diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
index dd39463ba..dffae8f55 100644
--- a/.dockerignore
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -1,2 +1,52 @@
+# Git
+.git
+.gitignore
+.gitattributes
+
+# Docker
+docker-compose.yml
+Dockerfile
+.docker
+.dockerignore
+
+# python
+**/__pycache__
+dist
+build
+*.egg-info
+.pytest_cache
+
+# VSCode
+.vscode/
+
+# MacOS
+**/.DS_Store
+
+# playwright
+screenshots
+test-results
+
+# ruff
+.ruff_cache
+
+# conda-store-ui
+conda-store-server/conda_store_server/server/static/conda-store-ui/
+
+# Docusaurus dependencies
+/node_modules
+
+# Docusaurus production
+/build
+
+# markdown
+*.md
+!README.md
+
+# ------------------------
+# conda-store specific
 data
 examples/docker/data
+
+# test files
+conda-store-server/tests
+conda-store/tests
diff --git a/.github/workflows/build_docker_image.yaml b/.github/workflows/build_docker_image.yaml
index 18c7f980a..36776a0ec 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build_docker_image.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build_docker_image.yaml
@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ jobs:
       - name: "Checkout Repository 🛎"
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+      - name: "Get project's default Python version 🏷️"
+        run: |
+          echo "PYTHON_VERSION_DEFAULT=$(cat .python-version-default)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: "Retrieve secret from Vault 🗝"
         uses: hashicorp/vault-action@v3
         with:
@@ -68,6 +72,12 @@ jobs:
             type=ref,event=tag
             type=sha
 
+      # we need this as we are setting the context to subproject directory
+      - name: "Copy .dockerignore"
+        run: |
+          cp .dockerignore ${{ matrix.docker-image }}/.dockerignore
+        shell: bash
+
       - name: "Publish Docker image 🚀"
         uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
         with:
@@ -80,4 +90,6 @@ jobs:
           labels: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.labels }}
           cache-from: type=gha
           cache-to: type=gha,mode=max
+          build-args: |
+            python_version=${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION_DEFAULT }}
           platforms: ${{ matrix.platform }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/conda.yml b/.github/workflows/conda.yml
index 55513b4d8..f56765dc8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/conda.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/conda.yml
@@ -23,11 +23,8 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
-        os:
-          - ubuntu-latest
-          - macos-latest
-          - macos-14
-          - windows-latest
+        # ubuntu 22.04, macos 14, windows 2022
+        os: ["ubuntu-latest", "macos-latest", "windows-latest"]
     steps:
       - name: "Checkout Repository 🛎"
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yaml b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
index 7fa1384bd..fde0a92ad 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yaml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ permissions:
 jobs:
   # Always build & verify package.
   build-package:
-    name: Build & verify package
+    name: "Build & verify package"
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
       matrix:
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ jobs:
       - run: echo "Running on ${{ matrix.directory }}"
 
       - name: "Check package build - ${{ matrix.directory }} 📦"
-        uses: hynek/build-and-inspect-python-package@main
+        uses: hynek/build-and-inspect-python-package@v2
         with:
           path: ${{ matrix.directory }}
           upload-name-suffix: "-${{ matrix.directory }}"
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ jobs:
 
   # Upload to Test PyPI on every commit on main
   release-test-pypi:
-    name: Publish in-dev to test.pypi.org
+    name: "Publish in-dev to test.pypi.org"
     environment: release-test-pypi
     if: github.repository_owner == 'conda-incubator' && github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -82,9 +82,9 @@ jobs:
           print-hash: true
           verbose: true
 
-
+  # Upload to PyPI on every tag/release
   release-pypi:
-    name: Publish released package to pypi.org
+    name: "Publish released package to pypi.org"
     environment: release-pypi
     if:  github.repository_owner == 'conda-incubator' && github.event_name == 'release' && startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/')
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -128,6 +128,15 @@ jobs:
       - name: "Checkout Repository 🛎"
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+      - name: "Get project's default Python version 🏷️"
+        run: |
+          echo "PYTHON_VERSION_DEFAULT=$(cat .python-version-default)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: "Copy .dockerignore"
+        run: |
+          cp .dockerignore ${{ matrix.docker-image }}/.dockerignore
+        shell: bash
+
       - name: "Retrieve secret from Vault 🗝"
         uses: hashicorp/vault-action@v2
         with:
@@ -177,6 +186,7 @@ jobs:
           file: "${{ matrix.docker-image }}/Dockerfile"
           build-args: |
             RELEASE_VERSION=${{github.ref_name}}
+            python_version=${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION_DEFAULT }}
           tags: |
             ${{ steps.meta.outputs.tags }}
           push: true
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_build_docker_image.yaml b/.github/workflows/test_build_docker_image.yaml
index 20cbada3e..6d8424094 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_build_docker_image.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_build_docker_image.yaml
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 name: "Test build Docker image"
 
 env:
-  DEFAULT_PYTHON_VERSION: "3.10"
   FORCE_COLOR: "1" # Make tools pretty.
+  PYTHONUNBUFFERED: "1" # Make stdout and stderr behave well
 
 on:
   pull_request:
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ on:
 
 # ensuring only one instance is running at a given time
 concurrency:
-  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.sha }}
   cancel-in-progress: true
 
 jobs:
@@ -39,7 +39,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: "Checkout Repository 🛎"
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
-      - name: "Set up Docker Buildx"
+      - name: "Get project's default Python version 🏷️"
+        run: |
+          echo "PYTHON_VERSION_DEFAULT=$(cat .python-version-default)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: "Set up Docker Buildx 🏗"
         uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
 
       - name: "Lint Dockerfiles 🔍"
@@ -49,7 +53,12 @@ jobs:
           output_format: tty
           error_level: 0
 
-      - name: "Docker Meta"
+      - name: "Copy .dockerignore"
+        run: |
+          cp .dockerignore ${{ matrix.docker-image }}/.dockerignore
+        shell: bash
+
+      - name: "Add Docker metadata 📝"
         id: meta
         uses: docker/metadata-action@v5
         with:
@@ -58,7 +67,7 @@ jobs:
           tags: |
             type=sha
 
-      - name: "Build Docker images"
+      - name: "Build Docker images 🐳"
         uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
         with:
           context: "${{ matrix.docker-image }}"
@@ -70,4 +79,6 @@ jobs:
           labels: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.labels }}
           cache-from: type=gha
           cache-to: type=gha,mode=max
+          build-args: |
+            python_version=${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION_DEFAULT }}
           platforms: ${{ matrix.platform }}
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_conda_store.yaml b/.github/workflows/test_conda_store.yaml
index 1dff7cabe..67269811d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_conda_store.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_conda_store.yaml
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 name: "Test conda-store"
 
 env:
-  DEFAULT_PYTHON_VERSION: "3.10"
   FORCE_COLOR: "1" # Make tools pretty.
+  PYTHONUNBUFFERED: "1" # Make stdout and stderr behave well
 
 on:
   pull_request:
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ on:
 
 # ensuring only one instance is running at a given time
 concurrency:
-  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.sha }}
   cancel-in-progress: true
 
 jobs:
@@ -40,34 +40,29 @@ jobs:
       - name: "Set up Python 🐍"
         uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
-          python-version: ${{ matrix.python-version }}
+          python-version-file: .python-version-default
+          cache: "pip"
 
       - name: "Install Dependencies 📦"
         run: |
-          pip install hatch
           sudo apt install wait-for-it -y
+          python -m pip install hatch
+          # install conda-store
+          pip install .
 
       - name: "Linting Checks 🧹"
         run: |
           hatch env run -e lint lint
 
-      - name: "Build package 📦"
-        run: |
-          hatch build
-
-      - name: "Deploy docker-compose"
+      - name: "Deploy docker compose 🏗️"
         run: |
-          docker-compose up -d
+          docker compose up -d
           docker ps
 
           wait-for-it localhost:5432 # postgresql
           wait-for-it localhost:9000 # minio
           wait-for-it localhost:8080 # conda-store-server
 
-      - name: "Install conda-store for tests 📦"
-        run: |
-          pip install .
-
       - name: "Run basic tests -  not authenticated"
         run: |
           sleep 20
@@ -88,4 +83,4 @@ jobs:
       - name: "Get Docker logs 🔍"
         if: ${{ failure() }}
         run: |
-          docker-compose logs
+          docker compose logs
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_conda_store_server_integration.yaml b/.github/workflows/test_conda_store_server_integration.yaml
index 19069d3d1..4edc6645d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_conda_store_server_integration.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_conda_store_server_integration.yaml
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 name: "Test conda-store-server (integration)"
 
 env:
-  DEFAULT_PYTHON_VERSION: "3.10"
   FORCE_COLOR: "1" # Make tools pretty.
+  PYTHONUNBUFFERED: "1" # Make stdout and stderr behave well
 
 on:
   pull_request:
@@ -20,12 +20,12 @@ on:
 
 # ensuring only one instance is running at a given time
 concurrency:
-  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.sha }}
   cancel-in-progress: true
 
 jobs:
   integration-test-conda-store-server:
-    name: "integration-test conda-store-server"
+    name: "integration-test - ${{ matrix.test-type }}"
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
       matrix:
@@ -38,20 +38,29 @@ jobs:
       - name: "Checkout Repository 🛎"
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
-      - name: "Set up env 🐍"
+      - name: "Get project's default Python version 🏷️"
+        run: |
+          echo "PYTHON_VERSION_DEFAULT=$(cat .python-version-default)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
+      - name: "Set up conda env 🐍"
         uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v3
         with:
-          environment-file: conda-store-server/environment-dev.yaml
-          miniforge-version: latest
+            environment-file: conda-store-server/environment-dev.yaml
+            miniforge-version: latest
+            auto-activate-base: false
+            activate-environment: conda-store-server-dev
+            python-version: ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION_DEFAULT }}
 
-      - name: "Install build dependencies 📦"
+      - name: "Install dependencies 📦"
         run: |
-          pip install hatch
+          which python
           sudo apt install wait-for-it -y
+          # install conda-store-server
+          python -m pip install .
 
-      - name: "Deploy docker-compose"
+      - name: "Deploy docker compose 🏗️"
         run: |
-          docker-compose up -d
+          docker compose up -d
           docker ps
 
           wait-for-it localhost:5432 # postgresql
@@ -61,29 +70,28 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: "Run Playwright tests 🎭"
         run: |
-          playwright install
-          pytest --video on ../tests/test_playwright.py
+          python -m playwright install --with-deps chromium
+          python -m pytest --video on ../tests/test_playwright.py
         if: matrix.test-type == 'playwright'
 
       - name: "Upload test results 📤"
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
-        if: ${{ always() }} && matrix.test-type == 'playwright'
+        if: matrix.test-type == 'playwright'
         with:
           name: playwright-tests
           path: conda-store-server/test-results
 
       - name: "Run integration tests ✅"
         run: |
-          export PYTHONPATH=$PYTHONPATH:$PWD
-          pytest ../tests/test_api.py ../tests/test_metrics.py
+          python -m pytest ../tests/test_api.py ../tests/test_metrics.py
         if: matrix.test-type == 'integration'
 
       - name: "Run user journey tests ✅"
         run: |
-          pytest -m "user_journey"
+          python -m pytest -m "user_journey"
         if: matrix.test-type == 'user-journey'
 
       - name: "Get Docker logs 🔍"
         if: ${{ failure() }}
         run: |
-          docker-compose logs
+          docker compose logs
diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_conda_store_server_unit.yaml b/.github/workflows/test_conda_store_server_unit.yaml
index cb50a4873..36ffd0f91 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_conda_store_server_unit.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_conda_store_server_unit.yaml
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 name: "Test conda-store-server (unit)"
 
 env:
-  DEFAULT_PYTHON_VERSION: "3.10"
   FORCE_COLOR: "1" # Make tools pretty.
 
 on:
@@ -17,26 +16,43 @@ on:
     branches:
       - main
 
-
 # ensuring only one instance is running at a given time
 concurrency:
-  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
+  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.sha }}
   cancel-in-progress: true
 
 jobs:
+  linting:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    defaults:
+      run:
+        working-directory: conda-store-server
+    steps:
+      - name: "Checkout Repository 🛎"
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: "Set up Python 🐍"
+        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version-file: .python-version-default
+          cache: "pip"
+
+      - name: "Install Dependencies 📦"
+        run: |
+          python -m pip install hatch
+
+      - name: "Linting Checks 🧹"
+        run: |
+          hatch env run -e lint lint
+
   test-conda-store-server:
-    name: "unit-test conda-store-server"
+    name: "unit-test - ${{ matrix.os}} "
     strategy:
       matrix:
-        os: ["ubuntu", "macos", "windows"]
-        include:
-          - os: ubuntu
-            environment-file: conda-store-server/environment-dev.yaml
-          - os: macos
-            environment-file: conda-store-server/environment-macos-dev.yaml
-          - os: windows
-            environment-file: conda-store-server/environment-windows-dev.yaml
-    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}-latest
+        # ubuntu 22.04, macos 14, windows 2022
+        # os: ["ubuntu-latest", "macos-latest", "windows-latest"]
+        os: ["ubuntu-latest"]
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
     defaults:
       run:
         shell: bash -el {0}
@@ -45,33 +61,39 @@ jobs:
       - name: "Checkout Repository 🛎"
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+      - name: "Get project's default Python version 🏷️"
+        run: |
+          echo "PYTHON_VERSION_DEFAULT=$(cat .python-version-default)" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+
       - name: "Set up env ${{ matrix.os }} 🐍"
-        uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v2
+        uses: conda-incubator/setup-miniconda@v3
         with:
-            environment-file: ${{ matrix.environment-file }}
+            environment-file: conda-store-server/environment-dev.yaml
             miniforge-version: latest
+            auto-activate-base: false
+            activate-environment: conda-store-server-dev
+            python-version: ${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION_DEFAULT }}
 
       # This fixes a "DLL not found" issue importing ctypes from the hatch env
-      - name: "Reinstall Python 3.10 on Windows runner"
+      - name: "Reinstall Python on Windows runner"
         uses: nick-fields/retry@v2.8.3
         with:
           timeout_minutes: 9999
           max_attempts: 6
           command:
-            conda install --channel=conda-forge --quiet --yes python=${{ matrix.python }}
-        if: matrix.os == 'windows'
-
-      - name: "Linting Checks 🧹"
-        run: |
-          hatch env run -e lint lint
+            conda install --channel=conda-forge --quiet --yes python=${{ env.PYTHON_VERSION_DEFAULT }}
+        if: matrix.os == 'windows-latest'
 
-      - name: "Build package 📦"
+      - name: "Install conda-store server 📦"
         run: |
-          hatch build
+          python -m pip install .
+          # some checks
+          conda list
+          which python
 
       - name: "Unit tests ✅"
         run: |
-          pytest -m "not extended_prefix and not user_journey" tests
+          python -m pytest -m "not extended_prefix and not user_journey" tests
 
       # https://github.com/actions/runner-images/issues/1052
       - name: "Windows extended prefix unit tests ✅"
@@ -83,4 +105,4 @@ jobs:
             -Type DWord
           (Get-ItemProperty "HKLM:System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem").LongPathsEnabled
           pytest -m "extended_prefix" tests
-        if: matrix.os == 'windows'
+        if: matrix.os == 'windows-latest'
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index ffd282ce2..0ec82f551 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ test-results
 # ruff
 .ruff_cache
 
+# MacOS
+**/.DS_Store
+
 # conda-store-ui
 conda-store-server/conda_store_server/_internal/server/static/conda-store-ui/
 
@@ -45,12 +48,12 @@ conda-store-server/conda_store_server/_internal/server/static/conda-store-ui/
 .cache-loader
 
 # Docusaurus misc
-.DS_Store
 .env.local
 .env.development.local
 .env.test.local
 .env.production.local
 
+# Node/bun
 npm-debug.log*
 yarn-debug.log*
 yarn-error.log*
diff --git a/.hadolint.yaml b/.hadolint.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..83905e9d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.hadolint.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+ignored:
+  - DL3008 # we do not pin apt deps
+  - DL3003 # already use workkdir
+  - DL3042 # already use --no-cache--dir
diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index d56b84139..6d13c9722 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -31,11 +31,10 @@ repos:
     rev: v4.6.0
     hooks:
       - id: trailing-whitespace
-        files: ".*\\.py"
       - id: check-added-large-files
       - id: check-toml
       - id: end-of-file-fixer
-      - id: trailing-whitespace
+        exclude: ".python-version-default"
 
   - repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/mirrors-prettier
     rev: v4.0.0-alpha.8
diff --git a/.python-version-default b/.python-version-default
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fdcfcfdfc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.python-version-default
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+3.12
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/conda-store-server/Dockerfile b/conda-store-server/Dockerfile
index a462a10d7..ae5c6da9a 100644
--- a/conda-store-server/Dockerfile
+++ b/conda-store-server/Dockerfile
@@ -1,10 +1,20 @@
-FROM condaforge/mambaforge:23.3.1-1 as base
+# conda-store-server Dockerfile
+# the generated Docker image is used with docker compose to run the conda-store
+# server and public conda-store Docker images
+
+FROM condaforge/miniforge3:24.3.0-0 AS base
 
 LABEL org.opencontainers.image.authors="conda-store development team"
 
+# ensure we are using the conda environment
 ENV PATH=/opt/conda/condabin:/opt/conda/envs/conda-store-server/bin:/opt/conda/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:${PATH}
 ENV TZ=Etc/UTC
 
+# must be passed at build environment (should use .python-version-default)
+ARG python_version
+ARG conda_env_name="conda-store-server"
+ARG user_no=1000
+
 RUN apt-get update && \
     # https://docs.anaconda.org/anaconda/install/linux/#installing-on-linux
     apt-get install -yq --no-install-recommends \
@@ -27,40 +37,50 @@ RUN apt-get update && \
 # ensure that conda channels is empty by default
 # we do not want to tamper with the solve≈
 RUN printf 'channels: []\n' > /opt/conda/.condarc && \
-    chown -R 1000:1000 /opt/conda && \
+    chown -R ${user_no}:${user_no} /opt/conda && \
     mkdir -p /opt/conda-store/conda-store && \
-    chown 1000:1000 /opt/conda-store/conda-store && \
+    chown ${user_no}:${user_no} /opt/conda-store/conda-store && \
     mkdir -p /var/lib/conda-store && \
-    chown 1000:1000 /var/lib/conda-store && \
+    chown ${user_no}:${user_no} /var/lib/conda-store && \
     mkdir -p /opt/conda-store/envs && \
-    chown 1000:1000 /opt/conda-store/envs && \
+    chown ${user_no}:${user_no} /opt/conda-store/envs && \
     mkdir /.cache && \
-    chown 1000:1000 /.cache
-
-USER 1000:1000
+    chown ${user_no}:${user_no} /.cache
 
-COPY environment.yaml /opt/conda-store-server/environment.yaml
+USER ${user_no}:${user_no}
 
-RUN mamba env create -f /opt/conda-store-server/environment.yaml && \
-	conda clean  --force-pkgs-dirs
+RUN mamba create --name ${conda_env_name} \
+    python=${python_version} conda \
+    --channel conda-forge -y && \
+    conda clean --force-pkgs-dirs --all -y
 
 COPY ./ /opt/conda-store-server/
 
 USER 0:0
-RUN chown -R 1000:1000 /opt/conda-store-server/
-USER 1000:1000
+RUN chown -R ${user_no}:${user_no} /opt/conda-store-server/
+USER ${user_no}:${user_no}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# for production-ready images we install a specific version of conda-store-server
+FROM base AS prod
 
-FROM base as prod
 ARG RELEASE_VERSION
-RUN cd /opt/conda-store-server && \
-    /opt/conda/envs/conda-store-server/bin/pip install conda-store-server==${RELEASE_VERSION} && \
+
+WORKDIR /opt/conda-store-server
+RUN which python && \
+    python -m pip install conda-store-server==${RELEASE_VERSION} --no-cache-dir && \
     rm -rf /opt/conda-store-server/tests
 
 WORKDIR /var/lib/conda-store
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-FROM base as dev
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# for development images we install conda-store-server in editable mode
+FROM base AS dev
 
-RUN cd /opt/conda-store-server && \
-    /opt/conda/envs/conda-store-server/bin/pip install -e .
+WORKDIR /opt/conda-store-server
+RUN which python && \
+    python -m pip install -e . --no-cache-dir
 
 WORKDIR /var/lib/conda-store
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/_internal/action/generate_constructor_installer.py b/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/_internal/action/generate_constructor_installer.py
index 27100dc7e..95ae1a82a 100644
--- a/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/_internal/action/generate_constructor_installer.py
+++ b/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/_internal/action/generate_constructor_installer.py
@@ -40,6 +40,8 @@ def write_file(filename, s):
     # Checks if constructor is available
     try:
         command = [
+            "python",
+            "-m",
             "constructor",
             "--help",
         ]
@@ -114,9 +116,7 @@ def write_file(filename, s):
         }
 
         if sys.platform == "win32":
-            post_install = """\
-call "%PREFIX%\Scripts\\activate.bat"
-"""
+            post_install = "\n" r'call "%PREFIX%\Scripts\activate.bat' "\n"
         else:
             post_install = """\
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
diff --git a/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/_internal/build.py b/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/_internal/build.py
index 63258799f..2e56a3916 100644
--- a/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/_internal/build.py
+++ b/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/_internal/build.py
@@ -49,8 +49,13 @@ def append_to_logs(db: Session, conda_store, build, logs: typing.Union[str, byte
         except Exception:
             current_logs = b""
 
+        if current_logs is None:
+            current_logs = b""
+
         if isinstance(logs, str):
             logs = logs.encode("utf-8")
+        elif logs is None:
+            logs = b""
 
         conda_store.storage.set(
             db,
diff --git a/conda-store-server/environment-dev.yaml b/conda-store-server/environment-dev.yaml
index ba6ff6543..0ef1e428f 100644
--- a/conda-store-server/environment-dev.yaml
+++ b/conda-store-server/environment-dev.yaml
@@ -1,64 +1,34 @@
+# only development dependencies should be added to this file
+# if you add a new dev dependency you must ensure to add it to the [tool.hatch.envs.dev]
+# section of the pyproject.toml file too
+# required conda-store-server or conda-store (core) dependencies MUST ONLY be added/updated in the [dependencies]
+# section of the corresponding pyproject.toml file
+# the only exceptions to this rule are conda and constructor which are only conda installable
 name: conda-store-server-dev
 channels:
   - conda-forge
-  - microsoft
   - nodefaults
 dependencies:
-  - python ==3.10
+  # must be kept in sync with .python-version-default
+  - python=3.12
   # conda builds
-  - conda ==23.5.2
-  - conda-docker >= 0.1.2
-  - python-docker
-  - conda-pack
-  - conda-lock >=1.0.5
-  - conda-package-handling
-  - conda-package-streaming
-  # web server
-  - celery
-  - flower
-  - redis-py
-  - sqlalchemy<=1.4.47
-  - psycopg2
-  - pymysql
-  - requests
-  - uvicorn
-  - fastapi
-  - pydantic < 2.0
-  - pyyaml
-  - traitlets
-  - yarl
-  - pyjwt
-  - filelock
-  - itsdangerous
-  - jinja2
-  - python-multipart
-  - alembic
-  - platformdirs >=4.0,<5.0a0
-  # artifact storage
-  - minio
-  # installer
-  - constructor
-  # CLI
-  - typer
-
+  - conda
   # dev dependencies
   - aiohttp>=3.8.1
-  - hatch
   - pytest
   - pytest-celery
   - pytest-mock
-  - black ==22.3.0
-  - flake8
-  - ruff
-  - sphinx
-  - myst-parser
-  - sphinx-panels
-  - sphinx-copybutton
-  - pydata-sphinx-theme
-  - playwright
-  - docker-py<7  # for docker-compose
+  - docker-py<=7
   - docker-compose
+  # build dependencies
+  - hatch
+  - build
+  - twine>=5.0.0
+  - pkginfo>=1.10 # needed to support metadata 2.3
+  # installer
+  - constructor # runtime dep but must be conda installed
+  # linting
+  - pre_commit
   - pip
-
   - pip:
       - pytest-playwright
diff --git a/conda-store-server/environment-macos-dev.yaml b/conda-store-server/environment-macos-dev.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index fb9fa162b..000000000
--- a/conda-store-server/environment-macos-dev.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,64 +0,0 @@
-name: conda-store-server-dev
-channels:
-  - conda-forge
-  - microsoft
-  - nodefaults
-dependencies:
-  - python ==3.10
-  # conda builds
-  - conda ==23.5.2
-  - python-docker
-  - conda-pack
-  - conda-lock >=1.0.5
-  - mamba
-  - conda-package-handling
-  - conda-package-streaming
-  # web server
-  - celery
-  - flower
-  - redis-py
-  - sqlalchemy<=1.4.47
-  - psycopg2
-  - pymysql
-  - requests
-  - uvicorn
-  - fastapi
-  - pydantic < 2.0
-  - pyyaml
-  - traitlets
-  - yarl
-  - pyjwt
-  - filelock
-  - itsdangerous
-  - jinja2
-  - python-multipart
-  - alembic
-  - platformdirs >=4.0,<5.0a0
-  # artifact storage
-  - minio
-  # installer
-  - constructor
-  # CLI
-  - typer
-
-  # dev dependencies
-  - aiohttp>=3.8.1
-  - hatch
-  - pytest
-  - pytest-celery
-  - pytest-mock
-  - black ==22.3.0
-  - flake8
-  - ruff
-  - sphinx
-  - myst-parser
-  - sphinx-panels
-  - sphinx-copybutton
-  - pydata-sphinx-theme
-  - playwright
-  - docker-py<7  # for docker-compose
-  - docker-compose
-  - pip
-
-  - pip:
-      - pytest-playwright
diff --git a/conda-store-server/environment-windows-dev.yaml b/conda-store-server/environment-windows-dev.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index fb9fa162b..000000000
--- a/conda-store-server/environment-windows-dev.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,64 +0,0 @@
-name: conda-store-server-dev
-channels:
-  - conda-forge
-  - microsoft
-  - nodefaults
-dependencies:
-  - python ==3.10
-  # conda builds
-  - conda ==23.5.2
-  - python-docker
-  - conda-pack
-  - conda-lock >=1.0.5
-  - mamba
-  - conda-package-handling
-  - conda-package-streaming
-  # web server
-  - celery
-  - flower
-  - redis-py
-  - sqlalchemy<=1.4.47
-  - psycopg2
-  - pymysql
-  - requests
-  - uvicorn
-  - fastapi
-  - pydantic < 2.0
-  - pyyaml
-  - traitlets
-  - yarl
-  - pyjwt
-  - filelock
-  - itsdangerous
-  - jinja2
-  - python-multipart
-  - alembic
-  - platformdirs >=4.0,<5.0a0
-  # artifact storage
-  - minio
-  # installer
-  - constructor
-  # CLI
-  - typer
-
-  # dev dependencies
-  - aiohttp>=3.8.1
-  - hatch
-  - pytest
-  - pytest-celery
-  - pytest-mock
-  - black ==22.3.0
-  - flake8
-  - ruff
-  - sphinx
-  - myst-parser
-  - sphinx-panels
-  - sphinx-copybutton
-  - pydata-sphinx-theme
-  - playwright
-  - docker-py<7  # for docker-compose
-  - docker-compose
-  - pip
-
-  - pip:
-      - pytest-playwright
diff --git a/conda-store-server/environment.yaml b/conda-store-server/environment.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 932504a14..000000000
--- a/conda-store-server/environment.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
-name: conda-store-server
-channels:
-  - conda-forge
-  - nodefaults
-dependencies:
-  - python ==3.10
-  # conda environment builds
-  - conda ==23.5.2
diff --git a/conda-store-server/pyproject.toml b/conda-store-server/pyproject.toml
index c633e2fc6..d91869754 100644
--- a/conda-store-server/pyproject.toml
+++ b/conda-store-server/pyproject.toml
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ classifiers = [
 dependencies = [
   # env builds
   # conda (which cannot be installed via pip see https://github.com/conda/conda/issues/11715)
+  # constructor also not pip installable
   "python-docker",
   # we need platform dependent dependencies here
   "conda-docker; sys_platform == 'linux'",
@@ -60,7 +61,7 @@ dependencies = [
   "requests",
   "pydantic >=1.10.16,<2.0a0",
   "python-multipart",
-  "sqlalchemy<2",
+  "sqlalchemy<2.0a0",
   "traitlets",
   "uvicorn",
   "yarl",
diff --git a/conda-store-server/tests/test_actions.py b/conda-store-server/tests/test_actions.py
index 7a723d9e0..8fd086fea 100644
--- a/conda-store-server/tests/test_actions.py
+++ b/conda-store-server/tests/test_actions.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 import yaml
 import yarl
 
+from celery.result import AsyncResult
 from conda.base.context import context as conda_base_context
 from constructor import construct
 from fastapi.responses import RedirectResponse
@@ -387,7 +388,11 @@ def test_add_conda_prefix_packages(db, conda_store, simple_specification, conda_
 
 
 def test_add_lockfile_packages(
-    db, conda_store, simple_specification, simple_conda_lock
+    db,
+    conda_store,
+    simple_specification,
+    simple_conda_lock,
+    celery_worker,
 ):
     task, solve_id = conda_store.register_solve(db, specification=simple_specification)
 
@@ -400,6 +405,10 @@ def test_add_lockfile_packages(
     solve = api.get_solve(db, solve_id=solve_id)
     assert len(solve.package_builds) > 0
 
+    result = AsyncResult(task)
+    result.get(timeout=30)
+    assert result.state == "SUCCESS"
+
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
     "is_legacy_build, build_key_version",
diff --git a/conda-store-server/tests/test_app_api.py b/conda-store-server/tests/test_app_api.py
index b8f816eec..08c787ed5 100644
--- a/conda-store-server/tests/test_app_api.py
+++ b/conda-store-server/tests/test_app_api.py
@@ -3,26 +3,31 @@
 from celery.result import AsyncResult
 
 from conda_store_server import api
-from conda_store_server._internal import schema
+from conda_store_server._internal import action, conda_utils, schema
 
 
-def test_conda_store_app_register_solve(db, conda_store, celery_worker):
-    conda_specification = schema.CondaSpecification(
-        name="pytest-name",
-        channels=["main"],
-        dependencies=["python"],
+def test_conda_store_app_register_solve(
+    db, conda_store, simple_specification, simple_conda_lock, celery_worker
+):
+    """Test that CondaStore can register Solve objects and dispatch solve tasks."""
+    task_id, solve_id = conda_store.register_solve(db, simple_specification)
+    action.action_add_lockfile_packages(
+        db=db,
+        conda_lock_spec=simple_conda_lock,
+        solve_id=solve_id,
     )
-
-    task_id, solve_id = conda_store.register_solve(db, conda_specification)
     solve = api.get_solve(db, solve_id=solve_id)
+    platform = conda_utils.conda_platform()
 
     assert solve is not None
     assert solve.started_on is None
     assert solve.ended_on is None
-    assert solve.package_builds == []
-    assert solve.specification.spec["name"] == conda_specification.name
-    assert solve.specification.spec["channels"] == conda_specification.channels
-    assert solve.specification.spec["dependencies"] == conda_specification.dependencies
+    assert len(solve.package_builds) == len(
+        [item for item in simple_conda_lock["package"] if item["platform"] == platform]
+    )
+    assert solve.specification.spec["name"] == simple_specification.name
+    assert solve.specification.spec["channels"] == simple_specification.channels
+    assert solve.specification.spec["dependencies"] == simple_specification.dependencies
     task = AsyncResult(task_id)
     task.get(timeout=30)
     assert task.state == "SUCCESS"
@@ -32,32 +37,27 @@ def test_conda_store_app_register_solve(db, conda_store, celery_worker):
     assert len(solve.package_builds) > 0
 
 
-def test_conda_store_register_environment_workflow(db, conda_store, celery_worker):
-    """Test entire environment build workflow"""
-    conda_specification = schema.CondaSpecification(
-        name="pytest-name",
-        channels=["main"],
-        dependencies=["python"],
-    )
+def test_conda_store_register_environment_workflow(
+    db, simple_specification, conda_store, celery_worker
+):
+    """Test entire environment build workflow."""
     namespace_name = "pytest-namespace"
 
     build_id = conda_store.register_environment(
-        db, specification=conda_specification.dict(), namespace=namespace_name
+        db, specification=simple_specification.dict(), namespace=namespace_name
     )
 
     build = api.get_build(db, build_id=build_id)
     assert build is not None
     assert build.status == schema.BuildStatus.QUEUED
-    assert build.environment.name == conda_specification.name
+    assert build.environment.name == simple_specification.name
     assert build.environment.namespace.name == namespace_name
-    assert build.specification.spec["name"] == conda_specification.name
-    assert build.specification.spec["channels"] == conda_specification.channels
-    assert build.specification.spec["dependencies"] == conda_specification.dependencies
+    assert build.specification.spec["name"] == simple_specification.name
+    assert build.specification.spec["channels"] == simple_specification.channels
+    assert build.specification.spec["dependencies"] == simple_specification.dependencies
     # when new environment is created current_build should be the default build
     assert build.environment.current_build == build
 
-    from celery.result import AsyncResult
-
     # wait for task to complete
     # build: environment, export, archive
     # docker is expected to fail will be fixed soon
diff --git a/conda-store/Dockerfile b/conda-store/Dockerfile
index e576bdf05..3a807874e 100644
--- a/conda-store/Dockerfile
+++ b/conda-store/Dockerfile
@@ -1,37 +1,66 @@
-FROM condaforge/mambaforge:23.3.1-1 as base
+# conda-store (core) Dockerfile
+# the generated Docker image is used with docker compose to run the conda-store
+# worker and public conda-store Docker images
+
+FROM condaforge/miniforge3:24.3.0-0 AS base
 
 LABEL org.opencontainers.image.authors="conda-store development team"
 
+# must be passed at build environment (should use .python-version-default)
+ARG python_version
+ARG conda_env_name="conda-store"
+ARG user_no=1000
+
+# ensure we are using the conda environment
+ENV PATH=/opt/conda/condabin:/opt/conda/envs/conda-store/bin:/opt/conda/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:${PATH}
+
 RUN apt-get update &&  \
     apt-get install -yq --no-install-recommends curl && \
     apt-get clean && \
     rm -rf /var/cache/apt/* &&\
     rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* &&\
     rm -rf /tmp/*   &&\
-    groupadd -g 1000 conda-store &&\
-    useradd -M -r -s /usr/sbin/nologin -u 1000 -g 1000  conda-store && \
+    groupadd -g ${user_no} conda-store &&\
+    useradd -M -r -s /usr/sbin/nologin -u ${user_no} -g ${user_no}  conda-store && \
     mkdir -p /opt/jupyterhub && \
     chown -R conda-store:conda-store /opt/jupyterhub
 
-COPY environment.yaml /opt/conda-store/environment.yaml
-
-RUN mamba env create -f /opt/conda-store/environment.yaml && \
-mamba clean --all -y && \
-conda clean --force-pkgs-dirs
-
-ENV PATH=/opt/conda/condabin:/opt/conda/envs/conda-store/bin:/opt/conda/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:${PATH}
+# MUST keep node in sync with conda-store-ui
+RUN mamba create --name ${conda_env_name} \
+    python=${python_version} nb_conda_kernels nodejs=18 yarn constructor \
+    --channel conda-forge -y && \
+    mamba clean --all -y && \
+    conda clean --force-pkgs-dirs
 
 COPY ./ /opt/conda-store/
 
-FROM base as prod
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# for production-ready images we install a specific version of conda-store
+FROM base AS prod
+
 ARG RELEASE_VERSION
-RUN cd /opt/conda-store && \
-    pip install conda-store==${RELEASE_VERSION}
+
+WORKDIR /opt/conda-store
+
+
+RUN which python && \
+    python -m pip install conda-store==${RELEASE_VERSION} --no-cache-dir
+
 USER conda-store
 WORKDIR /opt/jupyterhub
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# for development images we install conda-store-server in editable mode
+FROM base AS dev
+
+
+RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/pip
+WORKDIR /opt/conda-store
+
+RUN which python && \
+    python -m pip install -e . --no-cache-dir
 
-FROM base as dev
-RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/root/.cache/pip cd /opt/conda-store && \
-    pip install -e . --no-cache
 USER conda-store
 WORKDIR /opt/jupyterhub
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/conda-store/environment.yaml b/conda-store/environment.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index a98574444..000000000
--- a/conda-store/environment.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
-name: conda-store
-channels:
-  - conda-forge
-dependencies:
-  - nb_conda_kernels
-  - nodejs=18
-  - yarn
-  - constructor # Runtime dependency, but must be conda-installed
diff --git a/docusaurus-docs/community/contribute/contribute-code.md b/docusaurus-docs/community/contribute/contribute-code.md
index f881a23ed..28820abc3 100644
--- a/docusaurus-docs/community/contribute/contribute-code.md
+++ b/docusaurus-docs/community/contribute/contribute-code.md
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ If you are a first-time contributor:
 Once you have a local copy of the `conda-store` repository, you can set up your development environment.
 There are two main ways to set up your local environment for development:
 
-- Using [Docker and docker-compose(recommended)](#docker-based-development---conda-store-core)
+- Using [Docker and Docker compose(recommended)](#docker-based-development---conda-store-core)
 - Local development [without Docker](#local-development-without-docker---conda-store-core)
 
 ### Docker-based development - conda-store-core
@@ -32,12 +32,12 @@ There are two main ways to set up your local environment for development:
 Install the following dependencies before developing on `conda-store`.
 
 - [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/)
-- [docker-compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/)
+- [Docker compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/)
 
 To deploy `conda-store` run the following command:
 
 ```bash
-docker-compose up --build -d
+docker compose up --build -d
 ```
 
 :::important
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ Otherwise, this workflow has been shown to run and build on OSX.
 **Notice** the `architecture: amd64` within the `docker-compose.yaml` files.
 :::
 
-After running the `docker-compose` command, the following resources will be available:
+After running the `docker compose` command, the following resources will be available:
 
 | Resource | Localhost port | username | password |
 |----------|----------------|----------|----------|
@@ -65,17 +65,17 @@ If you are making any changes to `conda-store-server` and would like to see
 those changes in the deployment, run:
 
 ```shell
-docker-compose down -v # not always necessary
-docker-compose up --build
+docker compose down -v # not always necessary
+docker compose up --build
 ```
 
 To stop the deployment, run:
 
 ```bash
-docker-compose stop
+docker compose stop
 
 # optional to remove the containers
-docker-compose rm -f
+docker compose rm -f
 ```
 
 ### Local development without Docker - conda-store-core
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ If you are a first-time contributor:
 Once you have a local copy of the `conda-store` repository, you can set up your development environment.
 There are two main ways to set up your local environment for development:
 
-- Using [Docker and docker-compose(recommended)](#docker-based-development---conda-store-ui)
+- Using [Docker and Docker compose(recommended)](#docker-based-development---conda-store-ui)
 - Local development [without Docker](#local-development-without-docker---conda-store-ui)
 
 ### Pre-requisites
@@ -137,9 +137,9 @@ There are two main ways to set up your local environment for development:
 
 Running conda-store-ui in Docker is the simplest way to set up your local development environment.
 
-We use [docker-compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/) to set up the infrastructure before starting,
-you must ensure you have docker-compose installed.
-If you need to install docker-compose, please see their [installation documentation](https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/).
+We use [Docker compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/) to set up the infrastructure before starting,
+you must ensure you have Docker compose installed.
+If you need to install Docker compose, please see their [installation documentation](https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/).
 
 1. After cloning the repository change to the project directory:
 
diff --git a/docusaurus-docs/community/contribute/testing.md b/docusaurus-docs/community/contribute/testing.md
index 10596b735..c4cede077 100644
--- a/docusaurus-docs/community/contribute/testing.md
+++ b/docusaurus-docs/community/contribute/testing.md
@@ -23,8 +23,8 @@ docker.
 
 ```shell
 $ cd conda-store
-$ docker-compose down -v # ensure you've cleared state
-$ docker-compose up --build
+$ docker compose down -v # ensure you've cleared state
+$ docker compose up --build
 # wait until the conda-store-server is running check by visiting localhost:8080
 
 $ pip install -e .
@@ -66,8 +66,8 @@ docker.
 
 ```shell
 $ cd conda-store-server
-$ docker-compose down -v # ensure you've cleared state
-$ docker-compose up --build
+$ docker compose down -v # ensure you've cleared state
+$ docker compose up --build
 # wait until the conda-store-server is running check by visiting localhos:8080
 $ hatch env run -e dev playwright-test
 $ hatch env run -e dev integration-test
diff --git a/docusaurus-docs/conda-store-ui/how-tos/configure-ui.md b/docusaurus-docs/conda-store-ui/how-tos/configure-ui.md
index 6de5011ec..5d1d71670 100644
--- a/docusaurus-docs/conda-store-ui/how-tos/configure-ui.md
+++ b/docusaurus-docs/conda-store-ui/how-tos/configure-ui.md
@@ -44,9 +44,9 @@ In your HTML file, add the following **before** loading the react app :
 </script>
 ```
 
-## Docker-compose configuration
+## Docker compose configuration
 
-By default, docker-compose uses the latest release of conda-store-server, but there could be cases where a devloper wishes to test against a different versions, such as a release candidate.
+By default, Docker compose uses the latest release of conda-store-server, but there could be cases where a devloper wishes to test against a different versions, such as a release candidate.
 
 Adding the `CONDA_STORE_SERVER_VERSION` variable to the `.env` file will allow overriding this default and setting whichever version of conda-store-server is desired.
 
diff --git a/docusaurus-docs/conda-store/how-tos/install-docker.md b/docusaurus-docs/conda-store/how-tos/install-docker.md
index 6febce5c1..63c660c5e 100644
--- a/docusaurus-docs/conda-store/how-tos/install-docker.md
+++ b/docusaurus-docs/conda-store/how-tos/install-docker.md
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ To install on a local docker daemon there is an existing `docker-compose.yaml` f
 The example files required are in `examples/docker`:
 
 ```shell
-docker-compose up --build
+docker compose up --build
 ```
 
 On your web browser, visit: [https://conda-store.localhost/conda-store](https://conda-store.localhost/conda-store).
diff --git a/docusaurus-docs/conda-store/references/database.md b/docusaurus-docs/conda-store/references/database.md
index 0eb347fb0..a9f4d0a90 100644
--- a/docusaurus-docs/conda-store/references/database.md
+++ b/docusaurus-docs/conda-store/references/database.md
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ The procedure to modify the database is the following :
 - First, modify [the ORM Model](https://github.com/conda-incubator/conda-store/blob/main/conda-store-server/conda_store_server/orm.py) according to the changes you want to make
 - edit the file `conda-store-server/alembic.ini` and replace the value for entry `sqlalchemy.url` to match the connection URL of your database.
 
-For example (when postgres was started via docker-compose):
+For example (when postgres was started via Docker compose):
 ```
 script_location = alembic
 sqlalchemy.url = postgresql+psycopg2://postgres:password@localhost:5432/conda-store
diff --git a/docusaurus-docs/scripts/generate_openapi_json.py b/docusaurus-docs/scripts/generate_openapi_json.py
index bc2dd145e..94346ba2d 100644
--- a/docusaurus-docs/scripts/generate_openapi_json.py
+++ b/docusaurus-docs/scripts/generate_openapi_json.py
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 from fastapi.openapi.utils import get_openapi
 
-from conda_store_server.server import app as server_app
+from conda_store_server._internal.server import app as server_app
 
 
 def gen_openapi_json():
diff --git a/recipe/meta.yaml b/recipe/meta.yaml
index 3c77704ca..6688b1a8e 100644
--- a/recipe/meta.yaml
+++ b/recipe/meta.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 {% set name = "conda-store" %}
+# version MUST be updated when a new release is made
 {% set version = "2024.6.1" %}
 
 package: