diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
deleted file mode 100644
index 8838ae6..0000000
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,46 +0,0 @@
-FROM node:20-slim AS builder
-
-WORKDIR /app
-
-# Copy package files
-COPY package*.json ./
-
-# Install dependencies
-RUN npm ci
-
-# Copy the rest of the source code
-COPY . .
-
-# Build the application
-RUN npm run build
-
-# Production stage
-FROM node:20-slim AS runner
-
-WORKDIR /app
-
-# Set environment to production
-ENV NODE_ENV=production
-
-# Copy package files and install production dependencies
-COPY package*.json ./
-RUN npm ci --production
-
-# Copy build artifacts from the builder stage
-COPY --from=builder /app/dist ./dist
-
-# Copy schema files for Drizzle
-COPY ./shared/schema.ts ./shared/
-COPY ./drizzle.config.ts ./
-
-# Set the database URL environment variable (this will be overridden at runtime)
-ENV DATABASE_URL=postgres://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/postgres
-
-# Set session secret (should be overridden at runtime)
-ENV SESSION_SECRET=changeme
-
-# Expose the port the app runs on
-EXPOSE 5000
-
-# Start the application
-CMD ["node", "dist/index.js"]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/server/index.ts b/server/index.ts
index 6b306f4..c62e93a 100644
--- a/server/index.ts
+++ b/server/index.ts
@@ -19,22 +19,6 @@ app.use(compression());
 app.use(express.json());
 app.use(express.urlencoded({ extended: false }));
 
-// Apply rate limiting middleware for API routes
-const apiLimiter = rateLimit({
-  windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000, // 15 minutes
-  max: 100, // limit each IP to 100 requests per windowMs
-  standardHeaders: true, // Return rate limit info in the `RateLimit-*` headers
-  legacyHeaders: false, // Disable the `X-RateLimit-*` headers
-  message: { message: 'Too many requests, please try again later.' },
-  skip: (req) => {
-    // Skip rate limiting for authenticated users with admin role
-    return req.isAuthenticated() && req.user?.role === 'admin';
-  }
-});
-
-// Apply the rate limiter to API routes
-app.use('/api/', apiLimiter);
-
 // HTTP request logging (in development mode)
 if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') {
   app.use(morgan('dev', {
diff --git a/server/routes.ts b/server/routes.ts
index 7fd83bb..7a06886 100644
--- a/server/routes.ts
+++ b/server/routes.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { setupSwagger } from "./swagger";
 import { storage } from "./storage";
 import { apiQuerySchema, PERMISSIONS } from "@shared/schema";
 import { ZodError } from "zod";
+import rateLimit from "express-rate-limit";
 import { 
   requireAuth, 
   requirePermission, 
@@ -21,6 +22,25 @@ export async function registerRoutes(app: Express): Promise<Server> {
 
   // Initialize Role Based Access Control system
   await initializeRBAC();
+  
+  // Apply rate limiting middleware for API routes
+  const apiLimiter = rateLimit({
+    windowMs: 15 * 60 * 1000, // 15 minutes
+    max: 100, // limit each IP to 100 requests per windowMs
+    standardHeaders: true, // Return rate limit info in the `RateLimit-*` headers
+    legacyHeaders: false, // Disable the `X-RateLimit-*` headers
+    message: { message: 'Too many requests, please try again later.' },
+    skip: (req: any) => {
+      // Skip rate limiting for authenticated users with admin role
+      if (req.isAuthenticated && typeof req.isAuthenticated === 'function' && req.isAuthenticated()) {
+        return req.user?.role === 'admin';
+      }
+      return false;
+    }
+  });
+
+  // Apply the rate limiter to API routes
+  app.use('/api/', apiLimiter);
 
   // Error handler for Zod validation errors
   const handleZodError = (err: ZodError, res: Response) => {