diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 7579d6e..a7b3bdc 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -71,3 +71,13 @@ GID=1000
 
 # Grafana admin password
 GRAFANA_PASSWORD=your-secure-password
+
+# ===========================================
+# External Monitoring (Optional)
+# ===========================================
+# Set LOKI_URL to connect Promtail to an external Loki instance
+# instead of running a local Loki container.
+# Use 'make start-monitoring-external' to start in external mode.
+
+# LOKI_URL=https://loki.provider.com/loki/api/v1/push
+# LOKI_TENANT_ID=nginx-security
diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish.yml b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3c741e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+name: Publish
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [master]
+    tags: ['v*']
+
+env:
+  IMAGE_NAME: viktorpalchynskyi/nginx-security
+
+jobs:
+  publish:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up QEMU
+        uses: docker/setup-qemu-action@v3
+
+      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+
+      - name: Login to Docker Hub
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
+        with:
+          username: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}
+          password: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Docker metadata
+        id: meta
+        uses: docker/metadata-action@v5
+        with:
+          images: ${{ env.IMAGE_NAME }}
+          tags: |
+            type=raw,value=latest,enable={{is_default_branch}}
+            type=sha,prefix=sha-
+            type=semver,pattern={{version}}
+            type=semver,pattern={{major}}.{{minor}}
+
+      - name: Build and push
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
+        with:
+          context: .
+          platforms: linux/amd64,linux/arm64
+          push: true
+          tags: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.tags }}
+          labels: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.labels }}
+          cache-from: type=gha
+          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max
diff --git a/.github/workflows/verify.yml b/.github/workflows/verify.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..41c32d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/verify.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+name: Verify
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [master]
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [master]
+
+env:
+  IMAGE_NAME: viktorpalchynskyi/nginx-security
+
+jobs:
+  verify:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+
+      - name: Build image for testing
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
+        with:
+          context: .
+          load: true
+          tags: ${{ env.IMAGE_NAME }}:test
+          cache-from: type=gha
+          cache-to: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.repo.fork != true && 'type=gha,mode=max' || '' }}
+
+      - name: Start test environment
+        run: |
+          docker network create test-net
+          docker run -d --name httpbin --network test-net kennethreitz/httpbin:latest
+          docker run -d --name nginx-security \
+            --network test-net \
+            -e BACKEND=http://httpbin:80 \
+            -p 8080:8080 \
+            ${{ env.IMAGE_NAME }}:test
+          echo "Waiting for nginx to start..."
+          sleep 15
+          curl -sf http://localhost:8080/healthz || (docker logs nginx-security && exit 1)
+
+      - name: Run security tests
+        run: ./scripts/test-security.sh localhost:8080 http
+
+      - name: Run false positive tests
+        run: ./scripts/test-false-positives.sh localhost:8080 http
+
+      - name: Stop test environment
+        if: always()
+        run: |
+          docker stop nginx-security httpbin 2>/dev/null || true
+          docker rm nginx-security httpbin 2>/dev/null || true
+          docker network rm test-net 2>/dev/null || true
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 4c2aeff..855c879 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.PHONY: help build run run-ssl stop-standalone health-standalone start stop restart test test-security test-false-pos logs logs-audit status bans unban-all health clean start-monitoring stop-monitoring health-monitoring
+.PHONY: help build run run-ssl stop-standalone health-standalone start stop restart test test-security test-false-pos logs logs-audit status bans unban-all health clean start-monitoring stop-monitoring health-monitoring start-monitoring-external health-monitoring-external
 
 IMAGE_NAME ?= neolab/nginx-security
 IMAGE_TAG ?= latest
@@ -21,9 +21,11 @@ help:
 	@echo "  make restart              - Restart all services"
 	@echo ""
 	@echo "  Monitoring (optional add-on):"
-	@echo "  make start-monitoring     - Start monitoring stack"
-	@echo "  make stop-monitoring      - Stop monitoring stack"
-	@echo "  make health-monitoring    - Check monitoring health"
+	@echo "  make start-monitoring          - Start full monitoring stack (standalone)"
+	@echo "  make start-monitoring-external - Start monitoring (external Loki/Prometheus)"
+	@echo "  make stop-monitoring           - Stop monitoring stack"
+	@echo "  make health-monitoring         - Check monitoring health (standalone)"
+	@echo "  make health-monitoring-external - Check monitoring health (external)"
 	@echo ""
 	@echo "  Testing:"
 	@echo "  make test                 - Run all tests"
@@ -104,21 +106,47 @@ restart:
 # ===========================================
 
 start-monitoring:
-	docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml up -d
+	docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml --profile standalone --profile grafana up -d
 	@echo "Connecting nginx-security to monitoring network..."
 	@docker network connect nginx-security-monitoring $(CONTAINER_NAME) 2>/dev/null || true
 	@echo "Waiting for monitoring services to start..."
 	@sleep 15
 	@$(MAKE) health-monitoring
 
+start-monitoring-external:
+	@if [ -z "$(LOKI_URL)" ]; then \
+		echo "ERROR: LOKI_URL is not set."; \
+		echo "Set it in .env or export it: export LOKI_URL=https://loki.provider.com/loki/api/v1/push"; \
+		exit 1; \
+	fi
+	@echo "Starting external monitoring mode..."
+	@echo "  Loki URL: $$(echo '$(LOKI_URL)' | sed -E 's|://[^@]*@|://***@|')"
+	@docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml stop loki grafana 2>/dev/null || true
+	@docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml rm -f loki grafana 2>/dev/null || true
+	docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml up -d nginx-exporter crowdsec promtail
+	@echo "Connecting nginx-security to monitoring network..."
+	@docker network connect nginx-security-monitoring $(CONTAINER_NAME) 2>/dev/null || true
+	@echo "Waiting for monitoring services to start..."
+	@sleep 15
+	@$(MAKE) health-monitoring-external
+
 stop-monitoring:
+	docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml --profile standalone --profile grafana down
 	docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml down
 
 health-monitoring:
-	@echo "Checking monitoring health..."
+	@echo "Checking monitoring health (standalone)..."
 	@curl -sf http://localhost:9113/metrics > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "nginx-exporter: OK" || echo "nginx-exporter: FAIL"
 	@curl -sf http://localhost:6060/metrics > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "crowdsec: OK" || echo "crowdsec: FAIL"
 	@curl -sf http://localhost:3100/ready > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "loki: OK" || echo "loki: FAIL"
+	@curl -sf http://localhost:3000/api/health > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "grafana: OK" || echo "grafana: FAIL"
+
+health-monitoring-external:
+	@echo "Checking monitoring health (external)..."
+	@curl -sf http://localhost:9113/metrics > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "nginx-exporter: OK" || echo "nginx-exporter: FAIL"
+	@curl -sf http://localhost:6060/metrics > /dev/null 2>&1 && echo "crowdsec: OK" || echo "crowdsec: FAIL"
+	@docker ps --format '{{.Names}}' | grep -q promtail && echo "promtail: RUNNING" || echo "promtail: NOT RUNNING"
+	@docker ps --format '{{.Names}}' | grep -q loki && echo "WARNING: loki is running (should not be in external mode)" || echo "loki: NOT RUNNING (expected)"
 
 # ===========================================
 # Testing
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7120ec5..8eb8d05 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,289 +1,185 @@
 # Nginx Security Stack
 
-Production-ready security layer for web applications. Single Docker image with WAF, rate limiting, and OWASP protection.
+Reverse proxy with built-in WAF, rate limiting, and OWASP protection. Single Docker image — put it in front of your backend.
 
-**Features**:
-- OWASP ModSecurity CRS v4 (WAF with 15 custom rules)
-- Rate limiting per IP (auth: 5 req/min, API: 100 req/min)
-- SQL injection, XSS, SSRF, path traversal protection
-- Scanner/bot detection (sqlmap, nikto, nmap, burpsuite)
-- HTTPS backend proxy support (for backends on HTTPS:8443)
-- JSON audit logging for all blocked requests
-- Optional monitoring: CrowdSec IPS, Loki, Grafana
+## 1. Run
 
-## Prerequisites
-
-- Docker 20.10+
-- 512MB RAM minimum (1GB recommended with monitoring)
-- SSL certificates (for HTTPS termination, optional)
-
-## Quick Start
+The only required setting is `BACKEND` — the URL of your application.
 
 ```bash
-# 1. Build the image
-make build
-
-# 2. Run with your backend
 docker run -d --name nginx-security \
   -e BACKEND=http://your-app:3000 \
   -p 80:8080 \
-  neolab/nginx-security
-
-# 3. Verify
-curl http://localhost/healthz
+  viktorpalchynskyi/nginx-security
 ```
 
-### Cloudbankin Deployment (HTTPS backend)
+Check that it works:
 
 ```bash
-docker run -d --name nginx-security \
-  -e BACKEND=https://paapapayperf.uat.cloudbankin.com:8443 \
-  -e PROXY_SSL=on \
-  -e PROXY_SSL_VERIFY=off \
-  -p 80:8080 -p 443:8443 \
-  neolab/nginx-security
+curl http://localhost/healthz
 ```
 
-### With SSL Termination
+Done. WAF and rate limiting are enabled by default.
+
+## 2. Add HTTPS (optional)
+
+Provide your SSL certificate and key:
 
 ```bash
 docker run -d --name nginx-security \
   -e BACKEND=http://your-app:3000 \
-  -p 80:8080 -p 443:8443 \
+  -e NGINX_ALWAYS_TLS_REDIRECT=on \
   -v /path/to/fullchain.pem:/etc/nginx/certs/fullchain.pem:ro \
   -v /path/to/privkey.pem:/etc/nginx/certs/privkey.pem:ro \
-  neolab/nginx-security
+  -p 80:8080 -p 443:8443 \
+  viktorpalchynskyi/nginx-security
 ```
 
-## Development Mode
-
-Uses docker-compose with httpbin test backend:
+If your backend is on HTTPS, add:
 
 ```bash
-cp .env.example .env
-make start          # Starts nginx-waf + crowdsec + httpbin
-make test           # Run security + false positive tests
-make stop           # Stop everything
+  -e BACKEND=https://your-app:8443 \
+  -e PROXY_SSL=on \
 ```
 
-## Environment Variables
+## 3. Add Monitoring with Grafana (optional)
 
-| Variable | Default | Description |
-|----------|---------|-------------|
-| `BACKEND` | `http://localhost:80` | Backend URL to proxy to |
-| `PORT` | `8080` | HTTP listen port |
-| `SSL_PORT` | `8443` | HTTPS listen port |
-| `SERVER_NAME` | `_` | Nginx server_name |
-| `MODSEC_RULE_ENGINE` | `On` | WAF mode: `On`, `DetectionOnly`, `Off` |
-| `PARANOIA` | `1` | OWASP CRS paranoia level (1-4, higher = stricter) |
-| `ANOMALY_INBOUND` | `5` | Inbound anomaly score threshold |
-| `ANOMALY_OUTBOUND` | `4` | Outbound anomaly score threshold |
-| `PROXY_TIMEOUT` | `60` | Backend proxy timeout (seconds) |
-| `PROXY_SSL` | `off` | Enable SSL to backend (`on`/`off`) |
-| `PROXY_SSL_VERIFY` | `off` | Verify backend SSL cert (`on`/`off`) |
-| `PROXY_SSL_PROTOCOLS` | `TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3` | Allowed SSL protocols to backend |
-| `SET_REAL_IP_FROM` | — | Trusted proxy CIDR (for LB/CDN) |
-| `REAL_IP_HEADER` | `X-Forwarded-For` | Header containing real client IP |
+Starts Loki + Promtail + Grafana + nginx-exporter + CrowdSec alongside the nginx-security container.
 
-## Add Monitoring (Optional)
-
-The monitoring stack runs as separate containers alongside the main image:
+**With make:**
 
 ```bash
-# Start CrowdSec + Loki + Promtail + nginx-exporter
-docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml up -d
-
-# With Grafana dashboards
-docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml --profile grafana up -d
-
-# With CrowdSec firewall bouncer (IP blocking)
-docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml --profile bouncer up -d
-
-# Check health
-make health-monitoring
-
-# Stop
-make stop-monitoring
+make start-monitoring
 ```
 
-Monitoring services share logs via host-mounted `./logs/` volume.
-
-**Ports**: nginx-exporter (9113), CrowdSec (6060), Loki (3100), Grafana (3000)
-
-### Connect to Existing Grafana (Loki Data Source)
-
-If Cloudbankin already has Grafana, add Loki as a data source instead of running a separate Grafana:
+**With docker compose:**
 
 ```bash
-# Start monitoring without Grafana
-docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml up -d
+docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml --profile standalone --profile grafana up -d
+docker network connect nginx-security-monitoring nginx-security
 ```
 
-In your existing Grafana, add data source:
-- **Type**: Loki
-- **URL**: `http://<monitoring-host>:3100`
-- **Access**: Server
-
-Example queries:
-- All blocked requests: `{job="nginx", type="access"} |= "403"`
-- ModSecurity audit events: `{job="modsecurity"}`
-- Rate-limited requests: `{job="nginx", type="access"} |= "429"`
+After startup:
 
-## Configuration Reference
+1. Open Grafana at `http://localhost:3000` (login: `admin` / `admin`)
+2. Go to **Dashboards** → **Import** → upload [`monitoring/dashboards/nginx-security.json`](monitoring/dashboards/nginx-security.json)
+3. Select **Prometheus** and **Loki** data sources when prompted
 
-### Paranoia Levels
-
-| Level | Description | Use Case |
-|-------|-------------|----------|
-| 1 | Standard detection, minimal false positives | Production (default) |
-| 2 | Extended detection, some false positives | Sensitive APIs |
-| 3 | Aggressive detection, more false positives | High-security |
-| 4 | Maximum detection, many false positives | Testing/audit only |
-
-### Rate Limiting
-
-| Zone | Rate | Burst | Endpoints |
-|------|------|-------|-----------|
-| `auth` | 5 req/min | 3 | Login, register, verify, OTP, authentication |
-| `api` | 100 req/min | 20 | `/api/*`, `/graphql` |
-
-Auth rate limiting matches Cloudbankin URL patterns:
-- `/api/auth/login`
-- `/cloudbankin/api/v1/public/los/login`
-- `/cloudbankin/api/v1/authentication`
-- `/cloudbankin/api/v1/public/los/borrower-login-verify`
-
-### Custom WAF Rules (15 rules)
-
-- Advanced SQL injection detection
-- XSS (script, javascript:, event handlers)
-- Command injection with path traversal
-- Path traversal (plain, URL-encoded, double-encoded)
-- Sensitive file access (.env, .git, /etc/passwd)
-- Null byte injection
-- Scanner/bot User-Agent detection
-- SSRF protection (internal IPs, cloud metadata)
-- HTTP method restriction (GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, OPTIONS, HEAD)
-
-## Verification
+Check health:
 
 ```bash
-# Health check
-curl http://localhost:8080/healthz
-
-# WAF test (should return 403)
-curl "http://localhost:8080/?id=1'+OR+'1'='1"
+make health-monitoring
+```
 
-# Rate limit test (6th request should return 429)
-for i in {1..6}; do
-  curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code} " -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/auth/login
-done
+Stop:
 
-# Run full test suite (requires development mode)
-make test-security
-make test-false-pos
+```bash
+make stop-monitoring
 ```
 
-## Troubleshooting
+### Connect to an Existing Grafana
 
-### False Positives (Legitimate Requests Blocked)
+If you already have Grafana, Prometheus, and Loki — use external mode. Only Promtail, nginx-exporter, and CrowdSec are started.
 
-```bash
-# 1. Check which rule is blocking
-docker exec nginx-waf tail -100 /var/log/modsecurity/audit.log | jq '.transaction.messages[].ruleId'
+**With make:**
 
-# 2. Add exclusion to config/modsecurity/exclusions.conf:
-# SecRuleRemoveById <rule_id>
+```bash
+# Set your Loki URL in .env or export it
+export LOKI_URL=https://your-loki:3100/loki/api/v1/push
 
-# 3. Rebuild image
-make build
+make start-monitoring-external
 ```
 
-### Emergency WAF Disable
+**With docker compose:**
 
 ```bash
-# Switch to detection-only mode (logs but doesn't block)
-docker run -d --name nginx-security \
-  -e BACKEND=http://your-app:3000 \
-  -e MODSEC_RULE_ENGINE=DetectionOnly \
-  -p 80:8080 \
-  neolab/nginx-security
+export LOKI_URL=https://your-loki:3100/loki/api/v1/push
 
-# Disable WAF completely
-# -e MODSEC_RULE_ENGINE=Off
+docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml up -d nginx-exporter crowdsec promtail
+docker network connect nginx-security-monitoring nginx-security
 ```
 
-### Load Balancer / CDN Configuration
-
-When behind a load balancer, set these to get real client IPs for rate limiting:
+Then add scrape targets to your Prometheus (see [`monitoring/prometheus-scrape-config.yml`](monitoring/prometheus-scrape-config.yml)):
 
-```bash
-docker run -d --name nginx-security \
-  -e BACKEND=http://your-app:3000 \
-  -e SET_REAL_IP_FROM=10.0.0.0/8 \
-  -e REAL_IP_HEADER=X-Forwarded-For \
-  -p 80:8080 \
-  neolab/nginx-security
+```yaml
+scrape_configs:
+  - job_name: 'nginx-waf'
+    static_configs:
+      - targets: ['<nginx-security-host>:9113']
+  - job_name: 'crowdsec'
+    static_configs:
+      - targets: ['<nginx-security-host>:6060']
 ```
 
-## Architecture
+Import the dashboard [`monitoring/dashboards/nginx-security.json`](monitoring/dashboards/nginx-security.json) into your Grafana.
+
+### Useful Loki Queries
 
 ```
-                    ┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
-                    │         neolab/nginx-security            │
-  Client ──────►   │  Nginx + ModSecurity CRS v4              │  ──────► Backend
-  (HTTP/HTTPS)     │  ┌─────────┐  ┌──────────┐  ┌────────┐  │          (HTTP/HTTPS)
-                    │  │  Rate   │─►│   WAF    │─►│ Proxy  │  │
-                    │  │ Limiter │  │(15 rules)│  │        │  │
-                    │  └─────────┘  └──────────┘  └────────┘  │
-                    └────────────────────┬────────────────────┘
-                                         │ logs (volume mount)
-                    ┌────────────────────┴────────────────────┐
-                    │     Monitoring (optional, separate)      │
-                    │  CrowdSec │ Loki │ Promtail │ Grafana   │
-                    └─────────────────────────────────────────┘
+{job="nginx", type="access"} |= "403"    # Blocked by WAF
+{job="nginx", type="access"} |= "429"    # Rate limited
+{job="modsecurity"}                       # WAF audit events
 ```
 
-## File Structure
+## Reference
 
-```
-cloud-native-nginx/
-├── Dockerfile                          # Single-image build
-├── .dockerignore                       # Build context exclusions
-├── Makefile                            # All commands
-├── docker-compose.yml                  # Development env (with httpbin)
-├── docker-compose.monitoring.yml       # Monitoring stack (optional)
-├── .env.example                        # Environment variable template
-│
-├── config/
-│   ├── nginx/
-│   │   └── default.conf.template       # Nginx config (rate limiting, proxy)
-│   ├── modsecurity/
-│   │   ├── custom-rules.conf           # 15 custom WAF rules
-│   │   └── exclusions.conf             # False positive exclusions
-│   ├── crowdsec/                       # CrowdSec IPS config
-│   ├── loki/
-│   │   └── loki-config.yml             # Log aggregation config
-│   └── promtail/
-│       └── promtail-config.yml         # Log collector config
-│
-├── scripts/
-│   ├── test-security.sh                # Attack tests (SQLi, XSS, SSRF, etc.)
-│   └── test-false-positives.sh         # Legitimate traffic tests
-│
-├── docs/
-│   ├── QUICK_REFERENCE.md              # Command reference
-│   └── EMERGENCY.md                    # Emergency procedures
-│
-├── certs/                              # SSL certificates (not in image)
-├── logs/                               # Shared log volume
-│   ├── nginx/
-│   └── modsecurity/
-└── monitoring/
-    └── prometheus-scrape-config.yml    # Prometheus config template
-```
+### Environment Variables
 
-## Docs
+All variables have sensible defaults. You only need to set `BACKEND`.
 
-- [Quick Reference](docs/QUICK_REFERENCE.md) - All commands and manual operations
-- [Emergency Procedures](docs/EMERGENCY.md) - Incident response playbook
+| Variable | Default | Description |
+|----------|---------|-------------|
+| **Core** | | |
+| `BACKEND` | `http://localhost:80` | **Required.** Backend URL to proxy to |
+| `PORT` | `8080` | HTTP listen port |
+| `SSL_PORT` | `8443` | HTTPS listen port |
+| `SERVER_NAME` | `_` | Nginx server_name |
+| `PROXY_TIMEOUT` | `60` | Backend proxy timeout (seconds) |
+| `SERVER_TOKENS` | `off` | Show nginx version in headers (`on`/`off`) |
+| **WAF** | | |
+| `MODSEC_RULE_ENGINE` | `On` | `On` = blocking, `DetectionOnly` = logging only, `Off` = disabled |
+| `PARANOIA` | `1` | OWASP CRS paranoia level 1-4 (higher = stricter) |
+| `ANOMALY_INBOUND` | `5` | Inbound anomaly score threshold |
+| `ANOMALY_OUTBOUND` | `4` | Outbound anomaly score threshold |
+| `MODSEC_AUDIT_LOG` | `/var/log/modsecurity/audit.log` | Path to WAF audit log |
+| `MODSEC_AUDIT_LOG_FORMAT` | `JSON` | Audit log format (`JSON` or `Native`) |
+| **HTTPS backend** | | |
+| `PROXY_SSL` | `off` | Enable SSL to backend (`on`/`off`) |
+| `PROXY_SSL_VERIFY` | `off` | Verify backend SSL certificate (`on`/`off`) |
+| `PROXY_SSL_PROTOCOLS` | `TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3` | Allowed SSL protocols to backend |
+| **Real IP** | | |
+| `SET_REAL_IP_FROM` | — | Trusted proxy CIDR for LB/CDN (e.g. `10.0.0.0/8`) |
+| `REAL_IP_HEADER` | `X-Forwarded-For` | Header containing real client IP |
+| **SSL termination** | | |
+| `SSL_CERT_FILE` | `/etc/nginx/certs/fullchain.pem` | Path to SSL certificate |
+| `SSL_CERT_KEY_FILE` | `/etc/nginx/certs/privkey.pem` | Path to SSL private key |
+| `SSL_PROTOCOLS` | `TLSv1.2 TLSv1.3` | Allowed TLS protocols |
+| `SSL_CIPHERS` | *(base image default)* | Allowed SSL ciphers |
+| `SSL_PREFER_CIPHERS` | `on` | Prefer server ciphers over client (`on`/`off`) |
+| `SSL_DH_BITS` | `2048` | DH parameters size (`2048` or `4096`) |
+| `SSL_OCSP_STAPLING` | `on` | OCSP stapling (`on`/`off`) |
+| `SSL_VERIFY` | `off` | Verify client certificate (`on`/`off`) |
+| `SSL_VERIFY_DEPTH` | `1` | Client certificate chain verification depth |
+| `NGINX_ALWAYS_TLS_REDIRECT` | `off` | Redirect all HTTP to HTTPS (`on`/`off`) |
+
+### Volumes
+
+All optional. The image works out of the box.
+
+| Container Path | What It Does |
+|----------------|-------------|
+| `/etc/nginx/certs/` | SSL certificates for HTTPS termination |
+| `/var/log/nginx/` | Nginx access and error logs |
+| `/var/log/modsecurity/` | WAF audit logs (JSON) |
+| `/etc/nginx/templates/conf.d/default.conf.template` | Custom nginx config (override rate limits, locations) |
+| `/etc/modsecurity.d/owasp-crs/rules/RESPONSE-999-CUSTOM.conf` | Custom WAF rules |
+| `/etc/modsecurity.d/owasp-crs/rules/REQUEST-900-EXCLUSION-RULES-BEFORE-CRS.conf` | WAF rule exclusions (false positive fixes) |
+
+### Ports
+
+| Port | Description |
+|------|-------------|
+| 8080 | HTTP |
+| 8443 | HTTPS |
+| 9113 | nginx-exporter metrics (sidecar) |
+| 6060 | CrowdSec metrics (sidecar) |
diff --git a/config/promtail/promtail-config.yml b/config/promtail/promtail-config.yml
index 8db5082..02c7db7 100644
--- a/config/promtail/promtail-config.yml
+++ b/config/promtail/promtail-config.yml
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ positions:
   filename: /tmp/positions.yaml
 
 clients:
-  - url: http://loki:3100/loki/api/v1/push
+  - url: ${LOKI_URL}
+    tenant_id: ${LOKI_TENANT_ID}
 
 scrape_configs:
   # Nginx access logs
diff --git a/docker-compose.monitoring.yml b/docker-compose.monitoring.yml
index 4ae7586..9d4103b 100644
--- a/docker-compose.monitoring.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.monitoring.yml
@@ -2,9 +2,14 @@
 # Reads logs from shared host volumes (./logs/)
 #
 # Usage:
-#   docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml up -d
-#   docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml --profile bouncer up -d  # with IP blocking
-#   docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml --profile grafana up -d  # with dashboards
+#   Standalone (full stack):
+#     docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml --profile standalone up -d
+#   External (connect to provider's Loki/Prometheus):
+#     LOKI_URL=https://loki.provider.com/loki/api/v1/push docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml up -d
+#   With Grafana dashboards:
+#     docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml --profile standalone --profile grafana up -d
+#   With CrowdSec bouncer:
+#     docker compose -f docker-compose.monitoring.yml --profile standalone --profile bouncer up -d
 
 services:
   # ===========================================
@@ -68,11 +73,13 @@ services:
           memory: 128M
 
   # ===========================================
-  # Loki - Log Aggregation
+  # Loki - Log Aggregation (standalone mode only)
   # ===========================================
   loki:
     image: grafana/loki:3.3.2
     container_name: loki
+    profiles:
+      - standalone
     ports:
       - "${LOKI_PORT:-3100}:3100"
     volumes:
@@ -98,11 +105,12 @@ services:
     volumes:
       - ./config/promtail/promtail-config.yml:/etc/promtail/promtail-config.yml:ro
       - ./logs:/var/log/app:ro
-    command: -config.file=/etc/promtail/promtail-config.yml
+    command: -config.file=/etc/promtail/promtail-config.yml -config.expand-env=true
+    environment:
+      - LOKI_URL=${LOKI_URL:-http://loki:3100/loki/api/v1/push}
+      - LOKI_TENANT_ID=${LOKI_TENANT_ID:-}
     networks:
       - monitoring-net
-    depends_on:
-      - loki
     restart: unless-stopped
 
   # ===========================================
@@ -148,8 +156,6 @@ services:
       - grafana-data:/var/lib/grafana
     networks:
       - monitoring-net
-    depends_on:
-      - loki
     restart: unless-stopped
     profiles:
       - grafana
diff --git a/monitoring/dashboards/README.md b/monitoring/dashboards/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fe59beb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/monitoring/dashboards/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+# Grafana Dashboard — Nginx Security Stack
+
+Pre-built Grafana dashboard for monitoring the Nginx Security Stack.
+
+## Import Instructions
+
+### Via Grafana UI
+
+1. Open Grafana → **Dashboards** → **New** → **Import**
+2. Click **Upload dashboard JSON file** and select `nginx-security.json`
+3. Select your **Prometheus** and **Loki** data sources when prompted
+4. Click **Import**
+
+### Via Grafana API
+
+```bash
+curl -X POST http://admin:password@grafana-host:3000/api/dashboards/import \
+  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
+  -d @nginx-security.json
+```
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+The dashboard requires two data sources configured in Grafana:
+
+| Data Source | Type | Purpose |
+|---|---|---|
+| Prometheus | `prometheus` | nginx-exporter metrics (port 9113) + CrowdSec metrics (port 6060) |
+| Loki | `loki` | Nginx access/error logs + ModSecurity audit logs |
+
+Add scrape targets to Prometheus using `monitoring/prometheus-scrape-config.yml`.
+
+## Dashboard Panels
+
+### Status Row
+- **Nginx Status** — UP/DOWN indicator
+- **Active Connections** — current active connections
+- **Request Rate** — requests per second (5m average)
+- **CrowdSec Active Bans** — current active ban decisions
+- **CrowdSec Alerts** — alerts in last 24h
+- **Attack Rate** — CrowdSec scenario triggers per second
+
+### Metrics Charts
+- **Request Rate Over Time** — HTTP requests/s timeseries
+- **Nginx Connections** — active, reading, writing, waiting connections
+- **CrowdSec Active Decisions** — ban/captcha decisions by reason
+- **CrowdSec Attack Rate** — scenario overflows and alerts rate
+
+### Log Panels
+- **Nginx Access Logs** — all access log entries
+- **Nginx Error Logs** — error log entries
+- **ModSecurity Audit Logs** — WAF audit events (JSON)
+- **Blocked Requests (403)** — requests blocked by WAF
+- **Rate Limited Requests (429)** — requests blocked by rate limiter
diff --git a/monitoring/dashboards/nginx-security.json b/monitoring/dashboards/nginx-security.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ab1334
--- /dev/null
+++ b/monitoring/dashboards/nginx-security.json
@@ -0,0 +1,336 @@
+{
+  "__inputs": [
+    {
+      "name": "DS_PROMETHEUS",
+      "label": "Prometheus",
+      "description": "Prometheus data source for nginx-exporter and CrowdSec metrics",
+      "type": "datasource",
+      "pluginId": "prometheus",
+      "pluginName": "Prometheus"
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "DS_LOKI",
+      "label": "Loki",
+      "description": "Loki data source for nginx and ModSecurity logs",
+      "type": "datasource",
+      "pluginId": "loki",
+      "pluginName": "Loki"
+    }
+  ],
+  "__requires": [
+    { "type": "grafana", "id": "grafana", "name": "Grafana", "version": "10.0.0" },
+    { "type": "datasource", "id": "prometheus", "name": "Prometheus" },
+    { "type": "datasource", "id": "loki", "name": "Loki" },
+    { "type": "panel", "id": "timeseries", "name": "Time series" },
+    { "type": "panel", "id": "stat", "name": "Stat" },
+    { "type": "panel", "id": "logs", "name": "Logs" },
+    { "type": "panel", "id": "table", "name": "Table" }
+  ],
+  "id": null,
+  "uid": "nginx-security-overview",
+  "title": "Nginx Security Stack",
+  "description": "Overview of Nginx WAF, CrowdSec IPS, and security events",
+  "tags": ["nginx", "security", "waf", "crowdsec", "modsecurity"],
+  "timezone": "browser",
+  "editable": true,
+  "fiscalYearStartMonth": 0,
+  "graphTooltip": 1,
+  "links": [],
+  "panels": [
+    {
+      "id": 1,
+      "title": "Nginx Status",
+      "type": "stat",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 4, "w": 4, "x": 0, "y": 0 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "prometheus", "uid": "${DS_PROMETHEUS}" },
+      "targets": [
+        {
+          "expr": "nginx_up",
+          "legendFormat": "Nginx"
+        }
+      ],
+      "fieldConfig": {
+        "defaults": {
+          "mappings": [
+            { "options": { "0": { "text": "DOWN", "color": "red" }, "1": { "text": "UP", "color": "green" } }, "type": "value" }
+          ],
+          "thresholds": { "mode": "absolute", "steps": [{ "color": "red", "value": null }, { "color": "green", "value": 1 }] }
+        },
+        "overrides": []
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 2,
+      "title": "Active Connections",
+      "type": "stat",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 4, "w": 4, "x": 4, "y": 0 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "prometheus", "uid": "${DS_PROMETHEUS}" },
+      "targets": [
+        {
+          "expr": "nginx_connections_active",
+          "legendFormat": "Active"
+        }
+      ],
+      "fieldConfig": {
+        "defaults": {
+          "thresholds": { "mode": "absolute", "steps": [{ "color": "green", "value": null }, { "color": "yellow", "value": 100 }, { "color": "red", "value": 500 }] }
+        },
+        "overrides": []
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 3,
+      "title": "Request Rate",
+      "type": "stat",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 4, "w": 4, "x": 8, "y": 0 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "prometheus", "uid": "${DS_PROMETHEUS}" },
+      "targets": [
+        {
+          "expr": "rate(nginx_http_requests_total[5m])",
+          "legendFormat": "req/s"
+        }
+      ],
+      "fieldConfig": {
+        "defaults": {
+          "unit": "reqps",
+          "thresholds": { "mode": "absolute", "steps": [{ "color": "green", "value": null }, { "color": "yellow", "value": 100 }, { "color": "red", "value": 500 }] }
+        },
+        "overrides": []
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 4,
+      "title": "CrowdSec Active Bans",
+      "type": "stat",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 4, "w": 4, "x": 12, "y": 0 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "prometheus", "uid": "${DS_PROMETHEUS}" },
+      "targets": [
+        {
+          "expr": "sum(cs_active_decisions) or vector(0)",
+          "legendFormat": "Bans"
+        }
+      ],
+      "fieldConfig": {
+        "defaults": {
+          "thresholds": { "mode": "absolute", "steps": [{ "color": "green", "value": null }, { "color": "yellow", "value": 5 }, { "color": "red", "value": 20 }] }
+        },
+        "overrides": []
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 5,
+      "title": "CrowdSec Alerts",
+      "type": "stat",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 4, "w": 4, "x": 16, "y": 0 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "prometheus", "uid": "${DS_PROMETHEUS}" },
+      "targets": [
+        {
+          "expr": "sum(increase(cs_alerts_total[24h])) or vector(0)",
+          "legendFormat": "24h"
+        }
+      ],
+      "fieldConfig": {
+        "defaults": {
+          "thresholds": { "mode": "absolute", "steps": [{ "color": "green", "value": null }, { "color": "yellow", "value": 10 }, { "color": "red", "value": 50 }] }
+        },
+        "overrides": []
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 6,
+      "title": "Attack Rate (CrowdSec)",
+      "type": "stat",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 4, "w": 4, "x": 20, "y": 0 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "prometheus", "uid": "${DS_PROMETHEUS}" },
+      "targets": [
+        {
+          "expr": "sum(rate(cs_bucket_overflowed_total[5m])) or vector(0)",
+          "legendFormat": "attacks/s"
+        }
+      ],
+      "fieldConfig": {
+        "defaults": {
+          "unit": "ops",
+          "thresholds": { "mode": "absolute", "steps": [{ "color": "green", "value": null }, { "color": "yellow", "value": 0.1 }, { "color": "red", "value": 1 }] }
+        },
+        "overrides": []
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 10,
+      "title": "Request Rate Over Time",
+      "type": "timeseries",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 8, "w": 12, "x": 0, "y": 4 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "prometheus", "uid": "${DS_PROMETHEUS}" },
+      "targets": [
+        {
+          "expr": "rate(nginx_http_requests_total[5m])",
+          "legendFormat": "Requests/s"
+        }
+      ],
+      "fieldConfig": {
+        "defaults": {
+          "unit": "reqps",
+          "custom": { "drawStyle": "line", "lineInterpolation": "smooth", "fillOpacity": 20 }
+        },
+        "overrides": []
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 11,
+      "title": "Nginx Connections",
+      "type": "timeseries",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 8, "w": 12, "x": 12, "y": 4 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "prometheus", "uid": "${DS_PROMETHEUS}" },
+      "targets": [
+        { "expr": "nginx_connections_active", "legendFormat": "Active" },
+        { "expr": "nginx_connections_reading", "legendFormat": "Reading" },
+        { "expr": "nginx_connections_writing", "legendFormat": "Writing" },
+        { "expr": "nginx_connections_waiting", "legendFormat": "Waiting" }
+      ],
+      "fieldConfig": {
+        "defaults": {
+          "custom": { "drawStyle": "line", "lineInterpolation": "smooth", "fillOpacity": 10 }
+        },
+        "overrides": []
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 12,
+      "title": "CrowdSec Active Decisions",
+      "type": "timeseries",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 8, "w": 12, "x": 0, "y": 12 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "prometheus", "uid": "${DS_PROMETHEUS}" },
+      "targets": [
+        { "expr": "cs_active_decisions{action=\"ban\"}", "legendFormat": "Ban - {{reason}}" },
+        { "expr": "cs_active_decisions{action=\"captcha\"}", "legendFormat": "Captcha - {{reason}}" }
+      ],
+      "fieldConfig": {
+        "defaults": {
+          "custom": { "drawStyle": "bars", "fillOpacity": 50 }
+        },
+        "overrides": []
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 13,
+      "title": "CrowdSec Attack Rate",
+      "type": "timeseries",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 8, "w": 12, "x": 12, "y": 12 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "prometheus", "uid": "${DS_PROMETHEUS}" },
+      "targets": [
+        { "expr": "rate(cs_bucket_overflowed_total[5m])", "legendFormat": "{{name}}" },
+        { "expr": "rate(cs_alerts_total[5m])", "legendFormat": "Alerts" }
+      ],
+      "fieldConfig": {
+        "defaults": {
+          "unit": "ops",
+          "custom": { "drawStyle": "line", "lineInterpolation": "smooth", "fillOpacity": 20 }
+        },
+        "overrides": []
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 20,
+      "title": "Nginx Access Logs",
+      "type": "logs",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 8, "w": 12, "x": 0, "y": 20 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "loki", "uid": "${DS_LOKI}" },
+      "targets": [
+        {
+          "expr": "{job=\"nginx\", type=\"access\"}",
+          "legendFormat": ""
+        }
+      ],
+      "options": {
+        "showTime": true,
+        "sortOrder": "Descending",
+        "wrapLogMessage": true,
+        "enableLogDetails": true
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 21,
+      "title": "Nginx Error Logs",
+      "type": "logs",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 8, "w": 12, "x": 12, "y": 20 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "loki", "uid": "${DS_LOKI}" },
+      "targets": [
+        {
+          "expr": "{job=\"nginx\", type=\"error\"}",
+          "legendFormat": ""
+        }
+      ],
+      "options": {
+        "showTime": true,
+        "sortOrder": "Descending",
+        "wrapLogMessage": true,
+        "enableLogDetails": true
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 22,
+      "title": "ModSecurity Audit Logs",
+      "type": "logs",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 8, "w": 24, "x": 0, "y": 28 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "loki", "uid": "${DS_LOKI}" },
+      "targets": [
+        {
+          "expr": "{job=\"modsecurity\"}",
+          "legendFormat": ""
+        }
+      ],
+      "options": {
+        "showTime": true,
+        "sortOrder": "Descending",
+        "wrapLogMessage": true,
+        "enableLogDetails": true
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 23,
+      "title": "Blocked Requests (403)",
+      "type": "logs",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 8, "w": 12, "x": 0, "y": 36 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "loki", "uid": "${DS_LOKI}" },
+      "targets": [
+        {
+          "expr": "{job=\"nginx\", type=\"access\"} |= \"403\"",
+          "legendFormat": ""
+        }
+      ],
+      "options": {
+        "showTime": true,
+        "sortOrder": "Descending",
+        "wrapLogMessage": true,
+        "enableLogDetails": true
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 24,
+      "title": "Rate Limited Requests (429)",
+      "type": "logs",
+      "gridPos": { "h": 8, "w": 12, "x": 12, "y": 36 },
+      "datasource": { "type": "loki", "uid": "${DS_LOKI}" },
+      "targets": [
+        {
+          "expr": "{job=\"nginx\", type=\"access\"} |= \"429\"",
+          "legendFormat": ""
+        }
+      ],
+      "options": {
+        "showTime": true,
+        "sortOrder": "Descending",
+        "wrapLogMessage": true,
+        "enableLogDetails": true
+      }
+    }
+  ],
+  "refresh": "30s",
+  "schemaVersion": 39,
+  "style": "dark",
+  "templating": { "list": [] },
+  "time": { "from": "now-1h", "to": "now" },
+  "timepicker": {},
+  "version": 1
+}