diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 13bfe6f..f33e93b 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -48,3 +48,4 @@ mongo-volume-backup-*.tar.gz
 # Serena AI assistant
 .serena/
 *.serena-memory
+mongo-backup/
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 30bcbec..ebfda4b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -17,6 +17,75 @@ Each location record is marked with a user ID.
 
 All the actions user `withUser` to fetch user ID, which is then used in all the DB operations.
 
+# Database Backup & Restore
+
+The project includes multiple backup strategies for different deployment scenarios and requirements.
+
+## Backup Scripts Overview
+
+### Standalone Docker Deployments
+
+**Online Backups (No Downtime):**
+- `db-dump--standalone.sh` - Creates online backup of the 'utility-bills' database using mongodump
+  - Database stays running during backup
+  - Only backs up the database content, not the full volume
+  - Output: `./mongo-backup/utility-bills-dump-YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM.tar.gz`
+  - Default retention: 7 backups (configurable via `KEEP` env var)
+  - Usage: `./db-dump--standalone.sh` or `KEEP=10 ./db-dump--standalone.sh`
+
+- `db-restore-from-dump--standalone.sh` - Restores from mongodump archives
+  - Database stays running during restore
+  - **WARNING**: Drops existing collections before restore
+  - Usage: `./db-restore-from-dump--standalone.sh utility-bills-dump-2025-11-26_14-30.tar.gz`
+
+**Offline Backups (With Downtime):**
+- `db-backup--standalone.sh` - Creates offline backup of the complete mongo-volume directory
+  - Database container is stopped during backup for consistency
+  - Backs up the entire MongoDB data directory
+  - Output: `./backups/mongo-volume-backup-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM.tar.gz`
+  - Default retention: 7 backups (configurable via `KEEP` env var)
+  - Usage: `./db-backup--standalone.sh` or `KEEP=2 ./db-backup--standalone.sh`
+
+### Docker Swarm Deployments
+
+- `db-backup--swarm.sh` - Creates offline backup by scaling down the MongoDB service
+  - Service is scaled to 0 during backup
+  - Output: `./backups/mongo-volume-backup-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM.tar.gz`
+  - Usage: `./db-backup--swarm.sh`
+
+- `db-restore-from-backup--swarm.sh` - Restores volume backup by scaling down the service
+  - Service is scaled to 0 during restore
+  - Optional `--pre-backup` flag for safety backup before restore
+  - Usage: `./db-restore-from-backup--swarm.sh mongo-volume-backup-2025-11-26-14-30.tar.gz`
+
+## Automated Backup Schedule
+
+Backups run automatically via cron at 04:00 every day:
+
+```cron
+# Sunday: Full volume backup (offline), keep 2 backups
+0 4 * * 0 cd /home/knee-cola/web-pro/evidencija-rezija && KEEP=2 ./db-backup--standalone.sh
+
+# Monday-Saturday: Database dump (online), keep 7 backups
+0 4 * * 1-6 cd /home/knee-cola/web-pro/evidencija-rezija && KEEP=7 ./db-dump--standalone.sh
+```
+
+**Backup Strategy:**
+- **Sundays**: Full volume backup with brief downtime (keeps 2 weeks of full backups)
+- **Monday-Saturday**: Online database dumps without downtime (keeps 7 days of incremental backups)
+
+All backup operations are logged with timestamps:
+- Volume backups: `./backups/db-backup-standalone.log`
+- Database dumps: `./mongo-backup/db-dump-db-standalone.log`
+- Restore operations: `./mongo-backup/db-restore-from-dump.log`
+
+## Backup Directories
+
+- `./backups/` - Volume backup archives (full mongo-volume directory)
+- `./mongo-backup/` - Database dump archives (utility-bills database only)
+
+Both directories are excluded from git via `.gitignore`.
+
 # Deploying
 The deployment is done via Docker:
 * build docker image
diff --git a/db-backup-standalone.sh b/db-backup--standalone.sh
similarity index 54%
rename from db-backup-standalone.sh
rename to db-backup--standalone.sh
index eb08f1b..d395cf7 100755
--- a/db-backup-standalone.sh
+++ b/db-backup--standalone.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,41 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 set -euo pipefail
 
+# ==============================================================================
+# MongoDB Offline Volume Backup Script (Standalone Docker)
+# ==============================================================================
+#
+# PURPOSE:
+#   Creates an offline backup of the complete mongo-volume directory.
+#   The database server is stopped during the backup to ensure consistency.
+#
+# WHEN TO USE:
+#   - For standalone Docker deployments (not Docker Swarm)
+#   - When you need a complete volume backup (entire MongoDB data directory)
+#   - For disaster recovery scenarios
+#   - When consistency is critical and downtime is acceptable
+#
+# BACKUP TYPE:
+#   - Offline (cold) backup - DB server is stopped during backup
+#   - Volume-level backup - entire mongo-volume directory
+#   - Creates compressed tarball (.tar.gz) of the volume
+#
+# OUTPUT:
+#   - Backup files stored in: ./backups/
+#   - Filename format: mongo-volume-backup-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM.tar.gz
+#   - Log file: ./backups/db-backup-standalone.log
+#   - Automatic rotation: keeps newest 7 backups (configurable via KEEP env var)
+#
+# USAGE:
+#   ./db-backup--standalone.sh
+#   KEEP=10 ./db-backup--standalone.sh  # Keep 10 backups instead of 7
+#
+# NOTE:
+#   The MongoDB container will be stopped and restarted automatically.
+#   Expect brief downtime during the backup process.
+#
+# ==============================================================================
+
 # Configuration
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
 LOG_FILE="$SCRIPT_DIR/backups/db-backup-standalone.log"
diff --git a/db-backup--swarm.sh b/db-backup--swarm.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..289600a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db-backup--swarm.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# ==============================================================================
+# MongoDB Offline Volume Backup Script (Docker Swarm)
+# ==============================================================================
+#
+# PURPOSE:
+#   Creates an offline backup of the complete mongo-volume directory.
+#   The MongoDB service is scaled down during the backup to ensure consistency.
+#
+# WHEN TO USE:
+#   - For Docker Swarm deployments (not standalone Docker)
+#   - When you need a complete volume backup (entire MongoDB data directory)
+#   - For disaster recovery scenarios
+#   - When consistency is critical and downtime is acceptable
+#
+# BACKUP TYPE:
+#   - Offline (cold) backup - DB service is scaled to 0 during backup
+#   - Volume-level backup - entire mongo-volume directory
+#   - Creates compressed tarball (.tar.gz) of the volume
+#
+# OUTPUT:
+#   - Backup files stored in: ./backups/
+#   - Filename format: mongo-volume-backup-YYYY-MM-DD-HH-MM.tar.gz
+#   - Automatic rotation: keeps newest 7 backups (configurable via KEEP env var)
+#
+# USAGE:
+#   ./db-backup--swarm.sh
+#   KEEP=10 ./db-backup--swarm.sh  # Keep 10 backups instead of 7
+#
+# NOTE:
+#   The MongoDB service will be scaled down to 0 and then back up to 1.
+#   Expect brief downtime during the backup process.
+#
+# ==============================================================================
+
+# Configuration
+MONGO_SERVICE="utility-bills-tracker_mongo"
+
+# scale down mongo service while we copy its volume
+docker service scale "$MONGO_SERVICE"=0
+
+# timestamp for filename
+TIMESTAMP=$(date +"%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M")
+
+# backup directory and retention (can be overridden via env)
+BACKUP_DIR="${BACKUP_DIR:-backups}"
+KEEP="${KEEP:-7}"
+
+mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
+
+BACKUP_FILE="$BACKUP_DIR/mongo-volume-backup-$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz"
+
+sudo tar -czvpf "$BACKUP_FILE" mongo-volume
+
+# rotate old backups: keep only the newest $KEEP files
+if [ "$KEEP" -gt 0 ]; then
+  # gather files sorted newest-first
+  mapfile -t files < <(ls -1t "$BACKUP_DIR"/mongo-volume-backup-*.tar.gz 2>/dev/null || true)
+  if [ "${#files[@]}" -gt "$KEEP" ]; then
+    for f in "${files[@]:$KEEP}"; do
+      echo "Removing old backup: $f"
+      rm -f -- "$f"
+    done
+  fi
+fi
+
+# bring mongo service back up
+docker service scale "$MONGO_SERVICE"=1
diff --git a/db-backup-swarm.sh b/db-backup-swarm.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 6783abc..0000000
--- a/db-backup-swarm.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,36 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-set -euo pipefail
-
-# Configuration
-MONGO_SERVICE="utility-bills-tracker_mongo"
-
-# scale down mongo service while we copy its volume
-docker service scale "$MONGO_SERVICE"=0
-
-# timestamp for filename
-TIMESTAMP=$(date +"%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M")
-
-# backup directory and retention (can be overridden via env)
-BACKUP_DIR="${BACKUP_DIR:-backups}"
-KEEP="${KEEP:-7}"
-
-mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
-
-BACKUP_FILE="$BACKUP_DIR/mongo-volume-backup-$TIMESTAMP.tar.gz"
-
-sudo tar -czvpf "$BACKUP_FILE" mongo-volume
-
-# rotate old backups: keep only the newest $KEEP files
-if [ "$KEEP" -gt 0 ]; then
-  # gather files sorted newest-first
-  mapfile -t files < <(ls -1t "$BACKUP_DIR"/mongo-volume-backup-*.tar.gz 2>/dev/null || true)
-  if [ "${#files[@]}" -gt "$KEEP" ]; then
-    for f in "${files[@]:$KEEP}"; do
-      echo "Removing old backup: $f"
-      rm -f -- "$f"
-    done
-  fi
-fi
-
-# bring mongo service back up
-docker service scale "$MONGO_SERVICE"=1
diff --git a/db-dump--standalone.sh b/db-dump--standalone.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..5c49eb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db-dump--standalone.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# ==============================================================================
+# MongoDB Online Dump Script (Standalone Docker)
+# ==============================================================================
+#
+# PURPOSE:
+#   Creates an online backup of only the 'utility-bills' database using mongodump.
+#   The database server remains running during the backup process.
+#
+# WHEN TO USE:
+#   - For standalone Docker deployments (not Docker Swarm)
+#   - When you need a quick backup without downtime
+#   - When you only need the database content, not the full volume
+#
+# BACKUP TYPE:
+#   - Online (hot) backup - DB server keeps running
+#   - Database-level backup - only 'utility-bills' database
+#   - Creates compressed archive (.tar.gz) using mongodump
+#
+# OUTPUT:
+#   - Backup files stored in: ./mongo-backup/
+#   - Filename format: utility-bills-dump-YYYY-MM-DD_HH-MM.tar.gz
+#   - Log file: ./mongo-backup/db-dump-db-standalone.log
+#   - Automatic rotation: keeps newest 7 backups (configurable via KEEP env var)
+#
+# USAGE:
+#   ./db-dump--standalone.sh
+#   KEEP=10 ./db-dump--standalone.sh  # Keep 10 backups instead of 7
+#
+# ==============================================================================
+
+# Configuration
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+
+# create backup directory if it doesn't exist
+BACKUP_DIR="$SCRIPT_DIR/mongo-backup"
+mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
+
+# initialize log file (overwrite if exists)
+LOG_FILE="$BACKUP_DIR/db-dump-db-standalone.log"
+> "$LOG_FILE"
+
+# Function to log messages
+log() {
+  local timestamp=$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')
+  echo "[$timestamp] $*" | tee -a "$LOG_FILE"
+}
+
+log "Starting database dump process..."
+
+BACKUP_FILE_NAME_BASE="utility-bills-dump-"
+BACKUP_FILE_NAME="${BACKUP_FILE_NAME_BASE}$(date +%F_%H-%M).tar.gz"
+
+CONTAINER_NAME="evidencija-rezija__mongo"
+DB_NAME="utility-bills"
+
+docker exec "$CONTAINER_NAME" sh -c '
+  mongodump \
+    --username root \
+    --password HjktJCPWMBtM1ACrDaw7 \
+    --authenticationDatabase admin \
+    --dumpDbUsersAndRoles \
+    --db '$DB_NAME' \
+    --archive=/backup/'$BACKUP_FILE_NAME' \
+    --gzip
+'
+
+log "... DB dump created successfully."
+
+# rotate old backups: keep only the newest $KEEP files
+KEEP="${KEEP:-7}"
+if [ "$KEEP" -gt 0 ]; then
+  log "Rotating backups, keeping the newest $KEEP files."
+
+  # gather files sorted newest-first
+  mapfile -t files < <(ls -1t "$BACKUP_DIR"/${BACKUP_FILE_NAME_BASE}*.tar.gz 2>/dev/null || true)
+  if [ "${#files[@]}" -gt "$KEEP" ]; then
+    for f in "${files[@]:$KEEP}"; do
+      log "Removing old backup: $f"
+      rm -f -- "$f"
+    done
+  fi
+
+  log "Rotation completed."
+else
+  log "Backup rotation disabled (KEEP=$KEEP)."
+fi
+
+log "Database backup process completed successfully."
diff --git a/restore.sh b/db-restore-from-backup--swarm.sh
similarity index 65%
rename from restore.sh
rename to db-restore-from-backup--swarm.sh
index 095e711..8e00809 100755
--- a/restore.sh
+++ b/db-restore-from-backup--swarm.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,45 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 set -euo pipefail
 
+# ==============================================================================
+# MongoDB Volume Restore Script (Docker Swarm)
+# ==============================================================================
+#
+# PURPOSE:
+#   Restores the complete mongo-volume directory from a volume backup tarball.
+#   The MongoDB service is scaled down during the restore to ensure consistency.
+#
+# WHEN TO USE:
+#   - For Docker Swarm deployments (not standalone Docker)
+#   - To restore from backups created by db-backup--swarm.sh
+#   - For disaster recovery scenarios
+#   - When you need to restore the complete MongoDB data directory
+#
+# RESTORE TYPE:
+#   - Offline (cold) restore - DB service is scaled to 0 during restore
+#   - Volume-level restore - entire mongo-volume directory
+#   - Extracts from compressed tarball (.tar.gz)
+#
+# INPUT:
+#   - Requires backup filename as parameter
+#   - Looks for file in: ./backups/
+#   - Optional: --pre-backup flag to create safety backup before restore
+#
+# USAGE:
+#   ./db-restore-from-backup--swarm.sh <backup-filename>
+#   ./db-restore-from-backup--swarm.sh mongo-volume-backup-2025-11-26-14-30.tar.gz
+#   ./db-restore-from-backup--swarm.sh --pre-backup mongo-volume-backup-2025-11-26-14-30.tar.gz
+#
+# WARNING:
+#   This will COMPLETELY REPLACE the mongo-volume directory contents!
+#   Use --pre-backup flag to create a safety backup before restore.
+#
+# NOTE:
+#   The MongoDB service will be scaled down to 0 and then back up to 1.
+#   Expect downtime during the restore process.
+#
+# ==============================================================================
+
 # Configuration
 MONGO_SERVICE="utility-bills-tracker_mongo"
 
diff --git a/db-restore-from-dump--standalone.sh b/db-restore-from-dump--standalone.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..fcc9f0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/db-restore-from-dump--standalone.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# ==============================================================================
+# MongoDB Dump Restore Script (Standalone Docker)
+# ==============================================================================
+#
+# PURPOSE:
+#   Restores the 'utility-bills' database from a mongodump archive.
+#   The database server remains running during the restore process.
+#
+# WHEN TO USE:
+#   - For standalone Docker deployments (not Docker Swarm)
+#   - To restore from dumps created by db-dump--standalone.sh
+#   - When you need to restore without shutting down the database
+#
+# RESTORE TYPE:
+#   - Online (hot) restore - DB server keeps running
+#   - Database-level restore - only 'utility-bills' database
+#   - Drops existing collections before restoring (--drop flag)
+#
+# INPUT:
+#   - Requires dump filename as parameter
+#   - Looks for file in: ./mongo-backup/
+#   - Log file: ./mongo-backup/db-restore-from-dump.log
+#
+# USAGE:
+#   ./db-restore-from-dump--standalone.sh <dump-filename>
+#   ./db-restore-from-dump--standalone.sh utility-bills-dump-2025-11-26_14-30.tar.gz
+#
+# WARNING:
+#   This will DROP all existing collections in the 'utility-bills' database
+#   before restoring. Make sure you have a backup if needed!
+#
+# ==============================================================================
+
+# Configuration
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+
+# create backup directory if it doesn't exist
+BACKUP_DIR="$SCRIPT_DIR/mongo-backup"
+mkdir -p "$BACKUP_DIR"
+
+# initialize log file (overwrite if exists)
+LOG_FILE="$BACKUP_DIR/db-restore-from-dump.log"
+> "$LOG_FILE"
+
+# Function to log messages
+log() {
+  local timestamp=$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')
+  echo "[$timestamp] $*" | tee -a "$LOG_FILE"
+}
+
+# Check if dump filename is provided
+if [ $# -eq 0 ]; then
+  log "Error: No dump filename provided"
+  log "Usage: $0 <dump-filename>"
+  log "Example: $0 utility-bills-dump-2025-11-26_14-30.tar.gz"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+DUMP_FILENAME="$1"
+DUMP_FILE="$BACKUP_DIR/$DUMP_FILENAME"
+
+# Check if dump file exists
+if [ ! -f "$DUMP_FILE" ]; then
+  log "Error: Dump file not found: $DUMP_FILE"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+log "Starting database restore process..."
+log "Restoring from: $DUMP_FILE"
+
+CONTAINER_NAME="evidencija-rezija__mongo"
+DB_NAME="utility-bills"
+
+docker exec "$CONTAINER_NAME" sh -c '
+  mongorestore \
+    --username root \
+    --password HjktJCPWMBtM1ACrDaw7 \
+    --authenticationDatabase admin \
+    --db '$DB_NAME' \
+    --archive=/backup/'$DUMP_FILENAME' \
+    --gzip \
+    --drop
+'
+
+log "Database restore completed successfully."
diff --git a/db-scheduled-backup.sh b/db-scheduled-backup.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index e8f89f3..0000000
--- a/db-scheduled-backup.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,47 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-set -euo pipefail
-
-# Script to run scheduled database backups and clean up old files
-# This script calls db-backup-standalone.sh and then removes backups older than 7 days
-
-SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
-BACKUP_SCRIPT="$SCRIPT_DIR/db-backup-standalone.sh"
-LOG_FILE="$SCRIPT_DIR/backups/scheduled-backup.log"
-
-# Initialize log file (overwrite if exists)
-mkdir -p "$(dirname "$LOG_FILE")"
-> "$LOG_FILE"
-
-# Function to log messages
-log() {
-  local timestamp=$(date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')
-  echo "[$timestamp] $*" | tee -a "$LOG_FILE"
-}
-
-# Ensure the backup script exists and is executable
-if [ ! -f "$BACKUP_SCRIPT" ]; then
-  log "Error: Backup script not found at $BACKUP_SCRIPT"
-  exit 1
-fi
-
-if [ ! -x "$BACKUP_SCRIPT" ]; then
-  log "Making backup script executable..."
-  chmod +x "$BACKUP_SCRIPT"
-fi
-
-# Run the backup
-log "Starting database backup..."
-"$BACKUP_SCRIPT"
-
-# Rotation is already handled in db-backup-standalone.sh, so no need to repeat it here.
-# # Delete backups older than 7 days
-# BACKUP_DIR="${BACKUP_DIR:-backups}"
-# if [ -d "$BACKUP_DIR" ]; then
-#   log "Cleaning up backups older than 7 days in $BACKUP_DIR..."
-#   find "$BACKUP_DIR" -name "mongo-volume-backup-*.tar.gz" -type f -mtime +7 -delete
-#   log "Cleanup completed."
-# else
-#   log "Warning: Backup directory $BACKUP_DIR not found, skipping cleanup."
-# fi
-
-log "Scheduled backup completed successfully."
diff --git a/docker-compose-debug.yml b/docker-compose-debug.yml
index 4fd6dc5..1eaf025 100644
--- a/docker-compose-debug.yml
+++ b/docker-compose-debug.yml
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ version: "3.7"
 services:
   mongo:
     image: mongo:4.4.27
+    container_name: evidencija-rezija__mongo
     ulimits:
       nofile:
         soft: 64000
@@ -16,8 +17,10 @@ services:
       MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD: HjktJCPWMBtM1ACrDaw7
     volumes:
       - ./mongo-volume:/data/db
+      - ./mongo-backup:/backup
   mongo-express:
     image: mongo-express
+    container_name: evidencija-rezija__mongo-express
     restart: always
     ports:
       - 8081:8081
diff --git a/docker-compose-standalone.yaml b/docker-compose-standalone.yaml
index 10d2f49..3af0c4b 100644
--- a/docker-compose-standalone.yaml
+++ b/docker-compose-standalone.yaml
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ services:
       MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD: example
     volumes:
       - ./mongo-volume:/data/db
+      - ./mongo-backup:/backup
     networks:
       - util-bills-mongo-network
   mongo-express: