diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 1e22375..72888d6 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,9 +1,57 @@
+ARG NODE_VERSION=24
+ARG PYTHON_VERSION=3.14-slim
+
+#############
+# build api #
+#############
+
+ARG PYTHON_VERSION
+FROM python:${PYTHON_VERSION} AS build-api
+
+# env setup
+WORKDIR /usr/local/src/advent22_api
+ENV \
+    PATH="/root/.local/bin:${PATH}"
+
+# install poetry with export plugin
+RUN set -ex; \
+    \
+    python -m pip --no-cache-dir install --upgrade pip wheel; \
+    \
+    apt-get update; apt-get install --yes --no-install-recommends \
+      curl \
+    ; rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*; \
+    \
+    curl -sSL https://install.python-poetry.org | python3 -; \
+    poetry self add poetry-plugin-export;
+
+# build dependency wheels
+COPY api/pyproject.toml api/poetry.lock ./
+RUN set -ex; \
+    \
+    # # buildtime dependencies
+    # apt-get update; apt-get install --yes --no-install-recommends \
+    #   build-essential \
+    # ; rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*; \
+    \
+    # generate requirements.txt
+    poetry export \
+      --format requirements.txt \
+      --output requirements.txt; \
+    \
+    python3 -m pip --no-cache-dir wheel \
+      --wheel-dir ./dist \
+      --requirement requirements.txt;
+
+# build advent22_api wheel
+COPY api ./
+RUN poetry build --format wheel --output ./dist
+
 ############
 # build ui #
 ############
 
-ARG NODE_VERSION=18.18
-ARG PYTHON_VERSION=3.11-slim
+ARG NODE_VERSION
 FROM node:${NODE_VERSION} AS build-ui
 
 # env setup
@@ -11,34 +59,68 @@ WORKDIR /usr/local/src/advent22_ui
 
 # install advent22_ui dependencies
 COPY ui/package*.json ui/yarn*.lock ./
-RUN yarn install --production false
+RUN set -ex; \
+    corepack enable; \
+    yarn install;
 
 # copy and build advent22_ui
 COPY ui ./
-RUN yarn build --dest /tmp/advent22_ui/html
+RUN set -ex; \
+    yarn dlx update-browserslist-db@latest; \
+    yarn build --dest /tmp/advent22_ui/html; \
+    # exclude webpack-bundle-analyzer output
+    rm -f /tmp/advent22_ui/html/report.html;
+
+######################
+# python preparation #
+######################
+
+ARG PYTHON_VERSION
+FROM python:${PYTHON_VERSION} AS uvicorn-gunicorn
+
+# where credit is due ...
+LABEL maintainer="Sebastián Ramirez <tiangolo@gmail.com>"
+WORKDIR /usr/local/share/uvicorn-gunicorn
+
+# install uvicorn-gunicorn
+COPY ./scripts/mini-tiangolo ./
+
+RUN set -ex; \
+  chmod +x start.sh; \
+  python3 -m pip --no-cache-dir install gunicorn;
+
+CMD ["/usr/local/share/uvicorn-gunicorn/start.sh"]
 
 ###########
 # web app #
 ###########
 
-ARG PYTHON_VERSION
-FROM tiangolo/uvicorn-gunicorn:python${PYTHON_VERSION} AS production
+FROM uvicorn-gunicorn AS production
 
 # env setup
-WORKDIR /usr/local/src/advent22_api
 ENV \  
     PRODUCTION_MODE="true" \
     PORT="8000" \
     MODULE_NAME="advent22_api.app"
 EXPOSE 8000
 
-# install advent22_api
-COPY api ./
+WORKDIR /opt/advent22
+VOLUME [ "/opt/advent22" ]
+
+COPY --from=build-api /usr/local/src/advent22_api/dist /usr/local/share/advent22_api.dist
 RUN set -ex; \
     # remove example app
     rm -rf /app; \
     \
-    python -m pip --no-cache-dir install ./
+    # # runtime dependencies
+    # apt-get update; apt-get install --yes --no-install-recommends \
+    # ; rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*; \
+    \
+    # install advent22_api wheels
+    python3 -m pip --no-cache-dir install --no-deps /usr/local/share/advent22_api.dist/*.whl; \
+    \
+    # prepare data directory
+    chown nobody:nogroup ./
 
 # add prepared advent22_ui
 COPY --from=build-ui /tmp/advent22_ui /usr/local/share/advent22_ui
diff --git a/scripts/check_version b/scripts/check_version
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..c65ffcb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/check_version
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+script="$( readlink -f "${0}" )"
+script_dir="$( dirname "${script}" )"
+
+git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD | grep -E '^develop$|^feature/' >/dev/null \
+    && git_status="developing"
+git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD | grep -E '^release/|^hotfix/' >/dev/null \
+    && git_status="releasing"
+git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD | grep -E '^master$' >/dev/null \
+    && git_status="released"
+
+
+if [ "${git_status}" = "developing" ]; then
+    echo "Status: Developing"
+    # => version from most recent tag
+    git_version="$( \
+        git describe --tags --abbrev=0 \
+        | sed -E 's/^v[^0-9]*((0|[1-9][0-9]*)[0-9\.]*[0-9]).*$/\1/'
+    )"
+elif [ "${git_status}" = "releasing" ]; then
+    echo "Status: Releasing"
+    # => version from releasing branch
+    git_version="$( \
+        git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD \
+        | cut -d '/' -f 2
+    )"
+elif [ "${git_status}" = "released" ]; then
+    echo "Status: Released"
+    # => version from current tag
+    git_version="$( \
+        git describe --tags \
+        | sed -E 's/^v[^0-9]*((0|[1-9][0-9]*)[0-9\.]*[0-9])$/\1/'
+    )"
+else
+    echo "ERROR: Invalid git branch"
+    echo "ERROR: Chores cannot be run on '$( git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD )'!"
+    exit 2
+fi
+
+api_version="$( \
+    grep '^version' "${script_dir}/../api/pyproject.toml" \
+    | sed -E 's/^version[^0-9]*((0|[1-9][0-9]*)[0-9\.]*[0-9]).*$/\1/'
+)"
+
+ui_version="$( \
+    grep '"version":' "${script_dir}/../ui/package.json" \
+    | sed -E 's/.*"version":[^0-9]*((0|[1-9][0-9]*)[0-9\.]*[0-9]).*$/\1/'
+)"
+
+if [ "${git_version}" = "${api_version}" ] \
+&& [ "${git_version}" = "${ui_version}" ]; then
+    mark="✅️"
+else
+    mark="❌️"
+fi
+
+echo "git: ${git_version}, api: ${api_version}, ui: ${ui_version}"
+echo ">>>>> RESULT: ${mark} <<<<<"
+
+[ "${mark}" = "✅️" ] || exit 1
diff --git a/scripts/mini-tiangolo/gunicorn_conf.py b/scripts/mini-tiangolo/gunicorn_conf.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7dd141d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/mini-tiangolo/gunicorn_conf.py
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+import json
+import multiprocessing
+import os
+
+workers_per_core_str = os.getenv("WORKERS_PER_CORE", "1")
+max_workers_str = os.getenv("MAX_WORKERS")
+use_max_workers = None
+if max_workers_str:
+    use_max_workers = int(max_workers_str)
+web_concurrency_str = os.getenv("WEB_CONCURRENCY", None)
+
+host = os.getenv("HOST", "0.0.0.0")
+port = os.getenv("PORT", "80")
+bind_env = os.getenv("BIND", None)
+use_loglevel = os.getenv("LOG_LEVEL", "info")
+if bind_env:
+    use_bind = bind_env
+else:
+    use_bind = f"{host}:{port}"
+
+cores = multiprocessing.cpu_count()
+workers_per_core = float(workers_per_core_str)
+default_web_concurrency = workers_per_core * cores
+if web_concurrency_str:
+    web_concurrency = int(web_concurrency_str)
+    assert web_concurrency > 0
+else:
+    web_concurrency = max(int(default_web_concurrency), 2)
+    if use_max_workers:
+        web_concurrency = min(web_concurrency, use_max_workers)
+accesslog_var = os.getenv("ACCESS_LOG", "-")
+use_accesslog = accesslog_var or None
+errorlog_var = os.getenv("ERROR_LOG", "-")
+use_errorlog = errorlog_var or None
+graceful_timeout_str = os.getenv("GRACEFUL_TIMEOUT", "120")
+timeout_str = os.getenv("TIMEOUT", "120")
+keepalive_str = os.getenv("KEEP_ALIVE", "5")
+
+# Gunicorn config variables
+loglevel = use_loglevel
+workers = web_concurrency
+bind = use_bind
+errorlog = use_errorlog
+worker_tmp_dir = "/dev/shm"
+accesslog = use_accesslog
+graceful_timeout = int(graceful_timeout_str)
+timeout = int(timeout_str)
+keepalive = int(keepalive_str)
+
+
+# For debugging and testing
+log_data = {
+    "loglevel": loglevel,
+    "workers": workers,
+    "bind": bind,
+    "graceful_timeout": graceful_timeout,
+    "timeout": timeout,
+    "keepalive": keepalive,
+    "errorlog": errorlog,
+    "accesslog": accesslog,
+    # Additional, non-gunicorn variables
+    "workers_per_core": workers_per_core,
+    "use_max_workers": use_max_workers,
+    "host": host,
+    "port": port,
+}
+print(json.dumps(log_data))
diff --git a/scripts/mini-tiangolo/start.sh b/scripts/mini-tiangolo/start.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b72737b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/mini-tiangolo/start.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+set -e
+
+MODULE_NAME=${MODULE_NAME:-"app.main"}
+VARIABLE_NAME=${VARIABLE_NAME:-"app"}
+export APP_MODULE="${APP_MODULE:-"$MODULE_NAME:$VARIABLE_NAME"}"
+export GUNICORN_CONF="${GUNICORN_CONF:-"/usr/local/share/uvicorn-gunicorn/gunicorn_conf.py"}"
+export WORKER_CLASS="${WORKER_CLASS:-"uvicorn.workers.UvicornWorker"}"
+
+if [ -f "${PRE_START_PATH}" ] ; then
+    echo "Running script ${PRE_START_PATH}"
+    # shellcheck disable=SC1090
+    . "${PRE_START_PATH}"
+fi
+
+# Start Gunicorn
+exec gunicorn \
+    -k "${WORKER_CLASS}" \
+    -c "${GUNICORN_CONF}" \
+    "${APP_MODULE}"
diff --git a/scripts/publish b/scripts/publish
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..fa9b1af
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/publish
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+script="$( readlink -f "${0}" )"
+script_dir="$( dirname "${script}" )"
+
+# shellcheck disable=SC1091
+. "${script_dir}/check_version"
+
+# vars defined in `check_version` script
+# shellcheck disable=SC2154
+if [ "${git_status}" = "releasing" ] || [ "${git_status}" = "released" ]; then
+    # shellcheck disable=SC2154
+    image_tag="${git_version}"
+else
+    image_tag="latest"
+fi
+
+docker buildx build \
+    --pull --push \
+    --tag "code.lenaisten.de/lenaisten/advent22:${image_tag}" \
+    --platform "linux/amd64" \
+    "${script_dir}/.."