diff --git a/.deploy/docker-compose-template.yml b/.deploy/docker-compose-template.yml
index da35ded..76c92be 100644
--- a/.deploy/docker-compose-template.yml
+++ b/.deploy/docker-compose-template.yml
@@ -1,21 +1,23 @@
 version: "3.9"
 services:
-  ${APP_NAME}:
-    image: ghcr.io/${IMAGE_REPO}:${RELEASE_VERSION}
-    restart: always
-    network_mode: bridge
-    ports:
-      - "80"
+  app:
+    image: ghcr.io/${IMAGE_REPO}:${RELEASE_VERSION} 
+    restart: always                               
+    ports:                                         
+      - "8080"                                     
+    container_name: ${APP_NAME}_app                
     environment:
+      WS_HOST: ws://${HOST_DOMAIN}
+      WS_PORT: 80
       VIRTUAL_HOST: ${HOST_DOMAIN}
-      LETSENCRYPT_HOST: ${HOST_DOMAIN}
+      VIRTUAL_PORT: 8080 # New default ASP.NET port -> https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/core/compatibility/containers/8.0/aspnet-port
+      LETSENCRYPT_HOST: ${HOST_DOMAIN}           
       LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL: ${LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL}
-      SERVICESTACK_LICENSE: ${SERVICESTACK_LICENSE}
-      FORUMS_DB: ${FORUMS_DB}
-      TECHSTACKS_SMTP_USER: ${TECHSTACKS_SMTP_USER}
-      TECHSTACKS_SMTP_PASS: ${TECHSTACKS_SMTP_PASS}
+      LC_ALL: "en_US.UTF-8"
+      LANG: "en_US.UTF-8"
     volumes:
-      - ${APP_NAME}-mydb:/app/App_Data
+      - app-mydb:/app/App_Data  
+
   ${APP_NAME}-migration:
     image: ghcr.io/${IMAGE_REPO}:${RELEASE_VERSION}
     restart: "no"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 10d4b29..fe46d25 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@v3
         with:
           ref: refs/tags/${{ github.event.inputs.version }}
-      
+          
       # Assign environment variables used in subsequent steps
       - name: Env variable assignment
         run: echo "image_repository_name=$(echo ${{ github.repository }} | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')" >> $GITHUB_ENV
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ jobs:
           if [ "${{ github.event.inputs.version }}" != "" ]; then
             echo "TAG_NAME=${{ github.event.inputs.version }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           fi;
-
+      
       - name: Login to GitHub Container Registry
         uses: docker/login-action@v2
         with:
@@ -74,14 +74,9 @@ jobs:
         working-directory: ./TechStacks
 
       # Build and push new docker image, skip for manual redeploy other than 'latest'
-      - name: Build and push Docker images
-        uses: docker/build-push-action@v4
-        if: ${{ github.event.inputs.version == '' || github.event.inputs.version == 'latest' }}
-        with:
-          file: Dockerfile
-          context: .
-          push: true
-          tags: ghcr.io/${{ env.image_repository_name }}:${{ env.TAG_NAME }}
+      - name: Build and push Docker image
+        run: |
+          dotnet publish --os linux --arch x64 -c Release -p:ContainerRepository=${{ env.image_repository_name }} -p:ContainerRegistry=ghcr.io -p:ContainerImageTags=${{ env.TAG_NAME }} -p:ContainerPort=80
   
   deploy_via_ssh:
     needs: push_to_registry
@@ -101,8 +96,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: repository name fix and env
         run: |
           echo "image_repository_name=$(echo ${{ github.repository }} | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "domain=${{ secrets.DEPLOY_HOST }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "letsencrypt_email=${{ secrets.LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           echo "TAG_NAME=latest" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           if [ "${{ github.event.release.tag_name }}" != "" ]; then
             echo "TAG_NAME=${{ github.event.release.tag_name }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
@@ -111,32 +104,32 @@ jobs:
             echo "TAG_NAME=${{ github.event.inputs.version }}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
           fi;
 
-      # Populate docker-compose.yml with variables from build process, including TAG_NAME.
-      - name: docker compose file prep
-        uses: danielr1996/envsubst-action@1.1.0
-        env:
-          RELEASE_VERSION: ${{ env.TAG_NAME }}
-          IMAGE_REPO: ${{ env.image_repository_name }}
-          APP_NAME: ${{ github.event.repository.name }}
-          HOST_DOMAIN: ${{ env.domain }}
-          LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL: ${{ env.letsencrypt_email }}
-          FORUMS_DB: ${{ secrets.FORUMS_DB }}
-          TECHSTACKS_SMTP_USER: ${{ secrets.TECHSTACKS_SMTP_USER }}
-          TECHSTACKS_SMTP_PASS: ${{ secrets.TECHSTACKS_SMTP_PASS }}
-        with:
-          input: .deploy/docker-compose-template.yml
-          output: .deploy/${{ github.event.repository.name }}-docker-compose.yml
+      - name: Create .env file
+        run: |
+          echo "Generating .env file"
+          
+          echo "# Autogenerated .env file" > .deploy/.env
+          echo "HOST_DOMAIN=${{ secrets.DEPLOY_HOST }}" >> .deploy/.env
+          echo "LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL=${{ secrets.LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL }}" >> .deploy/.env
+          echo "APP_NAME=${{ github.event.repository.name }}" >> .deploy/.env
+          echo "IMAGE_REPO=${{ env.image_repository_name }}" >> .deploy/.env
+          echo "RELEASE_VERSION=${{ env.TAG_NAME }}" >> .deploy/.env
+          echo "FORUMS_DB=${{ secrets.FORUMS_DB }}" >> .deploy/.env
+          echo "TECHSTACKS_SMTP_USER=${{ secrets.TECHSTACKS_SMTP_USER }}" >> .deploy/.env
+          echo "TECHSTACKS_SMTP_PASS=${{ secrets.TECHSTACKS_SMTP_PASS }}" >> .deploy/.env
 
       # Copy only the docker-compose.yml to remote server home folder
-      - name: copy compose file via scp
+      - name: copy files to target server via scp
         uses: appleboy/scp-action@v0.1.3
         with:
           host: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_HOST }}
           username: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_USERNAME }}
           port: 22
           key: ${{ secrets.DEPLOY_KEY }}
-          source: ".deploy/${{ github.event.repository.name }}-docker-compose.yml"
-          target: "~/"
+          strip_components: 2
+          source: "./.deploy/docker-compose.yml,./.deploy/.env"
+          target: "~/.deploy/${{ github.event.repository.name }}/"
+
       - name: Run remote db migrations
         uses: appleboy/ssh-action@v0.1.5
         env:
@@ -149,12 +142,16 @@ jobs:
           port: 22
           envs: APPTOKEN,USERNAME
           script: |
+            set -e
             echo $APPTOKEN | docker login ghcr.io -u $USERNAME --password-stdin
-            docker compose -f ~/.deploy/${{ github.event.repository.name }}-docker-compose.yml pull
-            docker compose -f ~/.deploy/${{ github.event.repository.name }}-docker-compose.yml up ${{ github.event.repository.name }}-migration
-
-      # Deploy Docker image with ServiceStack application using `docker compose up` remotely
-      - name: remote docker compose up via ssh
+            cd ~/.deploy/${{ github.event.repository.name }}
+            docker compose pull
+            export APP_ID=$(docker compose run --entrypoint "id -u" --rm app)
+            docker compose run --entrypoint "chown $APP_ID:$APP_ID /app/App_Data" --user root --rm app
+            docker compose up app-migration --exit-code-from app-migration
+     
+      # Deploy Docker image with your application using `docker compose up` remotely
+      - name: remote docker-compose up via ssh
         uses: appleboy/ssh-action@v0.1.5
         env:
           APPTOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
@@ -167,5 +164,6 @@ jobs:
           envs: APPTOKEN,USERNAME
           script: |
             echo $APPTOKEN | docker login ghcr.io -u $USERNAME --password-stdin
-            docker compose -f ~/.deploy/${{ github.event.repository.name }}-docker-compose.yml pull
-            docker compose -f ~/.deploy/${{ github.event.repository.name }}-docker-compose.yml up -d
\ No newline at end of file
+            cd ~/.deploy/${{ github.event.repository.name }}
+            docker compose pull
+            docker compose up app -d