From 09f462f4672b4db2d49b8b7f810b55d0b31f8594 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: dimgigov <gigov@gigov.org>
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2026 21:52:21 +0300
Subject: [PATCH] release: v1.2.0 Production GA (single-node)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

- known-limitations, deployment runbook, release checklist
- prod compose requires JWT secret; BARADB_ENV=production fail-closed
- scripts/backup-restore-drill.sh (backup → wipe → restore → verify)
- version bump 1.2.0 (nimble, Dockerfile, health, CHANGELOG dated)
---
 CHANGELOG.md                                  |  10 +-
 Dockerfile                                    |   2 +-
 PLAN.md                                       |   2 +-
 README.md                                     |   7 +-
 baradadb.nimble                               |   2 +-
 docker-compose.prod.yml                       |  81 +++--
 docs/bg/deployment.md                         | 255 ++------------
 docs/bg/known-limitations.md                  |  33 ++
 docs/en/deployment.md                         | 311 +++++++++---------
 docs/en/distributed.md                        |   2 +-
 docs/en/known-limitations.md                  |  55 ++++
 docs/en/release-checklist.md                  |  57 ++++
 .../specs/2026-07-30-production-ga-design.md  |   2 +-
 scripts/backup-restore-drill.sh               | 135 ++++++++
 src/barabadb/core/config.nim                  |  22 ++
 src/barabadb/core/httpserver.nim              |   6 +-
 src/baradadb.nim                              |   9 +-
 tests/bugfix_test.nim                         |  23 ++
 18 files changed, 560 insertions(+), 454 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 docs/bg/known-limitations.md
 create mode 100644 docs/en/known-limitations.md
 create mode 100644 docs/en/release-checklist.md
 create mode 100755 scripts/backup-restore-drill.sh

diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index aa35676..852b993 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,7 +2,15 @@
 
 All notable changes to BaraDB are documented in this file.
 
-## [1.2.0] — Unreleased
+## [1.2.0] — 2026-07-30
+
+### Production GA (single-node)
+
+- **Scope** — single-node production tier; Raft multi-node documented as experimental ([known-limitations](docs/en/known-limitations.md))
+- **Prod compose** — `docker-compose.prod.yml` requires `BARADB_JWT_SECRET` and enables auth; `BARADB_ENV=production` fails closed without secret
+- **Backup drill** — `scripts/backup-restore-drill.sh` (backup → wipe → restore → verify)
+- **Runbook** — start/stop/backup/restore in [deployment](docs/en/deployment.md)
+- **Release checklist** — [docs/en/release-checklist.md](docs/en/release-checklist.md)
 
 ### Raft cluster (C3a / C3b / ops)
 
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 3c14f29..8105804 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ ARG VCS_REF
 
 LABEL maintainer="BaraDB Team"
 LABEL description="BaraDB — Multimodal Database Engine"
-LABEL version="1.1.6"
+LABEL version="1.2.0"
 
 # Инсталираме runtime зависимости
 # libpcre3 — нужна за Nim regex (зарежда се динамично)
diff --git a/PLAN.md b/PLAN.md
index d3f70b0..68b3028 100644
--- a/PLAN.md
+++ b/PLAN.md
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@
 | `PLAN_ID_GENERATORS.md` — AUTO_INCREMENT, Sequences, FK | ✅ Завършен |
 | **Този план** — Сесии 10, 11, 12 | ✅ Завършен |
 | Raft C3a/C3b + DDL/forward/compact/metrics (2026-07-30) | ✅ Завършен на `main` — `docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-30-raft-cluster-status.md` |
-| **Production GA v1.2.0** (single-node) | 📋 План — `docs/superpowers/plans/2026-07-30-production-ga.md` |
+| **Production GA v1.2.0** (single-node) | ✅ `docs/superpowers/plans/2026-07-30-production-ga.md` |
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 74e973e..bf42b19 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1576,7 +1576,7 @@ features are still being refined:
 | LSM-Tree SSTable reads | ✅ Implemented | Full disk I/O with compaction, WAL, and bloom filters. |
 | HNSW vector search | ✅ Implemented | Hierarchical graph navigation with SIMD-optimized distance metrics. |
 | TCP server execution | ✅ Implemented | Full binary wire protocol parsing and BaraQL query execution. |
-| Raft consensus | ✅ Cluster path | TCP election + failover; SQL DML/DDL via raft log; leader forwarding; safe log compact; `/metrics` + `/health` raft gauges. See `docs/en/distributed.md`. |
+| Raft consensus | ⚡ Experimental cluster | TCP election + SQL/DDL via log; single-node is **Production GA**. See `docs/en/known-limitations.md`. |
 | Graph / FTS / Columnar | ✅ Implemented | In-memory engines with serialization; FTS/vector/graph indexes persist across restarts. |
 | Query codegen | ✅ Implemented | IR plans compile to storage engine operations with optimization passes. |
 
@@ -1585,7 +1585,10 @@ reflects 100% completion across all major phases.
 
 ## Changelog
 
-See [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for full release history. Package version is **v1.1.8**. The **v1.2.0** line (Unreleased) adds core storage hardening, Unified Search Engine, **engine persistence** (FTS/HNSW/graphs/B-tree indexes across restart), **executor split**, and a full **Raft cluster path** (election, SQL/DDL replication, forwarding, log compact, metrics — see [docs/en/distributed.md](docs/en/distributed.md)).
+See [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for full release history. Package version is **v1.2.0**.
+
+- **Production GA (single-node):** auth-on prod compose, backup/restore drill, runbook — [known-limitations](docs/en/known-limitations.md), [deployment](docs/en/deployment.md)
+- **Raft multi-node:** experimental — [distributed.md](docs/en/distributed.md)
 
 ## License
 
diff --git a/baradadb.nimble b/baradadb.nimble
index 44d636d..300557a 100644
--- a/baradadb.nimble
+++ b/baradadb.nimble
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Package
-version       = "1.1.8"
+version       = "1.2.0"
 author        = "BaraDB Team"
 description   = "BaraDB — Multimodal database written in Nim"
 license       = "BSD-3-Clause"
diff --git a/docker-compose.prod.yml b/docker-compose.prod.yml
index 99d979e..ab0e545 100644
--- a/docker-compose.prod.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.prod.yml
@@ -1,82 +1,87 @@
-# BaraDB — Production Docker Compose
-# Usage: docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d
+# BaraDB — Production Docker Compose (v1.2.0 GA)
 #
-# Препоръчителни стъпки преди production deployment:
-#   1. Създайте TLS сертификати в ./certs/
-#   2. Задайте силен BARADB_JWT_SECRET
-#   3. Настройте firewall правила за портовете
-#   4. Конфигурирайте регулярни backups
+# Usage:
+#   export BARADB_JWT_SECRET="$(openssl rand -hex 32)"
+#   docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d --build
+#
+# Required:
+#   BARADB_JWT_SECRET  — strong secret (compose fails if unset)
+#
+# Ports (BARADB_PORT=9472):
+#   9472  binary wire
+#   9912  HTTP  (= TCP + 440)
+#   9913  WebSocket (= TCP + 441)
+#
+# Notes:
+#   - Auth is ON. Obtain a token via POST /auth before /query.
+#   - `deploy.resources` applies under Swarm; plain Compose ignores limits.
+#   - Raft is optional/experimental — not enabled here (single-node GA).
 
 services:
   baradb:
     build:
       context: .
       dockerfile: Dockerfile
-    image: baradb:latest
+    image: baradb:1.2.0
     container_name: baradb
     hostname: baradb
     restart: always
 
     ports:
       - "9472:9472"   # Binary protocol
-      - "9912:9912"   # HTTP/REST API
-      - "9913:9913"   # WebSocket
+      - "9912:9912"   # HTTP REST (TCP+440)
+      - "9913:9913"   # WebSocket (TCP+441)
 
     volumes:
       - baradb_data:/data
-      # TLS сертификати (read-only)
       - ./certs:/certs:ro
-      # Лог файлове на хоста
       - ./logs:/var/log/baradb
 
     environment:
-      # Network
+      - BARADB_ENV=production
       - BARADB_ADDRESS=0.0.0.0
       - BARADB_PORT=9472
 
-      # Storage
       - BARADB_DATA_DIR=/data
       - BARADB_MEMTABLE_SIZE_MB=256
       - BARADB_CACHE_SIZE_MB=512
 
-      # TLS (разкоментирайте когато имате сертификати)
+      # Security — fail closed without a real secret
+      - BARADB_AUTH_ENABLED=true
+      - BARADB_JWT_SECRET=${BARADB_JWT_SECRET:?Set BARADB_JWT_SECRET to a strong random value}
+      - BARADB_RATE_LIMIT_GLOBAL=10000
+      - BARADB_RATE_LIMIT_PER_CLIENT=1000
+
+      # TLS (uncomment when certs exist under ./certs)
       # - BARADB_TLS_ENABLED=true
       # - BARADB_CERT_FILE=/certs/server.crt
       # - BARADB_KEY_FILE=/certs/server.key
 
-      # Security (ЗАДЪЛЖИТЕЛНО сменете в production!)
-      # - BARADB_AUTH_ENABLED=true
-      # - BARADB_JWT_SECRET=change-me-to-random-32-char-string
-      # - BARADB_RATE_LIMIT_GLOBAL=10000
-      # - BARADB_RATE_LIMIT_PER_CLIENT=1000
-
-      # Logging
       - BARADB_LOG_LEVEL=warn
       - BARADB_LOG_FILE=/var/log/baradb/baradb.log
       - BARADB_LOG_FORMAT=json
 
-      # Performance
       - BARADB_COMPACTION_INTERVAL_MS=30000
-      - BARADB_WAL_SYNC_INTERVAL_MS=10
+      # Match config.nim env names
+      - BARADB_WAL_SYNC_MODE=group
+      - BARADB_WAL_GROUP_EVERY=64
 
     healthcheck:
-      test: ["CMD", "sh", "-c", "wget -qO- http://localhost:9912/health >/dev/null 2>&1"]
+      test: ["CMD", "sh", "-c", "wget -qO- http://127.0.0.1:9912/health >/dev/null 2>&1"]
       interval: 15s
       timeout: 5s
       retries: 5
       start_period: 30s
 
-    # Production resource limits
     deploy:
       resources:
         limits:
-          cpus: '4.0'
+          cpus: "4.0"
           memory: 8G
         reservations:
-          cpus: '1.0'
+          cpus: "1.0"
           memory: 1G
 
-    # Security hardening
     security_opt:
       - no-new-privileges:true
     read_only: true
@@ -91,19 +96,19 @@ services:
       options:
         max-size: "100m"
         max-file: "5"
-        labels: "service_name"
 
-  # Опционален: Backup cron job
+  # Optional offline-style backup sidecar (shares data volume read-only)
   backup:
-    image: baradb:latest
+    image: baradb:1.2.0
     container_name: baradb-backup
     restart: unless-stopped
+    profiles: ["backup"]
     command: >
       sh -c '
         while true; do
           sleep 86400;
-          /app/backup backup --all-databases --data-root=/data/databases --output=/backups/baradb_$$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).tar.gz --level=6;
-          /app/backup cleanup --data-root=/data/databases --keep=7;
+          /app/backup backup --all-databases --data-root=/data/databases --output=/backups/baradb_$$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).tar.gz --level=6 || true;
+          /app/backup cleanup --data-root=/data/databases --keep=7 || true;
         done
       '
     volumes:
@@ -111,11 +116,6 @@ services:
       - ./backups:/backups
     networks:
       - baradb_net
-    deploy:
-      resources:
-        limits:
-          cpus: '0.5'
-          memory: 512M
 
 volumes:
   baradb_data:
@@ -124,6 +124,3 @@ volumes:
 networks:
   baradb_net:
     driver: bridge
-    ipam:
-      config:
-        - subnet: 172.28.0.0/16
diff --git a/docs/bg/deployment.md b/docs/bg/deployment.md
index fa8f641..b62dd30 100644
--- a/docs/bg/deployment.md
+++ b/docs/bg/deployment.md
@@ -1,250 +1,35 @@
-# Ръководство за Внедряване (Deployment)
+# Deployment Guide (кратко)
 
-## Docker
+**Production GA v1.2.0** = **single-node**. Виж [known-limitations](known-limitations.md).  
+Пълен runbook: [en/deployment.md](../en/deployment.md).
 
-За пълно ръководство за Docker deployment вижте [Docker Guide](docker.md).
+## Портове
 
-### Бърз старт
+| Услуга | Порт |
+|--------|------|
+| Wire | `BARADB_PORT` (9472) |
+| HTTP | `BARADB_PORT + 440` (9912) |
+| WebSocket | `BARADB_PORT + 441` (9913) |
+
+Няма `BARADB_HTTP_PORT`.
+
+## Production Docker
 
 ```bash
-docker build -t baradb:latest .
-docker compose up -d
+export BARADB_JWT_SECRET="$(openssl rand -hex 32)"
+docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d --build
 ```
 
-### Docker Compose файлове
+Auth е включен; без secret compose **спира**.
 
-| Файл | Назначение |
-|------|-----------|
-| `docker-compose.yml` | Development |
-| `docker-compose.prod.yml` | Production |
-| `docker-compose.override.yml` | Dev override (автоматично) |
-| `docker-compose.test.yml` | Тестова среда |
-
-### Production
+## Backup / restore drill
 
 ```bash
-docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d
+./scripts/backup-restore-drill.sh
 ```
 
-### Docker Swarm
+## Health
 
 ```bash
-docker stack deploy -c docker-compose.prod.yml baradb
-```
-
-## systemd Услуга
-
-Създайте `/etc/systemd/system/baradb.service`:
-
-```ini
-[Unit]
-Description=BaraDB Multimodal Database
-After=network.target
-
-[Service]
-Type=simple
-User=baradb
-Group=baradb
-WorkingDirectory=/var/lib/baradb
-ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/baradadb
-Restart=always
-RestartSec=5
-
-Environment=BARADB_PORT=9472
-Environment=BARADB_HTTP_PORT=9470
-Environment=BARADB_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/baradb/data
-Environment=BARADB_LOG_LEVEL=info
-
-# Подсилване на сигурността
-NoNewPrivileges=true
-ProtectSystem=strict
-ProtectHome=true
-ReadWritePaths=/var/lib/baradb/data
-ProtectKernelTunables=true
-ProtectKernelModules=true
-ProtectControlGroups=true
-
-[Install]
-WantedBy=multi-user.target
-```
-
-Активиране и стартиране:
-
-```bash
-sudo useradd -r -s /bin/false baradb
-sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/baradb/data
-sudo chown -R baradb:baradb /var/lib/baradb
-sudo cp build/baradadb /usr/local/bin/
-sudo systemctl daemon-reload
-sudo systemctl enable --now baradb
-```
-
-## Kubernetes
-
-### StatefulSet
-
-```yaml
-apiVersion: apps/v1
-kind: StatefulSet
-metadata:
-  name: baradb
-spec:
-  serviceName: baradb
-  replicas: 3
-  selector:
-    matchLabels:
-      app: baradb
-  template:
-    metadata:
-      labels:
-        app: baradb
-    spec:
-      containers:
-      - name: baradb
-        image: baradb:latest
-        ports:
-        - containerPort: 9472
-          name: binary
-        - containerPort: 9470
-          name: http
-        - containerPort: 9471
-          name: websocket
-        env:
-        - name: BARADB_DATA_DIR
-          value: /data
-        - name: BARADB_RAFT_NODE_ID
-          valueFrom:
-            fieldRef:
-              fieldPath: metadata.name
-        volumeMounts:
-        - name: data
-          mountPath: /data
-  volumeClaimTemplates:
-  - metadata:
-      name: data
-    spec:
-      accessModes: ["ReadWriteOnce"]
-      resources:
-        requests:
-          storage: 100Gi
----
-apiVersion: v1
-kind: Service
-metadata:
-  name: baradb
-spec:
-  selector:
-    app: baradb
-  ports:
-  - port: 9472
-    name: binary
-  - port: 9470
-    name: http
-  - port: 9471
-    name: websocket
-  clusterIP: None
-```
-
-## Reverse Proxy (nginx)
-
-```nginx
-upstream baradb_http {
-    server 127.0.0.1:9470;
-}
-
-upstream baradb_ws {
-    server 127.0.0.1:9471;
-}
-
-server {
-    listen 80;
-    server_name db.example.com;
-    return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri;
-}
-
-server {
-    listen 443 ssl http2;
-    server_name db.example.com;
-
-    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/db.example.com/fullchain.pem;
-    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/db.example.com/privkey.pem;
-
-    location /api/ {
-        proxy_pass http://baradb_http/;
-        proxy_http_version 1.1;
-        proxy_set_header Host $host;
-        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
-    }
-
-    location /ws/ {
-        proxy_pass http://baradb_ws/;
-        proxy_http_version 1.1;
-        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
-        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
-    }
-}
-```
-
-## Висока Достъпност (High Availability)
-
-### 3-Възел Raft Клъстер
-
-```bash
-# Възел 1
-BARADB_RAFT_NODE_ID=node1 \
-BARADB_RAFT_PEERS=node2:9001,node3:9001 \
-./build/baradadb
-
-# Възел 2
-BARADB_RAFT_NODE_ID=node2 \
-BARADB_RAFT_PEERS=node1:9001,node3:9001 \
-./build/baradadb
-
-# Възел 3
-BARADB_RAFT_NODE_ID=node3 \
-BARADB_RAFT_PEERS=node1:9001,node2:9001 \
-./build/baradadb
-```
-
-## Облачно Внедряване
-
-### AWS EC2
-
-Препоръчителна инстанция: `m6i.2xlarge` (8 vCPU, 32 GB RAM)
-
-```bash
-# User data скрипт
-#!/bin/bash
-apt-get update
-apt-get install -y nim
-wget https://github.com/katehonz/barabaDB/releases/latest/download/baradadb-linux-amd64
-chmod +x baradadb-linux-amd64
-mv baradadb-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/baradadb
-
-mkdir -p /data/baradb
-cat > /etc/systemd/system/baradb.service << 'EOF'
-[Unit]
-Description=BaraDB
-After=network.target
-[Service]
-ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/baradadb
-Environment=BARADB_DATA_DIR=/data/baradb
-Restart=always
-[Install]
-WantedBy=multi-user.target
-EOF
-
-systemctl daemon-reload
-systemctl enable --now baradb
-```
-
-### GCP Cloud Run (само HTTP)
-
-```bash
-gcloud run deploy baradb \
-  --image gcr.io/PROJECT/baradb \
-  --port 9470 \
-  --memory 4Gi \
-  --cpu 2 \
-  --max-instances 10
+curl -s http://127.0.0.1:9912/health
 ```
diff --git a/docs/bg/known-limitations.md b/docs/bg/known-limitations.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cb17ccf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/bg/known-limitations.md
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+# Известни ограничения — v1.2.0 Production GA
+
+| Ниво | Значение |
+|------|----------|
+| **Supported (GA)** | Документирано, тествано, подходящо за prod в обхвата |
+| **Experimental** | Работи в тестове/demo; не е HA SLA |
+| **Not supported** | Извън обхват |
+
+## Матрица
+
+| Област | GA (v1.2.0) | Experimental / по-късно |
+|--------|-------------|-------------------------|
+| Single-node SQL + LSM | **Supported** | — |
+| Schema / FTS / HNSW / graphs persist | **Supported** | — |
+| Auth + JWT (когато е конфигуриран) | **Supported** | — |
+| Backup / restore | **Supported** | — |
+| Multi-DB (без Raft) | **Supported** | — |
+| Raft 3-node + SQL/DDL | **Experimental** | InstallSnapshot, membership |
+| Raft multi-DB | **Not supported** | само `default` |
+| Follower linearizable reads | **Not supported** | best-effort след apply |
+| ORC multi-thread shared LSM | **Not supported** | ARC по подразбиране |
+
+## GA (single-node)
+
+Crash recovery с WAL, schema/index persist, `/health` + `/metrics`, offline backup/restore.
+
+## Raft
+
+Виж [distributed.md](distributed.md). Staging/ops, **не** v1.2.0 HA продукт.
+
+## Виж също
+
+- [Deployment](deployment.md) · [Backup](backup.md) · [en limitations](../en/known-limitations.md)
diff --git a/docs/en/deployment.md b/docs/en/deployment.md
index 7de7ab9..ceb825f 100644
--- a/docs/en/deployment.md
+++ b/docs/en/deployment.md
@@ -1,39 +1,145 @@
 # Deployment Guide
 
+**Production GA (v1.2.0)** is **single-node**. See [known limitations](known-limitations.md).  
+Raft multi-node is [documented](distributed.md) as **experimental**.
+
+## Ports
+
+| Service | Port | Notes |
+|---------|------|--------|
+| Binary wire | `BARADB_PORT` (default 9472) | Clients |
+| HTTP REST | `BARADB_PORT + 440` (9912) | `/health`, `/query`, `/metrics` |
+| WebSocket | `BARADB_PORT + 441` (9913) | |
+| Raft | `BARADB_RAFT_PORT` | Experimental cluster only |
+
+There is **no** `BARADB_HTTP_PORT` — HTTP is always TCP+440.
+
 ## Docker
 
-За пълно ръководство за Docker deployment вижте [Docker Guide](docker.md).
+See also [Docker Guide](docker.md).
 
-### Бърз старт
+### Development
 
 ```bash
 docker build -t baradb:latest .
 docker compose up -d
 ```
 
-### Docker Compose файлове
+### Production (GA)
 
-| Файл | Назначение |
-|------|-----------|
+```bash
+export BARADB_JWT_SECRET="$(openssl rand -hex 32)"
+docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d --build
+```
+
+- Auth is **on**; compose **fails** if `BARADB_JWT_SECRET` is unset.
+- Binary sets `BARADB_ENV=production` → process refuses empty/placeholder secrets.
+- Image tag: `baradb:1.2.0`.
+
+Optional backup sidecar:
+
+```bash
+docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml --profile backup up -d
+```
+
+| Compose file | Role |
+|--------------|------|
 | `docker-compose.yml` | Development |
-| `docker-compose.prod.yml` | Production |
-| `docker-compose.override.yml` | Dev override (автоматично) |
+| `docker-compose.prod.yml` | Production GA |
+| `docker-compose.override.yml` | Local override |
 
-### Production
+> Note: `deploy.resources` limits apply under Docker Swarm; plain Compose may ignore them.
+
+## Production runbook
+
+### Start (binary)
 
 ```bash
-docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d
+export BARADB_ENV=production
+export BARADB_AUTH_ENABLED=true
+export BARADB_JWT_SECRET="$(openssl rand -hex 32)"   # store securely
+export BARADB_PORT=9472
+export BARADB_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/baradb/data
+export BARADB_LOG_LEVEL=warn
+export BARADB_LOG_FILE=/var/log/baradb/baradb.log
+./build/baradadb
 ```
 
-### Docker Swarm
+### Stop
 
 ```bash
-docker stack deploy -c docker-compose.prod.yml baradb
+# systemd
+sudo systemctl stop baradb
+# docker
+docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml down
+# foreground: Ctrl+C / SIGTERM
 ```
 
-## systemd Service
+### Health / metrics
 
-Create `/etc/systemd/system/baradb.service`:
+```bash
+curl -s http://127.0.0.1:9912/health
+curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" http://127.0.0.1:9912/metrics
+```
+
+### Auth token (prod)
+
+```bash
+curl -s -X POST http://127.0.0.1:9912/auth \
+  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
+  -d "{\"username\":\"admin\",\"password\":\"$BARADB_JWT_SECRET\"}"
+```
+
+### Backup (server stopped or offline-consistent)
+
+Preferred offline / all-databases:
+
+```bash
+./build/backup backup --all-databases \
+  --data-root=/var/lib/baradb/data/databases \
+  --output=/backups/baradb_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).tar.gz
+```
+
+Copy archives off-host. Details: [backup.md](backup.md).
+
+### Restore
+
+1. **Stop** BaraDB.
+2. Move aside or empty the data root (keep a copy of the broken dir).
+3. Restore:
+
+```bash
+./build/backup restore --input=/backups/baradb_YYYYMMDD.tar.gz \
+  --all-databases --data-root=/var/lib/baradb/data/databases --force
+```
+
+4. Start BaraDB; verify with a known query.
+
+### Automated drill
+
+```bash
+nim c -o:build/baradadb src/baradadb.nim
+nim c -o:build/backup src/barabadb/core/backup.nim
+./scripts/backup-restore-drill.sh
+```
+
+### Logs
+
+- File: `BARADB_LOG_FILE` (prod compose: `./logs` → `/var/log/baradb`)
+- Docker: `docker logs baradb`
+
+### Data layout
+
+```
+$BARADB_DATA_DIR/
+  databases/
+    default/     # LSM + WAL + schema keys
+  raft/          # only if raft enabled
+```
+
+## systemd
+
+`/etc/systemd/system/baradb.service`:
 
 ```ini
 [Unit]
@@ -49,16 +155,18 @@ ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/baradadb
 Restart=always
 RestartSec=5
 
+Environment=BARADB_ENV=production
 Environment=BARADB_PORT=9472
-Environment=BARADB_HTTP_PORT=9470
 Environment=BARADB_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/baradb/data
-Environment=BARADB_LOG_LEVEL=info
+Environment=BARADB_LOG_LEVEL=warn
+Environment=BARADB_AUTH_ENABLED=true
+# Environment=BARADB_JWT_SECRET=  # use EnvironmentFile
+EnvironmentFile=-/etc/baradb/baradb.env
 
-# Security hardening
 NoNewPrivileges=true
 ProtectSystem=strict
 ProtectHome=true
-ReadWritePaths=/var/lib/baradb/data
+ReadWritePaths=/var/lib/baradb/data /var/log/baradb
 ProtectKernelTunables=true
 ProtectKernelModules=true
 ProtectControlGroups=true
@@ -67,114 +175,47 @@ ProtectControlGroups=true
 WantedBy=multi-user.target
 ```
 
-Enable and start:
-
 ```bash
 sudo useradd -r -s /bin/false baradb
-sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/baradb/data
-sudo chown -R baradb:baradb /var/lib/baradb
-sudo cp build/baradadb /usr/local/bin/
+sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/baradb/data /var/log/baradb /etc/baradb
+# put BARADB_JWT_SECRET=... in /etc/baradb/baradb.env (mode 600)
 sudo systemctl daemon-reload
 sudo systemctl enable --now baradb
 ```
 
-## Kubernetes
+## High Availability (experimental)
 
-### StatefulSet
+Raft multi-node is **not** the v1.2.0 GA tier. See [distributed.md](distributed.md)
+and [known-limitations](known-limitations.md). Use `id@host:port` peer format:
 
-```yaml
-apiVersion: apps/v1
-kind: StatefulSet
-metadata:
-  name: baradb
-spec:
-  serviceName: baradb
-  replicas: 3
-  selector:
-    matchLabels:
-      app: baradb
-  template:
-    metadata:
-      labels:
-        app: baradb
-    spec:
-      containers:
-      - name: baradb
-        image: baradb:latest
-        ports:
-        - containerPort: 9472
-          name: binary
-        - containerPort: 9470
-          name: http
-        - containerPort: 9471
-          name: websocket
-        env:
-        - name: BARADB_DATA_DIR
-          value: /data
-        - name: BARADB_RAFT_NODE_ID
-          valueFrom:
-            fieldRef:
-              fieldPath: metadata.name
-        volumeMounts:
-        - name: data
-          mountPath: /data
-  volumeClaimTemplates:
-  - metadata:
-      name: data
-    spec:
-      accessModes: ["ReadWriteOnce"]
-      resources:
-        requests:
-          storage: 100Gi
----
-apiVersion: v1
-kind: Service
-metadata:
-  name: baradb
-spec:
-  selector:
-    app: baradb
-  ports:
-  - port: 9472
-    name: binary
-  - port: 9470
-    name: http
-  - port: 9471
-    name: websocket
-  clusterIP: None
+```bash
+export BARADB_RAFT_ENABLED=true
+export BARADB_RAFT_NODE_ID=n1
+export BARADB_RAFT_PORT=46101
+export BARADB_RAFT_PEERS=n1@127.0.0.1:46101,n2@127.0.0.1:46102,n3@127.0.0.1:46103
+export BARADB_RAFT_CLIENT_PEERS=n1@127.0.0.1:46010,n2@127.0.0.1:46020,n3@127.0.0.1:46030
 ```
 
-## Reverse Proxy (nginx)
+## Reverse proxy (nginx)
+
+Proxy to **HTTP = TCP+440** (9912 if TCP is 9472):
 
 ```nginx
 upstream baradb_http {
-    server 127.0.0.1:9470;
+    server 127.0.0.1:9912;
 }
-
 upstream baradb_ws {
-    server 127.0.0.1:9471;
+    server 127.0.0.1:9913;
 }
-
-server {
-    listen 80;
-    server_name db.example.com;
-    return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri;
-}
-
 server {
     listen 443 ssl http2;
     server_name db.example.com;
-
-    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/db.example.com/fullchain.pem;
-    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/db.example.com/privkey.pem;
-
-    location /api/ {
-        proxy_pass http://baradb_http/;
+    location / {
+        proxy_pass http://baradb_http;
         proxy_http_version 1.1;
         proxy_set_header Host $host;
         proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
     }
-
     location /ws/ {
         proxy_pass http://baradb_ws/;
         proxy_http_version 1.1;
@@ -184,66 +225,8 @@ server {
 }
 ```
 
-## High Availability
+## See also
 
-### 3-Node Raft Cluster
-
-```bash
-# Node 1
-BARADB_RAFT_NODE_ID=node1 \
-BARADB_RAFT_PEERS=node2:9001,node3:9001 \
-./build/baradadb
-
-# Node 2
-BARADB_RAFT_NODE_ID=node2 \
-BARADB_RAFT_PEERS=node1:9001,node3:9001 \
-./build/baradadb
-
-# Node 3
-BARADB_RAFT_NODE_ID=node3 \
-BARADB_RAFT_PEERS=node1:9001,node2:9001 \
-./build/baradadb
-```
-
-## Cloud Deployment
-
-### AWS EC2
-
-Recommended instance: `m6i.2xlarge` (8 vCPU, 32 GB RAM)
-
-```bash
-# User data script
-#!/bin/bash
-apt-get update
-apt-get install -y nim
-wget https://github.com/katehonz/barabaDB/releases/latest/download/baradadb-linux-amd64
-chmod +x baradadb-linux-amd64
-mv baradadb-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/baradadb
-
-mkdir -p /data/baradb
-cat > /etc/systemd/system/baradb.service << 'EOF'
-[Unit]
-Description=BaraDB
-After=network.target
-[Service]
-ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/baradadb
-Environment=BARADB_DATA_DIR=/data/baradb
-Restart=always
-[Install]
-WantedBy=multi-user.target
-EOF
-
-systemctl daemon-reload
-systemctl enable --now baradb
-```
-
-### GCP Cloud Run (HTTP only)
-
-```bash
-gcloud run deploy baradb \
-  --image gcr.io/PROJECT/baradb \
-  --port 9470 \
-  --memory 4Gi \
-  --cpu 2 \
-  --max-instances 10
-```
+- [Known limitations](known-limitations.md)
+- [Release checklist](release-checklist.md)
+- [Backup](backup.md) · [Monitoring](monitoring.md) · [Distributed / Raft](distributed.md)
diff --git a/docs/en/distributed.md b/docs/en/distributed.md
index a217114..8a05c98 100644
--- a/docs/en/distributed.md
+++ b/docs/en/distributed.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ BaraDB supports distributed deployment with Raft consensus, sharding, and replic
 > ⚠️ **Multi-Database Limitation**
 > The distributed modules (Raft, sharding, and replication) are currently wired to the **`default`** database only. If you use multiple databases (`CREATE DATABASE`, `USE DATABASE`), distributed features do not yet span across them. Each database would need its own cluster setup.
 
-> **Status (2026-07-30):** Raft C3a (network election), C3b (SQL writes), DDL replication, leader forwarding, log compaction, and metrics are **shipped on `main`**. Design/history: `docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-30-raft-cluster-status.md`.
+> **Status (2026-07-30):** Raft C3a/C3b + DDL/forward/compact/metrics are **shipped**. Multi-node Raft is **experimental** for v1.2.0 GA (single-node is the production tier). See [known-limitations](known-limitations.md) and `docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-30-raft-cluster-status.md`.
 
 ## Raft Consensus
 
diff --git a/docs/en/known-limitations.md b/docs/en/known-limitations.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bf64708
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/en/known-limitations.md
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+# Known Limitations — v1.2.0 Production GA
+
+This page defines **what BaraDB promises** in the v1.2.0 production cut.
+
+| Tier | Meaning |
+|------|---------|
+| **Supported (GA)** | Documented, tested, appropriate for production apps that fit the scope |
+| **Experimental** | Works in tests/ops demos; not a reliability SLA target |
+| **Not supported** | Out of scope; may fail or corrupt assumptions |
+
+## Support matrix
+
+| Area | GA (v1.2.0) | Experimental / later |
+|------|-------------|----------------------|
+| Single-node SQL + LSM storage | **Supported** | — |
+| Schema persistence (tables, indexes) | **Supported** | — |
+| FTS / HNSW / graphs across restart | **Supported** | — |
+| Auth + JWT (when configured) | **Supported** | — |
+| Backup / restore (offline, all-databases) | **Supported** | — |
+| Multi-database (non-Raft) | **Supported** | — |
+| Raft 3-node election + SQL/DDL | **Experimental** | InstallSnapshot SM payload, membership |
+| Raft multi-database | **Not supported** | only `default` |
+| Leader write forwarding | **Experimental** | needs `BARADB_RAFT_CLIENT_PEERS` |
+| Follower linearizable reads | **Not supported** | best-effort after apply |
+| ORC multi-threaded shared LSM | **Not supported** | default is ARC (`nim.cfg`) |
+| Zero-downtime rolling upgrade | **Not supported** | stop → backup → upgrade |
+| Postgres wire protocol | **Not supported** | Bara wire + HTTP |
+
+## Single-node GA (what you can rely on)
+
+- Process crash + WAL recovery for the default durability settings
+- CREATE TABLE / indexes that survive restart (see engine-persistence work)
+- HTTP `/health` and `/metrics` for process liveness
+- Offline backup of `data/databases` and restore onto an empty data root
+
+## Raft (experimental ops)
+
+Documented in [distributed.md](distributed.md). Suitable for learning and careful staging; **not** the v1.2.0 HA product tier.
+
+- SQL DML/DDL on **`default` only**
+- Safe log prefix compact (not full InstallSnapshot)
+- Failover proven in process e2e tests
+
+## Operational requirements
+
+- Set a strong `BARADB_JWT_SECRET` and `BARADB_AUTH_ENABLED=true` in production (see prod compose)
+- Test restores regularly (`scripts/backup-restore-drill.sh`)
+- Do not share one data directory between two running processes
+
+## See also
+
+- [Deployment / runbook](deployment.md)
+- [Backup](backup.md)
+- [Raft cluster status](../superpowers/specs/2026-07-30-raft-cluster-status.md)
+- [Production GA plan](../superpowers/plans/2026-07-30-production-ga.md)
diff --git a/docs/en/release-checklist.md b/docs/en/release-checklist.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..abce0ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/en/release-checklist.md
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+# Release checklist — v1.2.0 Production GA
+
+Use before tagging and publishing artifacts.
+
+## Pre-flight
+
+- [ ] Working tree clean on `main`
+- [ ] [Known limitations](known-limitations.md) accurate
+- [ ] `CHANGELOG.md` has dated `## [1.2.0]` (not Unreleased for shipped items)
+- [ ] `baradadb.nimble` version `1.2.0`
+
+## Tests
+
+```bash
+nim c -o:build/baradadb src/baradadb.nim
+nim c -o:build/backup src/barabadb/core/backup.nim
+
+nim c -d:ssl --threads:on --path:src -r tests/test_all.nim
+nim c -d:ssl --threads:on --path:src -r tests/bugfix_test.nim
+nim c -d:ssl --threads:on --path:src -r tests/test_schema_persist.nim
+
+# Ops drill (twice)
+./scripts/backup-restore-drill.sh
+DRILL_PORT=19482 ./scripts/backup-restore-drill.sh
+
+# Optional cluster e2e (experimental tier)
+./tests/raft_e2e_test
+./tests/raft_writes_e2e_test
+```
+
+## Production compose
+
+```bash
+export BARADB_JWT_SECRET="$(openssl rand -hex 32)"
+docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml config >/dev/null
+# must fail without secret:
+# (unset BARADB_JWT_SECRET; docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml config)
+```
+
+## Artifacts
+
+```bash
+nimble build_release   # or: nim c -d:release -o:build/baradadb src/baradadb.nim
+docker build -t baradb:1.2.0 -t baradb:latest .
+```
+
+## Tag
+
+```bash
+git tag -a v1.2.0 -m "BaraDB v1.2.0 Production GA (single-node)"
+git push origin main --tags
+```
+
+## Post-release
+
+- [ ] Smoke: start prod compose, `/health` → ok, auth required for `/query`
+- [ ] Announce: single-node GA; Raft experimental (link known-limitations)
diff --git a/docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-30-production-ga-design.md b/docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-30-production-ga-design.md
index 0015f20..626c7ba 100644
--- a/docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-30-production-ga-design.md
+++ b/docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-30-production-ga-design.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Production GA (v1.2.0) — Design / cut line
 
 Date: 2026-07-30  
-Status: **Approved direction** — implementation follows the plan  
+Status: **Done (v1.2.0 GA shipped)** — plan  
 `docs/superpowers/plans/2026-07-30-production-ga.md`.
 
 ## Problem
diff --git a/scripts/backup-restore-drill.sh b/scripts/backup-restore-drill.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..9b91691
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/backup-restore-drill.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Backup → wipe → restore → verify drill for BaraDB single-node GA.
+# Usage: ./scripts/backup-restore-drill.sh
+set -euo pipefail
+
+ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)"
+cd "$ROOT"
+
+BIN="${BARADB_BIN:-./build/baradadb}"
+BACKUP_BIN="${BARADB_BACKUP_BIN:-./build/backup}"
+PORT="${DRILL_PORT:-19472}"
+HTTP_PORT=$((PORT + 440))
+WORKDIR="${DRILL_WORKDIR:-/tmp/baradb_backup_drill_$$}"
+DATA_DIR="$WORKDIR/data"
+ARCHIVE="$WORKDIR/drill_backup.tar.gz"
+MARKER="drill-row-$$"
+
+die() { echo "FAIL: $*" >&2; cleanup; exit 1; }
+log() { echo "[drill] $*"; }
+
+cleanup() {
+  if [[ -n "${SERVER_PID:-}" ]] && kill -0 "$SERVER_PID" 2>/dev/null; then
+    kill "$SERVER_PID" 2>/dev/null || true
+    wait "$SERVER_PID" 2>/dev/null || true
+  fi
+  if [[ "${DRILL_KEEP:-1}" == "0" ]]; then
+    rm -rf "$WORKDIR"
+  fi
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT
+
+[[ -x "$BIN" ]] || die "missing $BIN — build: nim c -o:build/baradadb src/baradadb.nim"
+if [[ ! -x "$BACKUP_BIN" ]]; then
+  log "building backup tool..."
+  nim c -d:release -o:build/backup src/barabadb/core/backup.nim || die "cannot build backup tool"
+  BACKUP_BIN=./build/backup
+fi
+
+rm -rf "$WORKDIR"
+mkdir -p "$DATA_DIR"
+
+start_server() {
+  log "starting server port=$PORT data=$DATA_DIR"
+  # every = fsync each WAL write so kill/backup cannot lose recent puts
+  BARADB_PORT="$PORT" \
+  BARADB_ADDRESS=127.0.0.1 \
+  BARADB_DATA_DIR="$DATA_DIR" \
+  BARADB_LOG_LEVEL=warn \
+  BARADB_AUTH_ENABLED=false \
+  BARADB_WAL_SYNC_MODE=every \
+  "$BIN" >"$WORKDIR/server.log" 2>&1 &
+  SERVER_PID=$!
+  local i=0
+  while (( i < 80 )); do
+    if curl -sf "http://127.0.0.1:${HTTP_PORT}/health" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+      log "server ready pid=$SERVER_PID"
+      return 0
+    fi
+    sleep 0.15
+    i=$((i + 1))
+  done
+  tail -50 "$WORKDIR/server.log" >&2 || true
+  die "server not healthy on :$HTTP_PORT"
+}
+
+stop_server() {
+  if [[ -n "${SERVER_PID:-}" ]] && kill -0 "$SERVER_PID" 2>/dev/null; then
+    log "stopping pid=$SERVER_PID"
+    kill -TERM "$SERVER_PID" 2>/dev/null || true
+    local i=0
+    while kill -0 "$SERVER_PID" 2>/dev/null && (( i < 50 )); do
+      sleep 0.1
+      i=$((i + 1))
+    done
+    if kill -0 "$SERVER_PID" 2>/dev/null; then
+      kill -KILL "$SERVER_PID" 2>/dev/null || true
+    fi
+    wait "$SERVER_PID" 2>/dev/null || true
+  fi
+  SERVER_PID=""
+  sleep 0.3
+}
+
+http_query() {
+  local sql="$1"
+  local payload
+  payload=$(python3 -c "import json,sys; print(json.dumps({'query': sys.argv[1]}))" "$sql")
+  curl -sf -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d "$payload" \
+    "http://127.0.0.1:${HTTP_PORT}/query"
+}
+
+start_server
+
+log "CREATE + INSERT marker"
+http_query "CREATE TABLE drill_t (id INT PRIMARY KEY, name STRING)" >/dev/null || die "CREATE failed"
+http_query "INSERT INTO drill_t (id, name) VALUES (1, '$MARKER')" >/dev/null || die "INSERT failed"
+body=$(http_query "SELECT name FROM drill_t WHERE id = 1") || die "SELECT before backup failed"
+echo "$body" | grep -q "$MARKER" || die "marker missing before backup: $body"
+# allow WAL group/fsync to settle
+sleep 0.5
+
+stop_server
+
+# Prefer multi-db layout used by the server registry
+DB_ROOT="$DATA_DIR/databases"
+[[ -d "$DB_ROOT" ]] || die "expected $DB_ROOT after server run"
+
+log "backup from $DB_ROOT"
+"$BACKUP_BIN" backup --all-databases --data-root="$DB_ROOT" \
+  --output="$ARCHIVE" --force || die "backup failed"
+# Sanity: archive must not be tiny empty shell only
+asize=$(stat -c%s "$ARCHIVE" 2>/dev/null || stat -f%z "$ARCHIVE")
+(( asize > 200 )) || die "backup archive suspiciously small ($asize bytes)"
+
+log "wipe data"
+rm -rf "$DATA_DIR"
+mkdir -p "$DATA_DIR"
+
+log "restore multi-db archive into $DB_ROOT"
+mkdir -p "$DATA_DIR"
+# Archive layout is databases/<name>/... ; --data-root is the databases/ parent leaf
+"$BACKUP_BIN" restore --input="$ARCHIVE" --all-databases \
+  --data-root="$DB_ROOT" --force || die "restore failed"
+
+start_server
+
+log "verify after restore"
+body=$(http_query "SELECT name FROM drill_t WHERE id = 1") || die "SELECT after restore failed"
+echo "$body" | grep -q "$MARKER" || die "marker missing after restore: $body"
+
+log "PASS backup/restore drill OK marker=$MARKER archive=$ARCHIVE"
+stop_server
+trap - EXIT
+[[ "${DRILL_KEEP:-1}" == "0" ]] && rm -rf "$WORKDIR"
+exit 0
diff --git a/src/barabadb/core/config.nim b/src/barabadb/core/config.nim
index 278a528..78e67ec 100644
--- a/src/barabadb/core/config.nim
+++ b/src/barabadb/core/config.nim
@@ -250,6 +250,28 @@ proc loadConfig*(): BaraConfig =
   # 2. Environment overrides (highest priority)
   loadConfigFromEnv(result)
 
+proc isProductionEnv*(): bool =
+  ## True when BARADB_ENV=production (or prod) or BARADB_AUTH_REQUIRED=true.
+  let env = getEnv("BARADB_ENV", "").toLowerAscii()
+  if env == "production" or env == "prod": return true
+  parseEnvBool(getEnv("BARADB_AUTH_REQUIRED", ""), false)
+
+proc validateProductionConfig*(cfg: BaraConfig) =
+  ## Fail closed for production: auth on + non-empty JWT secret.
+  ## Call after loadConfig() from the main entrypoint.
+  if not isProductionEnv(): return
+  if not cfg.authEnabled:
+    raise newException(ValueError,
+      "Production refuses to start with auth disabled. " &
+      "Set BARADB_AUTH_ENABLED=true (or unset BARADB_ENV=production for local dev).")
+  if cfg.jwtSecret.len == 0:
+    raise newException(ValueError,
+      "Production refuses to start without BARADB_JWT_SECRET. " &
+      "Generate one: openssl rand -hex 32")
+  if cfg.jwtSecret in ["change-me", "change-me-to-random-32-char-string", "secret", "default"]:
+    raise newException(ValueError,
+      "Production refuses insecure JWT secret placeholder. Set a strong BARADB_JWT_SECRET.")
+
 proc getEffectiveJwtSecret*(cfg: BaraConfig): string =
   if cfg.jwtSecret.len > 0:
     return cfg.jwtSecret
diff --git a/src/barabadb/core/httpserver.nim b/src/barabadb/core/httpserver.nim
index f142ed5..b9739a9 100644
--- a/src/barabadb/core/httpserver.nim
+++ b/src/barabadb/core/httpserver.nim
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ proc healthHandler(server: HttpServer): RequestHandler =
     let ctx = newContext(request)
     var body = %*{
       "status": "ok",
-      "version": "1.1.6"
+      "version": "1.2.0"
     }
     if server.raftNode != nil:
       let n = server.raftNode
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ proc openApiHandler(): RequestHandler =
     let ctx = newContext(request)
     ctx.json(%*{
       "openapi": "3.0.0",
-      "info": {"title": "BaraDB API", "version": "1.1.6"},
+      "info": {"title": "BaraDB API", "version": "1.2.0"},
       "paths": {
         "/query": {
           "post": {
@@ -906,7 +906,7 @@ function showTab(idx){
 }
 setInterval(() => { if(document.querySelectorAll('.panel')[4].classList.contains('active')) loadMetrics() }, 5000)
 </script>
-<div class='status' style='text-align:center;padding:10px'>BaraDB v1.1.6 — Multimodal Database Engine</div>
+<div class='status' style='text-align:center;padding:10px'>BaraDB v1.2.0 — Multimodal Database Engine</div>
 </body></html>"""
     request.respond(200, @[("Content-Type", "text/html; charset=utf-8")], html)
 
diff --git a/src/baradadb.nim b/src/baradadb.nim
index 0df918c..5131d4c 100644
--- a/src/baradadb.nim
+++ b/src/baradadb.nim
@@ -278,15 +278,20 @@ proc main() =
         quit(0)
 
   var config = loadConfig()
+  try:
+    validateProductionConfig(config)
+  except ValueError as e:
+    stderr.writeLine("FATAL: " & e.msg)
+    quit(1)
   # Global exclusive gate for multi-thread storage (HTTP workers + TCP + compact)
   initStorageGate()
   # Init structured logger from config
   let logLvl = parseEnum[LogLevel]("ll" & capitalizeAscii(config.logLevel))
   defaultLogger = newLogger(logLvl, config.logFile)
-  info("BaraDB v1.1.6 — Multimodal Database Engine")
+  info("BaraDB v1.2.0 — Multimodal Database Engine")
   info("Storage gate initialized (serializes HTTP/TCP/compaction access)")
 
-  # Security check: warn if JWT secret is not configured
+  # Security check: warn if JWT secret is not configured (non-production only)
   if config.jwtSecret.len == 0:
     warn("JWT secret not configured! Set BARADB_JWT_SECRET env var or jwt_secret in config. Using default (INSECURE).")
 
diff --git a/tests/bugfix_test.nim b/tests/bugfix_test.nim
index 45eadfd..b8df821 100644
--- a/tests/bugfix_test.nim
+++ b/tests/bugfix_test.nim
@@ -360,6 +360,29 @@ suite "Bug fixes — UNIQUE index enforcement":
     let c = executeQuery(ctx, parse("CREATE UNIQUE INDEX accts_email ON accts (email)"))
     check not c.success
 
+suite "Production config gate":
+
+  test "validateProductionConfig rejects missing secret":
+    putEnv("BARADB_ENV", "production")
+    defer: delEnv("BARADB_ENV")
+    var cfg = defaultConfig()
+    cfg.authEnabled = true
+    cfg.jwtSecret = ""
+    var msg = ""
+    try:
+      validateProductionConfig(cfg)
+    except ValueError as e:
+      msg = e.msg
+    check "JWT" in msg or "secret" in msg.toLower()
+
+  test "validateProductionConfig accepts strong secret":
+    putEnv("BARADB_ENV", "production")
+    defer: delEnv("BARADB_ENV")
+    var cfg = defaultConfig()
+    cfg.authEnabled = true
+    cfg.jwtSecret = "a".repeat(32)
+    validateProductionConfig(cfg)  # must not raise
+
 suite "Raft peer address parsing":
 
   test "BARADB_RAFT_CLIENT_PEERS populates raftPeerClientAddrs":