diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0d9357a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# Flask Configuration
+FLASK_ENV=production
+FLASK_DEBUG=False
+SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-change-this-in-production
+
+# Database Configuration
+DB_HOST=mariadb
+DB_PORT=3306
+DB_USER=quality_user
+DB_PASSWORD=your-password
+DB_NAME=quality_db
+
+# Application Configuration
+APP_PORT=8080
+APP_HOST=0.0.0.0
+
+# Session Configuration
+SESSION_TIMEOUT=3600
+
+# Logging Configuration
+LOG_LEVEL=INFO
+LOG_FILE=/app/data/logs/app.log
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 6db6181..979e8c2 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.env.example
+.env
 __pycache__/
 *.pyc
 *.pyo