diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8286467..1de2d21 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -67,6 +67,23 @@ StudyMatePlus/
 - npm 9 or newer
 - MongoDB connection string
 
+## Docker Setup (Alternative & Recommended)
+
+If you have Docker and Docker Compose installed, you can spin up the complete development environment (Frontend, Backend, and a local MongoDB instance) with a single command. This avoids having to configure local environments manually.
+
+### 1. Build and start containers
+
+```bash
+docker-compose up --build
+```
+
+### 2. Access the application
+
+- **Frontend client**: http://localhost:3000
+- **Backend API**: http://localhost:5000
+
+The services support volume mounting, so any changes you make in `client/` or `server/` will automatically sync and trigger hot reloading inside the containers.
+
 ## Local setup
 
 ### 1. Clone the repository
diff --git a/client/.dockerignore b/client/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d59faa1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+node_modules
+build
+npm-debug.log
+.env
+.git
+.gitignore
diff --git a/client/Dockerfile b/client/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a7f06be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/client/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+FROM node:20-alpine
+
+# Set working directory
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Copy package files first
+COPY package*.json ./
+
+# Install dependencies
+RUN npm install
+
+# Copy the rest of the application files
+COPY . .
+
+# Expose react port
+EXPOSE 3000
+
+# Start client server
+CMD ["npm", "start"]
diff --git a/client/src/pages/Todo.js b/client/src/pages/Todo.js
index 0057af0..d2232b9 100644
--- a/client/src/pages/Todo.js
+++ b/client/src/pages/Todo.js
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ export default function Todo() {
   const [form, setForm] = useState(defaultForm);
   const [isEditing, setIsEditing] = useState(false);
   const [showModal, setShowModal] = useState(false);
+  const [error, setError] = useState("");
 
   useEffect(() => {
     // Load tasks and normalize recurring tasks so their deadlines are not in the past
@@ -77,11 +78,20 @@ export default function Todo() {
     setForm(defaultForm);
     setIsEditing(false);
     setShowModal(false);
+    setError("");
   }
 
   function handleSubmit(e) {
     e.preventDefault();
-    if (!form.title || !form.deadline) return alert("Please provide a title and deadline");
+    if (!form.title || !form.title.trim()) {
+      setError("Task title is required");
+      return;
+    }
+    if (!form.deadline) {
+      setError("Deadline is required");
+      return;
+    }
+    setError("");
 
     if (isEditing) {
       setTasks((prev) => prev.map((t) => (t.id === form.id ? { ...t, ...form } : t)));
@@ -172,10 +182,14 @@ export default function Todo() {
               <button aria-label="Close" className="modal-close" onClick={resetForm}>×</button>
             </div>
             <form className="todo-form" onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
+              {error && <div className="error-message" style={{color: 'red', fontSize: '0.85rem', marginBottom: '0.5rem'}}>{error}</div>}
               <div className="row">
                 <input
                   value={form.title}
-                  onChange={(e) => setForm((f) => ({ ...f, title: e.target.value }))}
+                  onChange={(e) => {
+                    setForm((f) => ({ ...f, title: e.target.value }));
+                    if (error) setError("");
+                  }}
                   placeholder="Task title"
                 />
                 <select value={form.recurrence} onChange={(e) => setForm((f) => ({ ...f, recurrence: e.target.value }))}>
@@ -202,6 +216,7 @@ export default function Todo() {
                           const v = e.target.value; // yyyy-mm-ddThh:mm
                           const iso = v ? new Date(v).toISOString() : '';
                           setForm((f) => ({ ...f, deadline: iso }));
+                          if (error) setError("");
                         }}
                   />
                 </label>
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..42c948f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+services:
+  mongodb:
+    image: mongo:latest
+    container_name: studymateplus-db
+    ports:
+      - "27017:27017"
+    volumes:
+      - mongo-data:/data/db
+    networks:
+      - studymateplus-network
+
+  server:
+    build:
+      context: ./server
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    container_name: studymateplus-server
+    ports:
+      - "5000:5000"
+    environment:
+      - PORT=5000
+      - MONGO_URI=mongodb://mongodb:27017/studymateplus
+      - JWT_SECRET=studymateplus_secret_key_123
+      - CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:3000
+    volumes:
+      - ./server:/app
+      - /app/node_modules
+    depends_on:
+      - mongodb
+    networks:
+      - studymateplus-network
+
+  client:
+    build:
+      context: ./client
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    container_name: studymateplus-client
+    ports:
+      - "3000:3000"
+    environment:
+      - REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:5000
+      - WDS_SOCKET_PORT=0
+    stdin_open: true
+    tty: true
+    volumes:
+      - ./client:/app
+      - /app/node_modules
+    depends_on:
+      - server
+    networks:
+      - studymateplus-network
+
+volumes:
+  mongo-data:
+
+networks:
+  studymateplus-network:
+    driver: bridge
diff --git a/server/.dockerignore b/server/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c6cdbfa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+node_modules
+npm-debug.log
+.env
+.git
+.gitignore
diff --git a/server/Dockerfile b/server/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..516ef57
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+FROM node:20-alpine
+
+# Set working directory
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Copy package files first
+COPY package*.json ./
+
+# Install dependencies
+RUN npm install
+
+# Copy the rest of the application files
+COPY . .
+
+# Expose server port
+EXPOSE 5000
+
+# Start server in dev mode
+CMD ["npm", "run", "dev"]