diff --git a/DEPLOYMENT.md b/DEPLOYMENT.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a15235f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/DEPLOYMENT.md
@@ -0,0 +1,368 @@
+# VidRip Production Deployment Guide
+
+This guide covers deploying VidRip in a production environment.
+
+## Quick Start (Simple Deployment)
+
+The simplest way to run VidRip in production:
+
+```bash
+# Make scripts executable (if not already)
+chmod +x start-production.sh stop-production.sh
+
+# Start the service
+./start-production.sh
+
+# Stop the service
+./stop-production.sh
+```
+
+The `start-production.sh` script will:
+- Check system requirements (Node.js 18+, yt-dlp)
+- Install dependencies
+- Build backend and frontend
+- Start the backend server in the background
+- Create log files in `logs/` directory
+
+## Production Deployment (Recommended)
+
+For a robust production setup, use systemd for process management:
+
+### 1. Install System Requirements
+
+```bash
+# Install Node.js 18+ (if not installed)
+curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
+sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
+
+# Install yt-dlp
+sudo apt-get install -y python3-pip
+pip3 install yt-dlp
+# OR
+sudo wget https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/releases/latest/download/yt-dlp -O /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp
+sudo chmod a+rx /usr/local/bin/yt-dlp
+```
+
+### 2. Deploy Application Files
+
+```bash
+# Create application directory
+sudo mkdir -p /var/www/vidrip
+sudo chown $USER:$USER /var/www/vidrip
+
+# Copy files to production location
+cp -r /path/to/vidrip/* /var/www/vidrip/
+
+# Create required directories
+sudo mkdir -p /var/log/vidrip
+sudo chown www-data:www-data /var/log/vidrip
+```
+
+### 3. Build the Application
+
+```bash
+cd /var/www/vidrip
+
+# Install dependencies
+npm run install:all
+
+# Build backend
+cd backend
+npm run build
+
+# Build frontend
+cd ../frontend
+npm run build
+```
+
+### 4. Configure Backend (Optional)
+
+Create `/var/www/vidrip/backend/.env`:
+
+```env
+NODE_ENV=production
+PORT=3001
+```
+
+### 5. Setup Systemd Service
+
+```bash
+# Copy service file
+sudo cp /var/www/vidrip/vidrip.service /etc/systemd/system/
+
+# Edit the service file to match your paths and user
+sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/vidrip.service
+
+# Reload systemd
+sudo systemctl daemon-reload
+
+# Enable service to start on boot
+sudo systemctl enable vidrip
+
+# Start service
+sudo systemctl start vidrip
+
+# Check status
+sudo systemctl status vidrip
+```
+
+### 6. Setup Nginx Reverse Proxy
+
+Create `/etc/nginx/sites-available/vidrip`:
+
+```nginx
+server {
+    listen 80;
+    server_name your-domain.com;
+
+    # Serve frontend static files
+    location / {
+        root /var/www/vidrip/frontend/dist;
+        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.html;
+    }
+
+    # Proxy API requests to backend
+    location /api/ {
+        proxy_pass http://localhost:3001;
+        proxy_http_version 1.1;
+        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
+        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
+        proxy_set_header Host $host;
+        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
+        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
+    }
+
+    # Serve downloaded video files
+    location /downloads/ {
+        alias /var/www/vidrip/backend/downloads/;
+        add_header Content-Type video/mp4;
+    }
+
+    # Increase upload size if needed
+    client_max_body_size 100M;
+}
+```
+
+Enable the site:
+
+```bash
+sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/vidrip /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
+sudo nginx -t
+sudo systemctl reload nginx
+```
+
+### 7. Setup SSL with Let's Encrypt (Recommended)
+
+```bash
+sudo apt-get install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
+sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com
+```
+
+## Systemd Service Management
+
+```bash
+# Start service
+sudo systemctl start vidrip
+
+# Stop service
+sudo systemctl stop vidrip
+
+# Restart service
+sudo systemctl restart vidrip
+
+# View status
+sudo systemctl status vidrip
+
+# View logs
+sudo journalctl -u vidrip -f
+
+# View application logs
+tail -f /var/log/vidrip/vidrip.log
+tail -f /var/log/vidrip/vidrip-error.log
+```
+
+## PM2 Alternative (Node.js Process Manager)
+
+If you prefer PM2 over systemd:
+
+```bash
+# Install PM2 globally
+sudo npm install -g pm2
+
+# Start application
+cd /var/www/vidrip/backend
+pm2 start dist/server.js --name vidrip
+
+# Save PM2 configuration
+pm2 save
+
+# Setup PM2 to start on boot
+pm2 startup
+# Follow the instructions shown
+
+# View logs
+pm2 logs vidrip
+
+# Monitor
+pm2 monit
+
+# Restart
+pm2 restart vidrip
+```
+
+## Environment Variables
+
+Configure in `/var/www/vidrip/backend/.env`:
+
+```env
+NODE_ENV=production
+PORT=3001
+```
+
+## Monitoring and Maintenance
+
+### Check Service Health
+
+```bash
+# Check if backend is running
+curl http://localhost:3001/api/config
+
+# Check disk space (downloads can fill up)
+df -h /var/www/vidrip/backend/downloads
+```
+
+### Log Rotation
+
+Create `/etc/logrotate.d/vidrip`:
+
+```
+/var/log/vidrip/*.log {
+    daily
+    rotate 14
+    compress
+    delaycompress
+    notifempty
+    create 0640 www-data www-data
+    sharedscripts
+    postrotate
+        systemctl reload vidrip > /dev/null 2>&1 || true
+    endscript
+}
+```
+
+### Backup Strategy
+
+```bash
+# Backup database
+cp /var/www/vidrip/backend/data.db /backups/vidrip-$(date +%Y%m%d).db
+
+# Backup downloads (optional, can be large)
+rsync -av /var/www/vidrip/backend/downloads/ /backups/downloads/
+```
+
+## Firewall Configuration
+
+```bash
+# Allow HTTP/HTTPS
+sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
+sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
+
+# Backend should NOT be exposed directly
+# Only accessible via nginx proxy
+```
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Service won't start
+
+```bash
+# Check logs
+sudo journalctl -u vidrip -n 50
+
+# Check if port is already in use
+sudo netstat -tlnp | grep 3001
+
+# Check file permissions
+ls -la /var/www/vidrip/backend/dist/server.js
+```
+
+### Database locked errors
+
+```bash
+# Check database permissions
+ls -la /var/www/vidrip/backend/data.db
+
+# Ensure only one process is accessing database
+ps aux | grep vidrip
+```
+
+### yt-dlp issues
+
+```bash
+# Update yt-dlp
+pip3 install --upgrade yt-dlp
+
+# Check if it's in PATH
+which yt-dlp
+
+# Test manually
+yt-dlp --version
+```
+
+## Security Checklist
+
+- [ ] Run backend as non-root user (www-data)
+- [ ] Enable firewall (ufw)
+- [ ] Setup SSL/TLS certificates
+- [ ] Restrict database file permissions
+- [ ] Configure nginx security headers
+- [ ] Enable log rotation
+- [ ] Regular yt-dlp updates
+- [ ] Monitor disk space for downloads
+- [ ] Setup fail2ban (optional)
+- [ ] Regular security updates
+
+## Performance Tuning
+
+### Download Directory Management
+
+Monitor download directory size:
+
+```bash
+# Check total size
+du -sh /var/www/vidrip/backend/downloads
+
+# Find large files
+du -h /var/www/vidrip/backend/downloads/* | sort -rh | head -20
+```
+
+### Database Optimization
+
+```bash
+# Vacuum database periodically
+sqlite3 /var/www/vidrip/backend/data.db "VACUUM;"
+```
+
+## Updating the Application
+
+```bash
+# Pull latest code
+cd /var/www/vidrip
+git pull
+
+# Install dependencies
+npm run install:all
+
+# Rebuild backend
+cd backend
+npm run build
+
+# Rebuild frontend
+cd ../frontend
+npm run build
+
+# Restart service
+sudo systemctl restart vidrip
+```
diff --git a/backend/src/db/database.ts b/backend/src/db/database.ts
index 1f49b3d..f83cfd1 100644
--- a/backend/src/db/database.ts
+++ b/backend/src/db/database.ts
@@ -153,11 +153,9 @@ export const videoOperations = {
   },
 
   updateStatus: (id: number, status: string, error?: string) => {
-    if (error !== undefined) {
-      return db.prepare('UPDATE videos SET status = ?, error = ? WHERE id = ?')
-        .run(status, error, id);
-    }
-    return db.prepare('UPDATE videos SET status = ? WHERE id = ?').run(status, id);
+    const errorValue = error !== undefined ? error : null;
+    return db.prepare('UPDATE videos SET status = ?, error = ? WHERE id = ?')
+      .run(status, errorValue, id);
   },
 
   markCompleted: (id: number, filePath: string, fileSize: number) => {
diff --git a/start-production.sh b/start-production.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..f081e29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/start-production.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,264 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+################################################################################
+# VidRip Production Startup Script
+################################################################################
+# This script builds and runs the VidRip service in production mode.
+# It handles dependency checks, builds both frontend and backend, and starts
+# the backend server with proper process management.
+################################################################################
+
+set -e  # Exit on error
+set -u  # Exit on undefined variable
+
+# Color codes for output
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+BLUE='\033[0;34m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+# Script directory
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+cd "$SCRIPT_DIR"
+
+# Configuration
+BACKEND_DIR="$SCRIPT_DIR/backend"
+FRONTEND_DIR="$SCRIPT_DIR/frontend"
+LOG_DIR="$SCRIPT_DIR/logs"
+PID_FILE="$SCRIPT_DIR/vidrip.pid"
+LOG_FILE="$LOG_DIR/vidrip.log"
+ERROR_LOG_FILE="$LOG_DIR/vidrip-error.log"
+
+################################################################################
+# Helper Functions
+################################################################################
+
+log_info() {
+    echo -e "${BLUE}[INFO]${NC} $1"
+}
+
+log_success() {
+    echo -e "${GREEN}[SUCCESS]${NC} $1"
+}
+
+log_warning() {
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}[WARNING]${NC} $1"
+}
+
+log_error() {
+    echo -e "${RED}[ERROR]${NC} $1"
+}
+
+check_command() {
+    if ! command -v "$1" &> /dev/null; then
+        log_error "$1 is not installed or not in PATH"
+        return 1
+    fi
+    log_success "$1 is installed"
+    return 0
+}
+
+cleanup_on_exit() {
+    log_info "Cleaning up..."
+    if [ -f "$PID_FILE" ]; then
+        rm -f "$PID_FILE"
+    fi
+}
+
+################################################################################
+# Pre-flight Checks
+################################################################################
+
+log_info "Starting VidRip production deployment..."
+echo ""
+
+log_info "Checking system requirements..."
+
+# Check for Node.js
+if ! check_command node; then
+    log_error "Node.js is required but not installed"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+NODE_VERSION=$(node --version | cut -d'v' -f2 | cut -d'.' -f1)
+if [ "$NODE_VERSION" -lt 18 ]; then
+    log_error "Node.js version 18 or higher is required (found v$NODE_VERSION)"
+    exit 1
+fi
+log_success "Node.js version: $(node --version)"
+
+# Check for npm
+if ! check_command npm; then
+    log_error "npm is required but not installed"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Check for yt-dlp
+if ! check_command yt-dlp; then
+    log_warning "yt-dlp is not installed or not in PATH"
+    log_warning "Install with: pip install yt-dlp OR brew install yt-dlp"
+    log_warning "The application will not be able to download videos without yt-dlp"
+else
+    log_success "yt-dlp version: $(yt-dlp --version)"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+
+################################################################################
+# Check for existing process
+################################################################################
+
+if [ -f "$PID_FILE" ]; then
+    OLD_PID=$(cat "$PID_FILE")
+    if ps -p "$OLD_PID" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        log_error "VidRip is already running (PID: $OLD_PID)"
+        log_info "Stop it first with: kill $OLD_PID"
+        exit 1
+    else
+        log_warning "Stale PID file found, removing..."
+        rm -f "$PID_FILE"
+    fi
+fi
+
+################################################################################
+# Create necessary directories
+################################################################################
+
+log_info "Creating necessary directories..."
+mkdir -p "$LOG_DIR"
+mkdir -p "$BACKEND_DIR/downloads"
+mkdir -p "$BACKEND_DIR/dist"
+log_success "Directories created"
+
+echo ""
+
+################################################################################
+# Install Dependencies
+################################################################################
+
+log_info "Installing dependencies..."
+
+# Backend dependencies
+log_info "Installing backend dependencies..."
+cd "$BACKEND_DIR"
+if [ ! -d "node_modules" ]; then
+    npm install --production=false
+else
+    log_info "Backend node_modules already exists, skipping install"
+fi
+log_success "Backend dependencies installed"
+
+# Frontend dependencies
+log_info "Installing frontend dependencies..."
+cd "$FRONTEND_DIR"
+if [ ! -d "node_modules" ]; then
+    npm install --production=false
+else
+    log_info "Frontend node_modules already exists, skipping install"
+fi
+log_success "Frontend dependencies installed"
+
+cd "$SCRIPT_DIR"
+echo ""
+
+################################################################################
+# Build Applications
+################################################################################
+
+log_info "Building applications..."
+
+# Build backend
+log_info "Building backend (TypeScript compilation)..."
+cd "$BACKEND_DIR"
+npm run build
+if [ ! -f "dist/server.js" ]; then
+    log_error "Backend build failed - dist/server.js not found"
+    exit 1
+fi
+log_success "Backend built successfully"
+
+# Build frontend
+log_info "Building frontend (Vite production build)..."
+cd "$FRONTEND_DIR"
+npm run build
+if [ ! -d "dist" ]; then
+    log_error "Frontend build failed - dist directory not found"
+    exit 1
+fi
+log_success "Frontend built successfully"
+
+cd "$SCRIPT_DIR"
+echo ""
+
+################################################################################
+# Start Backend Server
+################################################################################
+
+log_info "Starting VidRip backend server..."
+
+# Setup environment
+export NODE_ENV=production
+
+# Start the backend server
+cd "$BACKEND_DIR"
+
+# Run in background with output redirected to log files
+nohup node dist/server.js > "$LOG_FILE" 2> "$ERROR_LOG_FILE" &
+SERVER_PID=$!
+
+# Save PID
+echo "$SERVER_PID" > "$PID_FILE"
+
+# Wait a moment and check if process is still running
+sleep 2
+if ! ps -p "$SERVER_PID" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+    log_error "Server failed to start"
+    log_error "Check logs at:"
+    log_error "  - $LOG_FILE"
+    log_error "  - $ERROR_LOG_FILE"
+    rm -f "$PID_FILE"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+log_success "VidRip backend started successfully!"
+echo ""
+log_info "Process ID: $SERVER_PID"
+log_info "PID file: $PID_FILE"
+log_info "Log file: $LOG_FILE"
+log_info "Error log: $ERROR_LOG_FILE"
+echo ""
+
+# Check for port in logs (default 3001)
+sleep 1
+if grep -q "Server running" "$LOG_FILE" 2>/dev/null; then
+    PORT_INFO=$(grep "Server running" "$LOG_FILE" | tail -1)
+    log_success "$PORT_INFO"
+else
+    log_info "Server should be running on port 3001 (or PORT from .env)"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+log_info "==================================================================="
+log_info "VidRip is now running in production mode"
+log_info "==================================================================="
+echo ""
+log_info "To stop the service:"
+log_info "  ./stop-production.sh"
+echo ""
+log_info "To view logs:"
+log_info "  tail -f $LOG_FILE"
+echo ""
+log_info "To view errors:"
+log_info "  tail -f $ERROR_LOG_FILE"
+echo ""
+log_warning "IMPORTANT: In production, you'll need to:"
+log_warning "  1. Serve the frontend build (frontend/dist) via nginx/Apache"
+log_warning "  2. Setup reverse proxy from frontend to backend API"
+log_warning "  3. Configure proper firewall rules"
+echo ""
+
+# Register cleanup on script exit
+trap cleanup_on_exit EXIT
+
+exit 0
diff --git a/stop-production.sh b/stop-production.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..fd5b95d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stop-production.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+################################################################################
+# VidRip Production Stop Script
+################################################################################
+# This script safely stops the VidRip production service
+################################################################################
+
+set -e  # Exit on error
+
+# Color codes for output
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+BLUE='\033[0;34m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+# Script directory
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+cd "$SCRIPT_DIR"
+
+PID_FILE="$SCRIPT_DIR/vidrip.pid"
+
+log_info() {
+    echo -e "${BLUE}[INFO]${NC} $1"
+}
+
+log_success() {
+    echo -e "${GREEN}[SUCCESS]${NC} $1"
+}
+
+log_error() {
+    echo -e "${RED}[ERROR]${NC} $1"
+}
+
+################################################################################
+# Stop Service
+################################################################################
+
+if [ ! -f "$PID_FILE" ]; then
+    log_error "No PID file found at $PID_FILE"
+    log_error "VidRip may not be running or was started manually"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+PID=$(cat "$PID_FILE")
+
+if ! ps -p "$PID" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+    log_error "Process $PID is not running"
+    log_info "Removing stale PID file..."
+    rm -f "$PID_FILE"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+log_info "Stopping VidRip (PID: $PID)..."
+
+# Try graceful shutdown first
+kill "$PID"
+
+# Wait up to 10 seconds for graceful shutdown
+COUNTER=0
+while ps -p "$PID" > /dev/null 2>&1 && [ $COUNTER -lt 10 ]; do
+    sleep 1
+    COUNTER=$((COUNTER + 1))
+done
+
+# Force kill if still running
+if ps -p "$PID" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+    log_info "Process did not stop gracefully, forcing shutdown..."
+    kill -9 "$PID"
+    sleep 1
+fi
+
+# Verify it's stopped
+if ps -p "$PID" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+    log_error "Failed to stop process $PID"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Remove PID file
+rm -f "$PID_FILE"
+
+log_success "VidRip stopped successfully"
+exit 0
diff --git a/vidrip.service b/vidrip.service
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f1e5489
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vidrip.service
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=VidRip - YouTube Video Drip Downloader
+After=network.target
+
+[Service]
+Type=simple
+User=www-data
+Group=www-data
+WorkingDirectory=/var/www/vidrip/backend
+Environment="NODE_ENV=production"
+Environment="PORT=3001"
+ExecStart=/usr/bin/node /var/www/vidrip/backend/dist/server.js
+Restart=always
+RestartSec=10
+StandardOutput=append:/var/log/vidrip/vidrip.log
+StandardError=append:/var/log/vidrip/vidrip-error.log
+
+# Security hardening
+NoNewPrivileges=true
+PrivateTmp=true
+ProtectSystem=strict
+ProtectHome=true
+ReadWritePaths=/var/www/vidrip/backend/downloads /var/www/vidrip/backend/data.db /var/log/vidrip
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=multi-user.target