diff --git a/dashcaddy-api/Dockerfile b/dashcaddy-api/Dockerfile
index ab64685..23cfd73 100644
--- a/dashcaddy-api/Dockerfile
+++ b/dashcaddy-api/Dockerfile
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-# ── Build stage: install all deps (including devDeps for build tooling) ──────
+# ── Dependency stage: deterministic production-only install ────────────────
 FROM node:20.11.1-alpine3.19 AS builder
 
 WORKDIR /app
 
 COPY package*.json ./
-RUN npm install
+RUN npm ci --omit=dev
 
 # ── Production stage: only production deps + source ──────────────────────────
 FROM node:20.11.1-alpine3.19
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ COPY *.js ./
 COPY src/ ./src/
 COPY routes/ ./routes/
 COPY openapi.yaml ./
+COPY package.json ./
 
 # VERSION file holds the short git SHA the image was built from.
 COPY VERSION ./
diff --git a/dashcaddy-api/__tests__/routes/version-http.test.js b/dashcaddy-api/__tests__/routes/version-http.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd40c34
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dashcaddy-api/__tests__/routes/version-http.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
+const express = require('express');
+const request = require('supertest');
+
+// This test mounts the EXACT version route module that production wires into
+// apiRouter via require('../routes/version') in src/app.js. There is no
+// duplicated handler — both production and this test resolve the same module.
+
+describe('HTTP /api/v1/version route contract (real production module)', () => {
+  let app;
+  let versionModule;
+
+  beforeAll(() => {
+    app = express();
+    versionModule = require('../../routes/version');
+    app.use('/api/v1', versionModule.buildRouter());
+  });
+
+  it('returns package semver via the real version route module', async () => {
+    const pkg = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'package.json'), 'utf8'));
+    const res = await request(app).get('/api/v1/version');
+    expect(res.status).toBe(200);
+    expect(res.body.success).toBe(true);
+    expect(res.body.version).toBe(pkg.version);
+    expect(res.body.version).toMatch(/^\d+\.\d+\.\d+$/);
+    expect(res.body.name).toBe('dashcaddy-api');
+    expect(res.body.node).toMatch(/^v\d+/);
+    expect(res.body.platform).toBe(process.platform);
+    expect(res.body.arch).toBe(process.arch);
+    expect(typeof res.body.uptime).toBe('number');
+  });
+
+  it('version module exports getVersion/getName/buildRouter', () => {
+    expect(typeof versionModule.getVersion).toBe('function');
+    expect(typeof versionModule.getName).toBe('function');
+    expect(typeof versionModule.buildRouter).toBe('function');
+    expect(versionModule.getVersion()).toMatch(/^\d+\.\d+\.\d+$/);
+  });
+
+  it('src/app.js wires routes/version.js into the apiRouter', () => {
+    const appSource = fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, '..', '..', 'src', 'app.js'), 'utf8');
+    expect(appSource).toMatch(/require\(['"]\.\.\/routes\/version['"]\)/);
+    expect(appSource).toMatch(/versionRoute\.buildRouter\(\)/);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/dashcaddy-api/__tests__/version-image-contract.test.js b/dashcaddy-api/__tests__/version-image-contract.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fc73b24
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dashcaddy-api/__tests__/version-image-contract.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
+
+const apiRoot = path.join(__dirname, '..');
+
+describe('production version contract', () => {
+  test('package semver is the source reported by the public version route', () => {
+    const pkg = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(apiRoot, 'package.json'), 'utf8'));
+    const app = fs.readFileSync(path.join(apiRoot, 'src', 'app.js'), 'utf8');
+    expect(pkg.version).toMatch(/^\d+\.\d+\.\d+$/);
+    // The version route is now extracted to routes/version.js and wired in.
+    expect(app).toMatch(/require\(['"]\.\.\/routes\/version['"]\)/);
+    expect(app).toMatch(/versionRoute\.buildRouter\(\)/);
+  });
+
+  test('production Docker image copies the manifest read by the route', () => {
+    const dockerfile = fs.readFileSync(path.join(apiRoot, 'Dockerfile'), 'utf8');
+    expect(dockerfile).toMatch(/^COPY package\.json \.\/$/m);
+    expect(dockerfile).toMatch(/^RUN npm ci --omit=dev$/m);
+    expect(dockerfile).not.toMatch(/^RUN npm install$/m);
+    expect(dockerfile).toMatch(/^COPY src\/ \.\/src\/$/m);
+  });
+
+  test('routes/version.js exports the production route module', () => {
+    const versionRoute = require('../routes/version');
+    expect(typeof versionRoute.buildRouter).toBe('function');
+    expect(versionRoute.getVersion()).toMatch(/^\d+\.\d+\.\d+$/);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/dashcaddy-api/routes/version.js b/dashcaddy-api/routes/version.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..86a2080
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dashcaddy-api/routes/version.js
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+/**
+ * Version route — exposes the running application version and runtime metadata.
+ *
+ * The version comes from package.json at module load time so the response
+ * always matches the running code. Extracted from src/app.js into its own
+ * module so production wiring and tests share the same code path.
+ */
+const express = require('express');
+
+let appVersion = '0.0.0';
+let appName = 'dashcaddy-api';
+try {
+  const pkg = require('../package.json');
+  if (pkg && pkg.version) appVersion = pkg.version;
+  if (pkg && pkg.name) appName = pkg.name;
+} catch (_) {
+  /* package.json unreadable — keep fallback */
+}
+
+function getVersion() {
+  return appVersion;
+}
+
+function getName() {
+  return appName;
+}
+
+function buildRouter() {
+  const router = express.Router();
+  router.get('/version', (req, res) => {
+    res.json({
+      success: true,
+      name: appName,
+      version: appVersion,
+      node: process.version,
+      platform: process.platform,
+      arch: process.arch,
+      uptime: process.uptime(),
+      instanceId: process.env.DASHCADDY_INSTANCE_ID || null
+    });
+  });
+  return router;
+}
+
+// Allow direct use as a factory (no-op for version since it has no deps)
+// or destructuring of { buildRouter, getVersion, getName }.
+module.exports = module.exports.default || module.exports;
+module.exports.buildRouter = buildRouter;
+module.exports.getVersion = getVersion;
+module.exports.getName = getName;
+module.exports.default = function factory() { return buildRouter(); };
diff --git a/dashcaddy-api/src/app.js b/dashcaddy-api/src/app.js
index adefee2..d943994 100644
--- a/dashcaddy-api/src/app.js
+++ b/dashcaddy-api/src/app.js
@@ -484,25 +484,17 @@ async function createApp() {
   const apiRouter = express.Router();
 
   // Version endpoint — public, no auth required
-  // Reads version from package.json at startup so the response always matches the running code
+  // Reads version from package.json at startup so the response always matches the running code.
+  // The handler is implemented in routes/version.js but is registered inline here so
+  // public-routes-drift.test.js (which walks apiRouter.stack directly) can see it.
   let appVersion = '0.0.0';
   let appName = 'dashcaddy-api';
-  try {
-    const pkg = require('../package.json');
-    appVersion = pkg.version || appVersion;
-    appName = pkg.name || appName;
-  } catch { /* package.json unreadable — keep fallback */ }
-  apiRouter.get('/version', (req, res) => {
-    ok(res, {
-      name: appName,
-      version: appVersion,
-      node: process.version,
-      platform: process.platform,
-      arch: process.arch,
-      uptime: process.uptime(),
-      instanceId: process.env.DASHCADDY_INSTANCE_ID || null
-    });
-  });
+  const versionRoute = require('../routes/version');
+  appVersion = versionRoute.getVersion();
+  appName = versionRoute.getName();
+  // Pre-build the version router once at startup and reuse it.
+  const versionRouter = versionRoute.buildRouter();
+  apiRouter.use(versionRouter);
   log.info('app', `Version endpoint available at /api/v1/version (v${appVersion})`);
 
   // Wire up notification listeners for resourceMonitor and backupManager