diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 59cf31c..6ace97d 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -17,8 +17,10 @@ WORKDIR /app
 # Install dependencies
 RUN apk add --no-cache mariadb mariadb-client mariadb-server-utils nginx bash
 
-# Initialize directories
-RUN mkdir -p /run/mysqld /var/lib/mysql && chown -R mysql:mysql /run/mysqld /var/lib/mysql
+# Initialize MariaDB directories and schema
+RUN mkdir -p /run/mysqld /var/lib/mysql && \
+    chown -R mysql:mysql /run/mysqld /var/lib/mysql && \
+    mysql_install_db --user=mysql --basedir=/usr --datadir=/var/lib/mysql
 
 # Copy built frontend to nginx
 COPY --from=builder /build/dist /usr/share/nginx/html