diff --git a/TESTING.md b/TESTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..aef398aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/TESTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,173 @@
+# AuthenticationWebService Testing Guide
+
+## Architecture Overview
+
+**Stack**: Express.js (v5) + CouchDB (v3.5.1) + Node.js (v25)
+
+**Services**:
+- **Auth App**: HTTPS server on port 3183
+- **CouchDB**: HTTP on 5984, HTTPS on 6984
+- **CouchDB Credentials**: `admin` / `none`
+
+## Docker Setup
+
+### Key Files
+- `docker-compose.yml` - Orchestrates couchdb + app services
+- `Dockerfile` - Builds the Node.js app container
+- `Dockerfile-couchdb` - Builds CouchDB with custom config
+- `config/default.js` - Default configuration with environment variable support
+- `config/local.js` - Local overrides (takes precedence in `config` package)
+- `config/localhost.js` - Localhost-specific config (NODE_ENV=localhost)
+
+### Configuration Precedence
+
+The `config` npm package loads files in this order:
+1. `config/default.js` (base)
+2. `config/{NODE_ENV}.js` (e.g., `localhost.js`)
+3. `config/local.js` (**highest precedence**)
+
+**Critical**: `config/local.js` overrides everything, including environment-specific configs. So if you have a `config/local.js` file, it will override the `config/localhost.js` file.
+
+### Environment Variables
+
+- `NODE_ENV=localhost` - Set in Dockerfile, determines which config file to load
+
+## Running Tests
+
+### Local Docker Testing
+
+```bash
+cd AuthenticationWebService
+
+# Start services (rebuilds if needed)
+docker compose up -d --build
+
+# Run setup (creates test databases)
+SOURCE_URL=https://public:none@corpusdev.example.org npm run setup
+
+# Run E2E tests against Docker containers
+npm run test:deprecated:e2e
+
+# Stop services
+docker compose down
+```
+
+### NPM Scripts
+
+| Script | Description |
+|--------|-------------|
+| `test:docker` | Full Docker test suite (setup + e2e) |
+| `test:docker:no-cache` | Same but forces rebuild without cache |
+| `setup` | Initialize CouchDB databases for testing |
+| `test:deprecated:e2e` | E2E tests for deprecated API routes |
+| `test:deprecated:coverage` | Coverage report for deprecated routes |
+| `start` | Start the auth service (non-Docker) |
+
+### Test Suites
+
+**`test/routes/deprecated-spec.js`** (39 tests):
+- `/register` - User registration (8 tests)
+- `/login` - Authentication (6 tests)
+- `/changepassword` - Password changes (3 tests)
+- `/forgotpassword` - Password reset (3 tests)
+- `/addroletouser` - Role management (6 tests)
+- `/updateroles` - Bulk role updates (2 tests)
+- `/corpusteam` - Corpus team permissions (4 tests)
+- `/newcorpus` - Corpus creation (4 tests)
+- `/syncDetails` - User corpus sync (1 test)
+
+**Test Environment**:
+- Uses `replay` library for HTTP mocking (bloody mode = record/replay)
+- Creates test users: `testuser1-9`, `testingdisabledusers`, `testingprototype`, etc.
+- Tests against `https://localhost:3183` (app in Docker)
+- CouchDB fixtures in `test/fixtures/`
+
+## Common Issues & Solutions
+
+### Issue: Tests fail with 500 errors (error codes 816, 1289)
+
+**Root Cause**: App container can't connect to CouchDB service.
+
+**Symptoms**:
+```
+"Server erred, please report this 816"
+"Server is not responding for request to query corpus permissions. Please report this 1289"
+```
+
+**Solution**: Ensure `COUCHDB_URL=http://couchdb:5984` is set in `docker-compose.yml` and both `config/default.js` and `config/local.js` support `process.env.COUCHDB_URL`.
+
+### Issue: Config changes not reflected in container
+
+**Root Cause**: Docker uses cached image with old config files.
+
+**Solution**: Rebuild with `--build` flag:
+```bash
+docker compose up -d --build
+```
+
+### Issue: `config/local.js` overrides Docker settings
+
+**Root Cause**: `config/local.js` has highest precedence and hardcodes `localhost:5984`.
+
+**Solution**: Update `config/local.js` to use environment variable:
+```javascript
+module.exports = { 
+  usersDbConnection: { 
+    url: process.env.COUCHDB_URL || "http://localhost:5984" 
+  } 
+};
+```
+
+## GitHub Actions CI
+
+The `.github/workflows/node.js.yml` workflow runs:
+
+1. **Integration tests** - Unit tests with mocked HTTP
+2. **Deploy job**:
+   - Creates `config/localhost.js` with `http://couchdb:5984`
+   - Starts Docker Compose services
+   - Runs setup to initialize databases
+   - Runs E2E tests against containerized app
+   - Switches to `http://localhost:5984` for local tests
+   - Runs integration tests with app outside container
+   - Runs UI tests with Playwright
+
+**Key difference from local**: GitHub Actions creates `config/localhost.js` dynamically before building, ensuring correct CouchDB URL.
+
+## Verification Commands
+
+```bash
+# Check config is correct inside container
+docker compose exec app node -e "const config = require('config'); console.log(config.usersDbConnection);"
+
+# Check environment variables
+docker compose exec app printenv | grep COUCHDB
+
+# View app logs
+docker compose logs app --tail 50
+
+# View CouchDB logs
+docker compose logs couchdb --tail 50
+
+# Check running containers
+docker ps
+```
+
+## Test Data
+
+**Sample Users** (from `config/default.js`):
+- `public` - Public access
+- `lingllama` / `teammatetiger` - Field linguist users
+- `alakazou` / `valeriebilleentete` - Gamified users
+
+**Test Corpora**:
+- Created dynamically during tests
+- Format: `{username}-{title_as_url}`
+- Example: `testuser6-testing_v3_32_01`
+
+## Success Criteria
+
+✅ All 39 tests passing in ~5 minutes
+✅ No 500 errors or "Server erred" messages
+✅ App logs show: `Using corpus url: http://admin:none@couchdb:5984`
+✅ Test output shows corpus creation and role management working
diff --git a/config/default.js b/config/default.js
index c4fad877..8149c4e6 100644
--- a/config/default.js
+++ b/config/default.js
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ module.exports = {
   },
   url: 'https://localhost:3183',
   usersDbConnection: {
-    url: 'http://localhost:5984',
+    url: process.env.COUCHDB_URL || 'http://localhost:5984',
     dbname: 'theuserscouch',
   },
   couchKeys: {
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 41d59512..d40667ae 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -26,4 +26,4 @@ services:
     ports:
       - 3183:3183
     environment:
-      - FOO=too
+      - COUCHDB_URL=http://couchdb:5984
diff --git a/etc/local.ini b/etc/local.ini
index dccc14b8..f8631b0b 100644
--- a/etc/local.ini
+++ b/etc/local.ini
@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ credentials = true
 attachments_enable = true
 ; https://docs.couchdb.org/en/stable/cve/2021-38295.html
 ; use nginx instead to allow only signed couchapps when on deployed server
-attachments_header_value = "child-src 'self' data: blob:; default-src 'self'; connect-src 'self' https://corpusdev.example.com https://localhost:3183 https://www.google-analytics.com; img-src 'self' data: https://secure.gravatar.com; font-src 'self' https://themes.googleusercontent.com; script-src 'self' 'unsafe-eval' https://www.google-analytics.com; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline';"
+; "  quotes are in the csp and need to be removed
+attachments_header_value = "child-src 'self' data: blob:; default-src 'self'; connect-src 'self' https://corpusdev.example.com https://localhost:3183 https://www.google-analytics.com; img-src 'self' data: https://secure.gravatar.com; font-src 'self' https://themes.googleusercontent.com; script-src 'self' https://localhost:6984 'unsafe-eval' https://www.google-analytics.com; style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline';"
 
 [couchdb]
 single_node=true
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 56bdf64b..0e1cbd5f 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -62,8 +62,8 @@
   },
   "scripts": {
     "docker:build": "docker build -t fielddb-auth .",
-    "test:docker": "echo 'module.exports = { usersDbConnection: { url: \"http://couchdb:5984\" } };' > config/localhost.js && docker compose up -d && sleep 3 && docker compose logs && npm run setup && npm run test:deprecated:e2e",
-    "test:docker:no-cache": "echo 'module.exports = { usersDbConnection: { url: \"http://couchdb:5984\" } };' > config/localhost.js && docker compose build --no-cache && docker compose up -d && sleep 15 && docker compose logs && npm run setup && npm run test:deprecated:e2e",
+    "test:docker": "echo 'module.exports = { usersDbConnection: { url: \"http://couchdb:5984\" } };' > config/localhost.js && cp config/localhost.js config/local.js && docker compose up -d && sleep 3 && docker compose logs && npm run setup && npm run test:deprecated:e2e",
+    "test:docker:no-cache": "echo 'module.exports = { usersDbConnection: { url: \"http://couchdb:5984\" } };' > config/localhost.js && cp config/localhost.js config/local.js && docker compose build --no-cache && docker compose up -d && sleep 15 && docker compose logs && npm run setup && npm run test:deprecated:e2e",
     "coverage": "NODE_ENV=test BUNYAN_LOG_LEVEL=FATAL nyc npm test",
     "lint": "eslint ",
     "lint:ci": "eslint .",