diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ec696c2..a15b9a5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ New users created by an administrator are email-unverified and cannot sign in un
 
 The full set of supported variables is listed in `.env.example`. Application variables are passed into the container by Compose; Docker and Traefik variables are used by Compose itself.
 
-Build and start the application and local Traefik proxy:
+Build and start the application:
 
 ```sh
 docker compose up --build
@@ -199,12 +199,11 @@ docker compose up --build
 
 The services are available at:
 
-- LinkLog through Traefik: <http://example.com/>
 - Direct application port: <http://localhost:8000/>
 
 
-The Compose configuration routes the hostname `localhost` through Traefik. The SQLite database is stored in the named Docker volume `linklog_data`, mounted at `/app/backend/data`.
-The application runs as a non-root user and reports container health through `/health`; Traefik waits for the application health check before starting.
+The SQLite database is stored in the named Docker volume `linklog_data`, mounted at `/app/backend/data`.
+The application runs as a non-root user and reports container health through `/health`; 
 
 Stop the stack without deleting its database:
 
@@ -218,7 +217,7 @@ Stop the stack and delete the named database volume:
 docker compose down -v
 ```
 
-For a real deployment, replace the `localhost` router rule, configure TLS, protect the Traefik dashboard, avoid exposing the direct application port, and provide production secrets and authentication. The included Compose file is a local/prototype deployment scaffold, not a production security configuration.
+For a real deployment, start with the docker-compose-example.yaml file. replace the router rule, configure TLS, protect the Traefik dashboard, avoid exposing the direct application port, and provide production secrets and authentication. The included Compose file is a local/prototype deployment scaffold, not a production security configuration.
 
 ## Mastodon Configuration
 
diff --git a/backend/app/api/setup.py b/backend/app/api/setup.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..58ce847
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/api/setup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+## Copyright © 2026 Olaf Kolkman
+## SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+from uuid import uuid4
+
+from fastapi import APIRouter, HTTPException
+from pydantic import BaseModel
+
+from backend.app.core.config import settings
+from backend.app.database import get_connection, hash_password
+from backend.app.services.email_service import save_smtp_settings, send_test_email
+
+router = APIRouter()
+
+
+class SetupRequest(BaseModel):
+    username: str
+    email: str
+    password: str
+    smtp_host: str
+    smtp_port: int = 587
+    smtp_username: str = ''
+    smtp_password: str = ''
+    smtp_from: str
+    smtp_use_tls: bool = True
+
+
+def has_administrator() -> bool:
+    with get_connection() as conn:
+        return conn.execute('SELECT 1 FROM users WHERE is_admin = 1 LIMIT 1').fetchone() is not None
+
+
+@router.post('', status_code=201)
+def configure_application(payload: SetupRequest):
+    if has_administrator():
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=409, detail='LinkLog is already configured')
+    username = payload.username.strip()
+    email = payload.email.strip()
+    smtp_host = payload.smtp_host.strip()
+    smtp_from = payload.smtp_from.strip()
+    if not username or not email or not smtp_host or not smtp_from or len(payload.password) < 8:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail='Admin credentials and SMTP settings are required')
+    if not 1 <= payload.smtp_port <= 65535:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=422, detail='SMTP port must be between 1 and 65535')
+
+    user_id = str(uuid4())
+    smtp_values = {
+        'smtp_host': smtp_host,
+        'smtp_port': payload.smtp_port,
+        'smtp_username': payload.smtp_username.strip(),
+        'smtp_password': payload.smtp_password,
+        'smtp_from': smtp_from,
+        'smtp_use_tls': payload.smtp_use_tls,
+    }
+    with get_connection() as conn:
+        try:
+            conn.execute(
+                '''INSERT INTO users
+                   (id, username, email, password_hash, is_admin, email_verified)
+                   VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, 1, 1)''',
+                (user_id, username, email, hash_password(payload.password)),
+            )
+        except Exception as error:
+            raise HTTPException(status_code=409, detail='Username or email already exists') from error
+        conn.commit()
+    save_smtp_settings(smtp_values)
+    try:
+        send_test_email(email)
+    except Exception as error:
+        with get_connection() as conn:
+            conn.execute('DELETE FROM users WHERE id = ?', (user_id,))
+            conn.execute('DELETE FROM app_settings WHERE name = ?', ('smtp',))
+            conn.commit()
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=503, detail=f'SMTP test mail could not be sent: {error}') from error
+    return {'status': 'configured', 'message': 'LinkLog is configured and the SMTP test mail was sent.'}
+
+
+@router.get('/status')
+def setup_status():
+    return {'configured': has_administrator()}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/backend/app/database.py b/backend/app/database.py
index a228285..afe0dab 100644
--- a/backend/app/database.py
+++ b/backend/app/database.py
@@ -116,6 +116,13 @@ CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS email_verification_tokens (
 );
 CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_email_verification_tokens_user_id
     ON email_verification_tokens(user_id);
+'''),
+    (6, '''
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS app_settings (
+    name TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
+    value TEXT NOT NULL,
+    updated_at TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
+);
 '''),
 ]
 
@@ -152,23 +159,6 @@ def seed_default_tags(conn: sqlite3.Connection) -> None:
 def init_db() -> None:
     with get_connection() as conn:
         apply_migrations(conn)
-        alice_hash = hash_password('secret123')
-        bob_hash = hash_password('secret123')
-        conn.execute(
-            '''
-            INSERT OR IGNORE INTO users (id, username, email, password_hash, is_admin)
-            VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, 1)
-            ''',
-            ('user-1', 'alice', 'alice@example.com', alice_hash)
-        )
-        conn.execute("UPDATE users SET is_admin = 1 WHERE id = 'user-1'")
-        conn.execute(
-            '''
-            INSERT OR IGNORE INTO users (id, username, email, password_hash, is_admin)
-            VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, 0)
-            ''',
-            ('user-2', 'bob', 'bob@example.com', bob_hash)
-        )
         conn.execute(
             '''
             INSERT OR IGNORE INTO plugins (id, name, version, enabled, config)
diff --git a/backend/app/main.py b/backend/app/main.py
index 2ded283..2bc1fc3 100644
--- a/backend/app/main.py
+++ b/backend/app/main.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 from fastapi import FastAPI
 from fastapi.responses import HTMLResponse
+from fastapi.responses import RedirectResponse
 from fastapi.staticfiles import StaticFiles
 from fastapi.templating import Jinja2Templates
 from starlette.requests import Request
@@ -11,6 +12,8 @@ from backend.app.api.admin import router as admin_router
 from backend.app.api.auth import router as auth_router
 from backend.app.api.links import router as links_router
 from backend.app.api.public import router as public_router
+from backend.app.api.setup import router as setup_router
+from backend.app.api.setup import has_administrator
 from backend.app.api.user_config import router as user_config_router
 from backend.app.core.config import settings
 from backend.app.database import AVATARS_DIR
@@ -24,28 +27,37 @@ app.include_router(links_router, prefix='/api')
 app.include_router(public_router, prefix='/api/public')
 app.include_router(admin_router, prefix='/api/admin')
 app.include_router(user_config_router, prefix='/api/user')
+app.include_router(setup_router, prefix='/api/setup')
 
 templates = Jinja2Templates(directory='frontend/templates')
 
 
 @app.get('/', response_class=HTMLResponse)
 async def public_root(request: Request):
+    if not has_administrator():
+        return RedirectResponse('/setup')
     feed = list_public_links()
     return templates.TemplateResponse(request, 'feed.html', {'feed': feed})
 
 
 @app.get('/admin', response_class=HTMLResponse)
 async def admin_dashboard(request: Request):
+    if not has_administrator():
+        return RedirectResponse('/setup')
     return templates.TemplateResponse(request, 'admin.html', {})
 
 
 @app.get('/profile', response_class=HTMLResponse)
 async def user_profile_page(request: Request):
+    if not has_administrator():
+        return RedirectResponse('/setup')
     return templates.TemplateResponse(request, 'user_profile.html', {})
 
 
 @app.get('/labels', response_class=HTMLResponse)
 async def labels_page(request: Request):
+    if not has_administrator():
+        return RedirectResponse('/setup')
     return templates.TemplateResponse(request, 'labels.html', {})
 
 
@@ -56,9 +68,18 @@ async def about_page(request: Request):
 
 @app.get('/login', response_class=HTMLResponse)
 async def login_page(request: Request):
+    if not has_administrator():
+        return RedirectResponse('/setup')
     return templates.TemplateResponse(request, 'login.html', {})
 
 
+@app.get('/setup', response_class=HTMLResponse)
+async def setup_page(request: Request):
+    if has_administrator():
+        return RedirectResponse('/')
+    return templates.TemplateResponse(request, 'setup.html', {})
+
+
 @app.get('/health')
 def health_check():
     return {'status': 'ok'}
diff --git a/backend/app/services/email_service.py b/backend/app/services/email_service.py
index 86ca9cc..abd112f 100644
--- a/backend/app/services/email_service.py
+++ b/backend/app/services/email_service.py
@@ -3,31 +3,71 @@
 
 from email.message import EmailMessage
 from smtplib import SMTP
+import json
 
 from backend.app.core.config import settings
+from backend.app.database import get_connection
+
+
+def get_smtp_settings() -> dict:
+    values = {
+        'smtp_host': settings.smtp_host,
+        'smtp_port': settings.smtp_port,
+        'smtp_username': settings.smtp_username,
+        'smtp_password': settings.smtp_password,
+        'smtp_from': settings.smtp_from,
+        'smtp_use_tls': settings.smtp_use_tls,
+    }
+    with get_connection() as conn:
+        row = conn.execute('SELECT value FROM app_settings WHERE name = ?', ('smtp',)).fetchone()
+    if row:
+        values.update(json.loads(row['value']))
+    return values
+
+
+def save_smtp_settings(values: dict) -> None:
+    with get_connection() as conn:
+        conn.execute(
+            '''INSERT INTO app_settings (name, value, updated_at) VALUES (?, ?, CURRENT_TIMESTAMP)
+               ON CONFLICT(name) DO UPDATE SET value = excluded.value, updated_at = CURRENT_TIMESTAMP''',
+            ('smtp', json.dumps(values)),
+        )
+        conn.commit()
 
 
 def smtp_configured() -> bool:
-    return bool(settings.smtp_host and settings.smtp_from)
+    smtp = get_smtp_settings()
+    return bool(smtp['smtp_host'] and smtp['smtp_from'])
 
 
-def send_verification_email(email: str, username: str, verification_url: str) -> None:
+def send_message(email: str, subject: str, body: str) -> None:
+    smtp = get_smtp_settings()
     if not smtp_configured():
         raise RuntimeError('SMTP is not configured; set LINKLOG_SMTP_HOST and LINKLOG_SMTP_FROM')
 
     message = EmailMessage()
-    message['Subject'] = 'Verify your LinkLog email address'
-    message['From'] = settings.smtp_from
+    message['Subject'] = subject
+    message['From'] = smtp['smtp_from']
     message['To'] = email
-    message.set_content(
+    message.set_content(body)
+
+    with SMTP(smtp['smtp_host'], smtp['smtp_port'], timeout=10) as connection:
+        if smtp['smtp_use_tls']:
+            connection.starttls()
+        if smtp['smtp_username']:
+            connection.login(smtp['smtp_username'], smtp['smtp_password'])
+        connection.send_message(message)
+
+
+def send_verification_email(email: str, username: str, verification_url: str) -> None:
+    send_message(
+        email,
+        'Verify your LinkLog email address',
         f'Hello {username},\n\n'
         f'Verify your LinkLog email address by opening this link:\n{verification_url}\n\n'
-        f'This link expires in {settings.email_verification_expiry_hours} hours.\n'
+        f'This link expires in {settings.email_verification_expiry_hours} hours.\n',
     )
 
-    with SMTP(settings.smtp_host, settings.smtp_port, timeout=10) as smtp:
-        if settings.smtp_use_tls:
-            smtp.starttls()
-        if settings.smtp_username:
-            smtp.login(settings.smtp_username, settings.smtp_password)
-        smtp.send_message(message)
\ No newline at end of file
+
+def send_test_email(email: str) -> None:
+    send_message(email, 'LinkLog SMTP test', 'This is a test message from LinkLog. SMTP is configured correctly.\n')
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_database.py b/backend/tests/test_database.py
index b451efa..2ecac70 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_database.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_database.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ def test_database_migrations_are_versioned_and_idempotent():
     connection = sqlite3.connect(':memory:')
 
     apply_migrations(connection)
-    assert get_schema_version(connection) == 5
+    assert get_schema_version(connection) == 6
     tables = {
         row[0]
         for row in connection.execute(
@@ -27,6 +27,6 @@ def test_database_migrations_are_versioned_and_idempotent():
     assert set(DEFAULT_TAGS) <= seeded_tags
 
     apply_migrations(connection)
-    assert get_schema_version(connection) == 5
+    assert get_schema_version(connection) == 6
 
     connection.close()
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/backend/tests/test_email_service.py b/backend/tests/test_email_service.py
index 5ec8aed..71d7431 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_email_service.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_email_service.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 from unittest.mock import patch
 
-from backend.app.services.email_service import send_verification_email
+from backend.app.services.email_service import send_test_email, send_verification_email
 
 
 def test_send_verification_email_uses_smtp_settings(monkeypatch):
@@ -25,4 +25,18 @@ def test_send_verification_email_uses_smtp_settings(monkeypatch):
     smtp.login.assert_called_once_with('mailer', 'secret')
     message = smtp.send_message.call_args.args[0]
     assert message['To'] == 'user@example.com'
-    assert 'https://linklog.example/verify' in message.get_content()
\ No newline at end of file
+    assert 'https://linklog.example/verify' in message.get_content()
+
+
+def test_send_test_email_uses_configured_recipient(monkeypatch):
+    from backend.app.core.config import settings
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, 'smtp_host', 'smtp.example.com')
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, 'smtp_from', 'LinkLog <no-reply@example.com>')
+    with patch('backend.app.services.email_service.SMTP') as smtp_class:
+        smtp = smtp_class.return_value.__enter__.return_value
+        send_test_email('admin@example.com')
+
+    message = smtp.send_message.call_args.args[0]
+    assert message['To'] == 'admin@example.com'
+    assert message['Subject'] == 'LinkLog SMTP test'
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 1ea808c..f0affe6 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -33,12 +33,7 @@ services:
       timeout: ${APP_HEALTHCHECK_TIMEOUT:-5s}
       start_period: ${APP_HEALTHCHECK_START_PERIOD:-10s}
       retries: ${APP_HEALTHCHECK_RETRIES:-3}
-    labels:
-      - "traefik.enable=true"
-      - "traefik.http.routers.linklog.rule=Host(`${TRAEFIK_HOST:-localhost}`)"
-      - "traefik.http.routers.linklog.entrypoints=web"
-      - "traefik.http.services.linklog.loadbalancer.server.port=8000"
-
+  
   
 volumes:
   linklog_data:
diff --git a/frontend/static/setup.js b/frontend/static/setup.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..067b314
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/static/setup.js
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+// Copyright © 2026 Olaf Kolkman
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later
+
+document.querySelector('#setup-form').addEventListener('submit', async (event) => {
+  event.preventDefault();
+  const form = event.currentTarget;
+  const status = document.querySelector('#setup-status');
+  const values = Object.fromEntries(new FormData(form));
+  values.smtp_port = Number(values.smtp_port);
+  values.smtp_use_tls = form.elements.smtp_use_tls.checked;
+  try {
+    const response = await fetch('/api/setup', {
+      method: 'POST',
+      headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/json'},
+      body: JSON.stringify(values),
+    });
+    const result = await response.json();
+    if (!response.ok) throw new Error(result.detail || 'Setup failed');
+    status.textContent = result.message;
+    status.style.color = '#94e2d5';
+    form.replaceChildren(status);
+  } catch (error) {
+    status.textContent = error.message;
+    status.style.color = '#f38ba8';
+  }
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/frontend/templates/setup.html b/frontend/templates/setup.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ef3536e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/templates/setup.html
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<!-- Copyright © 2026 Olaf Kolkman -->
+<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-3.0-or-later -->
+<html lang="en">
+  <head>
+    <meta charset="utf-8" />
+    <title>Configure LinkLog</title>
+    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
+    <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/style.css" />
+  </head>
+  <body>
+    <header class="site-header">
+      <div class="container">
+        <div class="header-row">
+          <div>
+            <img class="site-logo" src="/static/logo.svg" alt="LinkLog" />
+            <h1>Configure LinkLog</h1>
+            <p>Create the first administrator and test email delivery.</p>
+          </div>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </header>
+    <main class="container">
+      <section class="link-item settings-panel">
+        <form id="setup-form">
+          <h2>Administrator</h2>
+          <label>Username<input name="username" type="text" autocomplete="username" required /></label>
+          <label>Email address<input name="email" type="email" autocomplete="email" required /></label>
+          <label>Password<input name="password" type="password" autocomplete="new-password" minlength="8" required /></label>
+          <h2>SMTP</h2>
+          <label>SMTP host<input name="smtp_host" type="text" required /></label>
+          <label>SMTP port<input name="smtp_port" type="number" min="1" max="65535" value="587" required /></label>
+          <label>SMTP username<input name="smtp_username" type="text" autocomplete="off" /></label>
+          <label>SMTP password<input name="smtp_password" type="password" autocomplete="new-password" /></label>
+          <label>From address<input name="smtp_from" type="text" value="LinkLog &lt;no-reply@example.com&gt;" required /></label>
+          <label class="checkbox-label"><input name="smtp_use_tls" type="checkbox" checked /> Use STARTTLS</label>
+          <button type="submit">Save and send test mail</button>
+          <p id="setup-status" class="status" role="status"></p>
+        </form>
+      </section>
+    </main>
+    <footer class="site-footer">Copyright © 2026 Olaf Kolkman</footer>
+    <script src="/static/setup.js"></script>
+  </body>
+</html>
\ No newline at end of file