plugins..."
+    docker compose exec api bash /app/scripts/bootstrap-plugins.sh
+else
+    echo "==> Plugins already installed ($PLUGIN_COUNT found)"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo "===================================="
+echo "ShopDB is running!"
+echo "===================================="
+echo ""
+echo "Access: https://localhost:5001"
+echo ""
+echo "Services:"
+echo "  - MySQL Database (internal)"
+echo "  - Flask API (https://localhost:5001)"
+echo "  - Backup Store (isolated)"
+echo "  - Backup Watcher (polls every 30s)"
+echo ""
+echo "View logs:"
+echo "  docker compose logs -f api"
+echo "  docker compose logs -f backup-watcher"
+echo ""
+echo "Stop:"
+echo "  docker compose down"
+echo ""