diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
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--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.example
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+# Database Configuration
+# PostgreSQL connection string using asyncpg driver
+DATABASE_URL=postgresql+asyncpg://debate:debate@localhost:5432/debate
+
+# Security
+# Generate with: openssl rand -hex 32
+SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here-generate-with-openssl-rand-hex-32
+
+# Environment
+# Options: development, production
+ENVIRONMENT=development
+
+# Debug Mode
+# Set to false in production
+DEBUG=true
+
+# Allowed Hosts
+# Comma-separated list of allowed host headers
+ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1
+
+# CORS Origins
+# Comma-separated list of allowed origins for CORS
+ALLOWED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:3000,http://127.0.0.1:3000
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
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+++ b/README.md
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+# Debate Backend
+
+Backend API for the Debate Linux distribution builder platform.
+
+## Development
+
+```bash
+# Create virtual environment
+uv venv
+
+# Activate
+source .venv/bin/activate
+
+# Install dependencies
+uv pip install -e ".[dev]"
+
+# Run development server
+uvicorn backend.app.main:app --reload
+```
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
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+++ b/pyproject.toml
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+[project]
+name = "debate-backend"
+version = "0.1.0"
+description = "Backend API for the Debate Linux distribution builder platform"
+readme = "README.md"
+requires-python = ">=3.12"
+license = { text = "MIT" }
+authors = [
+    { name = "Debate Team" }
+]
+
+dependencies = [
+    "fastapi[all]>=0.115.0",
+    "uvicorn[standard]>=0.30.0",
+    "sqlalchemy[asyncio]>=2.0.0",
+    "asyncpg<0.29.0",
+    "alembic",
+    "pydantic>=2.10.0",
+    "pydantic-settings",
+    "slowapi",
+    "fastapi-csrf-protect",
+    "python-multipart",
+]
+
+[project.optional-dependencies]
+dev = [
+    "pytest",
+    "pytest-asyncio",
+    "pytest-cov",
+    "httpx",
+    "ruff",
+    "mypy",
+]
+
+[build-system]
+requires = ["hatchling"]
+build-backend = "hatchling.build"
+
+[tool.hatch.build.targets.wheel]
+packages = ["backend"]
+
+[tool.ruff]
+line-length = 88
+target-version = "py312"
+
+[tool.ruff.lint]
+select = ["E", "F", "I", "N", "W", "UP"]
+
+[tool.mypy]
+python_version = "3.12"
+strict = true