diff --git a/API/Dockerfile b/API/Dockerfile
index 3f11a10..38a6d55 100644
--- a/API/Dockerfile
+++ b/API/Dockerfile
@@ -1,22 +1,30 @@
-FROM maven:3.8.5-openjdk-17-slim
+# Stage 1: Build
+FROM maven:3.8.5-openjdk-17-slim AS build
 
-# Set the working directory
 WORKDIR /home/container
 
-# Copy project files
-COPY . .
+# Copy only the files needed for the build
+COPY pom.xml ./
+COPY src ./src
 
 # Build the app
 RUN mvn clean package -q -DskipTests -T4C
 
-# Exposting on port 80 so we can
-# access via a reverse proxy for Dokku
-ENV HOSTNAME "0.0.0.0"
-EXPOSE 80
-ENV PORT 80
+# Stage 2: Runtime
+FROM openjdk:17-jdk-slim
 
-# We're running in production
-ENV APP_ENV "production"
+WORKDIR /home/container
+
+# Copy the jar from the build stage
+COPY --from=build /home/container/target/TextPurify-API.jar ./TextPurify-API.jar
+
+# Expose port
+EXPOSE 80
+
+# Set environment variables
+ENV HOSTNAME="0.0.0.0"
+ENV PORT=80
+ENV APP_ENV="production"
 
 # Start the app
-CMD ["java", "-jar", "target/TextPurify-API.jar"]
\ No newline at end of file
+CMD ["java", "-jar", "TextPurify-API.jar"]
\ No newline at end of file