diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 974be0c..62f35c0 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 FROM node:18-alpine AS base
 WORKDIR /app
-ENV NODE_ENV=production
 
 # 1) Install dependencies (cached until package files change)
 COPY package*.json ./
@@ -16,5 +15,6 @@ COPY server.js ./
 COPY services ./services
 RUN mkdir -p config
 
+ENV NODE_ENV=production
 EXPOSE 3000
 CMD ["node", "server.js"]