diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 5592f03..77f5d40 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@
     "testing": "pm2 start ecosystem.config.js --only expressjs-blog-testing",
     "stop-main": "node_modules/pm2/bin/pm2 delete expressjs-blog-main",
     "stop-testing": "node_modules/pm2/bin/pm2 delete expressjs-blog-testing",
-    "test:prepush": "node scripts/test-prepush.js",
-    "test:postreceive": "node scripts/test-postreceive.js",
+    "test:prepush": "node scripts/test-prepush.js --no-color",
+    "test:postreceive": "node scripts/test-postreceive.js --no-color",
     "update-submodules": "git submodule update --init --recursive --remote"
   },
   "imports": {
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@
     "rss": "^1.2.2",
     "serve-favicon": "^2.5.1",
     "sharp": "^0.34.3",
+    "smol-toml": "^1.6.0",
     "sqlite3": "^5.1.7",
     "to-ico": "^1.1.5",
     "validator": "^13.15.15",
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@faker-js/faker": "^9.9.0",
-    "chai": "^5.2.1",
+    "chai": "^6.2.2",
     "chai-as-promised": "^8.0.1",
     "fast-check": "^4.2.0",
     "mocha": "^11.7.1",
diff --git a/src/app.js b/src/app.js
index f26debd..b64cdd7 100644
--- a/src/app.js
+++ b/src/app.js
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 // src/app.js
 require("dotenv").config();
 
+const { network: c } = require("./config/loader");
+
 const net = require("net");
 const setupMiddleware = require("./middleware");
 const {
@@ -12,22 +14,15 @@
 const { startTokenCleanup } = require("./utils/tokenCleanup");
 const { cleanupOldSessions } = require("./utils/logManager");
 
-const SERVER_PORT = process.env.SERVER_PORT || 3400;
-const SERVER_LISTEN_LOG = (port) =>
-  `Server listening on http://localhost:${port}`;
-const NODE_ENV_LOG = `NODE_ENV: ${process.env.NODE_ENV}`;
-
 cleanupOldSessions();
 startTokenCleanup();
 
-// const winstonLogger = createWinstonLogger();
-
 const app = setupMiddleware();
 
 const server = net.createServer();
 server.once("error", (err) => {
   if (err.code === "EADDRINUSE") {
-    winstonLogger.error(`Port ${SERVER_PORT} is already in use.`);
+    winstonLogger.error(`Port ${c.port} is already in use.`);
     process.exit(1);
   } else {
     throw err;
@@ -37,13 +32,15 @@
 server.once("listening", () => {
   server.close();
 
-  app.listen(SERVER_PORT, () => {
-    winstonLogger.info(SERVER_LISTEN_LOG(SERVER_PORT));
-    winstonLogger.info(NODE_ENV_LOG);
+  app.listen(c.port, () => {
+    winstonLogger.info(
+      `Server listening on ${c.schema}://${c.domain}:${c.port}`,
+    );
+    winstonLogger.info(`NODE_ENV: ${c.node_env}`);
   });
 });
 
-server.listen(SERVER_PORT);
+server.listen(c.port);
 
 process.on("uncaughtException", handleUncaughtException);
 process.on("unhandledRejection", handleUnhandledRejection);
diff --git a/src/config/emailConfig.js b/src/config/emailConfig.js
index 6530620..7c7ebae 100644
--- a/src/config/emailConfig.js
+++ b/src/config/emailConfig.js
@@ -1,14 +1,6 @@
 // src/config/emailConfig.js
 const path = require("path");
 
-const MAIL_DOMAIN = process.env.MAIL_DOMAIN;
-const MAIL_USER = process.env.MAIL_USER;
-const DEFAULT_SUBJECT = "New Contact Form Submission";
-const EMAIL_LOG_PATH = path.join(__dirname, "../../data/emails.json");
-
 module.exports = {
-  MAIL_DOMAIN,
-  MAIL_USER,
-  DEFAULT_SUBJECT,
-  EMAIL_LOG_PATH,
+  EMAIL_LOG_PATH: path.join(__dirname, "../../data/emails.json"),
 };
diff --git a/src/config/loader.js b/src/config/loader.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..377301a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/config/loader.js
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+const fs = require("fs");
+const path = require("path");
+const { parse } = require("smol-toml");
+const toml = require("smol-toml");
+
+function hydrate(c = {}) {
+  const schema = c?.network?.schema || process.env.SERVER_SCHEMA || "http";
+  const domain = c?.network?.domain || process.env.SERVER_DOMAIN || "localhost";
+  const address = c?.network?.address || process.env.ADDRESS || "0.0.0.0";
+  const port = c?.network?.port || process.env.SERVER_PORT || 3400;
+
+  return {
+    meta: {
+      log_level: c?.meta?.log_level || process.env.LOG_LEVEL || "info",
+      node_env: c?.meta?.node_env || process.env.NODE_ENV || "development",
+      site_owner: c?.meta?.site_owner || process.env.SITE_OWNER || undefined,
+      country: c?.meta?.country || process.env.COUNTRY || undefined,
+    },
+    public: {
+      schema: c?.public?.schema || process.env.SERVER_SCHEMA || schema,
+      port: c?.public?.port || process.env.SERVER_PORT || port,
+      domain: c?.public?.domain || process.env.SERVER_DOMAIN || domain,
+      address: c?.public?.address || process.env.SERVER_ADDRESS || address,
+    },
+    network: {
+      domain,
+      address,
+      schema,
+      port,
+    },
+    auth: {
+      verify: c?.auth?.verify || process.env.AUTH_VERIFY || null,
+      login: c?.auth?.login || process.env.AUTH_LOGIN || null,
+      cache_ttl:
+        c?.auth?.cache_ttl ||
+        parseInt(process.env.AUTH_CACHE_TTL, 10) ||
+        120000,
+      timeout_ms: c?.auth?.timeout_ms || process.env.AUTH_TIMEOUT_MS || 5000,
+    },
+    mail: {
+      secure: c?.mail?.secure || process.env.MAIL_SECURE || false,
+      auth: c?.mail?.auth || process.env.MAIL_AUTH || null,
+      domain: c?.mail?.domain || process.env.MAIL_DOMAIN || "localhost",
+      port: c?.mail?.port || process.env.MAIL_PORT || 1025,
+      newsletter:
+        c?.mail?.newsletter ||
+        process.env.MAIL_NEWSLETTER ||
+        "newsletter@localhost",
+      pass: c?.mail?.pass || null,
+    },
+    hcaptcha: {
+      secret: c?.hcaptcha?.secret || process.env.HCAPTCHA_SECRET || null,
+      key: c?.hcaptcha?.key || process.env.HCAPTCHA_KEY || null,
+    },
+  };
+}
+function loadConfig() {
+  // Use a simple flag parser (e.g., --config)
+  const configIdx = process.argv.indexOf("--config");
+  const configPath = configIdx !== -1 ? process.argv[configIdx + 1] : null;
+
+  if (!configPath) {
+    console.info("Notice: No config file provided. Use --config <path>");
+    console.info("  Using defaults");
+    return hydrate();
+  }
+
+  try {
+    const raw = fs.readFileSync(path.resolve(configPath), "utf8");
+    const toml_config = toml.parse(raw);
+    return hydrate(toml_config);
+  } catch (err) {
+    console.error(`Failed to load config at ${configPath}:`, err.message);
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+}
+
+module.exports = loadConfig();
diff --git a/src/constants/authConstants.js b/src/constants/authConstants.js
index a3a0a18..891b2cf 100644
--- a/src/constants/authConstants.js
+++ b/src/constants/authConstants.js
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 // constants/authConstants.js
-const VERIFY_URL = process.env.AUTH_VERIFY;
-const CACHE_TTL = parseInt(process.env.AUTH_CACHE_TTL, 10) || 120000; // 2 minutes default
-const AUTH_TIMEOUT_MS = 5000; // 5 second timeout
+const { auth } = require("../config/loader");
+const { verify: verify_url, cache_ttl, timeout_ms } = auth;
 
 const LOG_MESSAGES = {
   AUTH_SERVER_UNAVAILABLE:
@@ -9,8 +8,8 @@
 };
 
 module.exports = {
-  VERIFY_URL,
-  CACHE_TTL,
-  AUTH_TIMEOUT_MS,
+  VERIFY_URL: verify_url,
+  CACHE_TTL: cache_ttl,
+  AUTH_TIMEOUT_MS: timeout_ms,
   LOG_MESSAGES,
 };
diff --git a/src/controllers/adminTokenController.js b/src/controllers/adminTokenController.js
index 86acc37..c47a72d 100644
--- a/src/controllers/adminTokenController.js
+++ b/src/controllers/adminTokenController.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 const { validateToken, cleanupTokens } = require("../utils/adminToken");
 const SecurityEvent = require("../utils/SecurityEvent");
+const { auth } = require("../config/loader");
 
 exports.cleanupTokensMiddleware = (req, res, next) => {
   if (Math.random() < 0.1) {
@@ -27,7 +28,7 @@
     ? referrer
     : `${scheme}://${host}${referrer}`;
 
-  const adminLoginUrl = `${process.env.AUTH_LOGIN}${redirectTo}`;
+  const adminLoginUrl = `${auth.login}${redirectTo}`;
   res.set("Content-Type", "text/html");
   res.customRedirect(adminLoginUrl, 301);
   console.log("test");
diff --git a/src/controllers/blogControllers.js b/src/controllers/blogControllers.js
index 9fa66b2..86558bd 100644
--- a/src/controllers/blogControllers.js
+++ b/src/controllers/blogControllers.js
@@ -4,12 +4,15 @@
 const path = require("path");
 const fsSync = require("fs");
 const crypto = require("crypto");
+const { meta } = require("../config/loader");
 
 const matter = require("gray-matter");
 const { getAllPosts } = require("../utils/postFileUtils");
 
 const HttpError = require("../utils/HttpError");
 
+const { node_env } = meta;
+
 exports.blogPost = async (req, res, next) => {
   const { year, month, name } = req.params;
 
@@ -33,7 +36,7 @@
     "../../content/posts",
     year,
     month,
-    `${name}.md`
+    `${name}.md`,
   );
 
   try {
@@ -62,8 +65,7 @@
     const { data: frontmatter, content } = matter(fileContent);
     if (
       !frontmatter.published &&
-      (process.env.NODE_ENV === "production" ||
-        process.env.NODE_ENV === "testing")
+      (node_env === "production" || node_env === "testing")
     ) {
       throw new Error("Attempted to access an unpublished page in production");
     }
@@ -88,9 +90,7 @@
 
   const publishedPosts = allPosts.filter(
     (post) =>
-      post.published ||
-      process.env.NODE_ENV === "production" ||
-      process.env.NODE_ENV === "testing"
+      post.published || node_env === "production" || node_env === "testing",
   );
   // Sort posts descending by date
   publishedPosts.sort((a, b) => new Date(b.date) - new Date(a.date));
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@
   const lastModified =
     publishedPosts.length > 0
       ? new Date(
-          Math.max(...publishedPosts.map((p) => new Date(p.date).getTime()))
+          Math.max(...publishedPosts.map((p) => new Date(p.date).getTime())),
         ).toUTCString()
       : new Date().toUTCString();
 
diff --git a/src/controllers/rssFeedController.js b/src/controllers/rssFeedController.js
index 772b238..2f048d0 100644
--- a/src/controllers/rssFeedController.js
+++ b/src/controllers/rssFeedController.js
@@ -1,9 +1,12 @@
 // routes/rss.js
 const generateRSSFeed = require("../services/rssFeedService");
+const { public } = require("../config/loader");
 
 module.exports = async (req, res) => {
-  const domain = process.env.DOMAIN;
-  const xml = await generateRSSFeed("content/posts", `https://${domain}`);
+  const xml = await generateRSSFeed(
+    "content/posts",
+    `https://${public.domain}`,
+  );
   res.set("Content-Type", "application/rss+xml");
   res.send(xml);
 };
diff --git a/src/controllers/sitemapControllers.js b/src/controllers/sitemapControllers.js
index 0e5c42d..5a36562 100644
--- a/src/controllers/sitemapControllers.js
+++ b/src/controllers/sitemapControllers.js
@@ -7,11 +7,12 @@
 // Precompile XML template once
 const xmlTplSrc = fs.readFileSync(
   path.resolve(__dirname, "../views/pages/sitemap-xml.handlebars"),
-  "utf-8"
+  "utf-8",
 );
 const xmlTpl = Handlebars.compile(xmlTplSrc);
 
 async function getSitemapHtml(req, res, next) {
+  re;
   try {
     const sitemap = await sitemapService.getCompleteSitemap();
     const context = {
diff --git a/src/middleware/applyProductionSecurity.js b/src/middleware/applyProductionSecurity.js
index 2ff2ffb..4d66302 100644
--- a/src/middleware/applyProductionSecurity.js
+++ b/src/middleware/applyProductionSecurity.js
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@
   CSP_DIRECTIVES,
 } = require("../config/securityConfig");
 
+const { meta } = require("../config/loader");
+
 const disablePoweredBy = (req, res, next) => {
   req.app.disable("x-powered-by");
   next();
@@ -23,7 +25,7 @@
     return next();
   }
   if (
-    process.env.NODE_ENV === "production" &&
+    meta.node_env === "production" &&
     LOCALHOST_HOSTNAMES.includes(req.hostname)
   ) {
     req.log.info(`Method: ${req.method} Path ${req.path}`);
diff --git a/src/middleware/authCheck.js b/src/middleware/authCheck.js
index 63ab9a2..07b3987 100644
--- a/src/middleware/authCheck.js
+++ b/src/middleware/authCheck.js
@@ -1,11 +1,8 @@
 // middleware/authCheck.js
 const fetch = require("node-fetch");
-const {
-  VERIFY_URL,
-  CACHE_TTL,
-  AUTH_TIMEOUT_MS,
-  LOG_MESSAGES,
-} = require("../constants/authConstants");
+const { auth } = require("../config/loader");
+const { verify: verify_url, cache_ttl, timeout_ms } = auth;
+const { LOG_MESSAGES } = require("../constants/authConstants");
 
 // Simple in-memory cache
 const authCache = new Map();
@@ -15,17 +12,17 @@
 }
 
 function isCacheValid(entry) {
-  return entry && Date.now() - entry.timestamp < CACHE_TTL;
+  return entry && Date.now() - entry.timestamp < cache_ttl;
 }
 
 setInterval(() => {
   const now = Date.now();
   for (const [key, entry] of authCache.entries()) {
-    if (now - entry.timestamp >= CACHE_TTL) {
+    if (now - entry.timestamp >= cache_ttl) {
       authCache.delete(key);
     }
   }
-}, CACHE_TTL);
+}, cache_ttl);
 const SAFE_IPS = ["192.168.1.200", "192.168.1.50"];
 
 module.exports = async (req, res, next) => {
@@ -60,9 +57,9 @@
 
   try {
     const controller = new AbortController();
-    const timeout = setTimeout(() => controller.abort(), AUTH_TIMEOUT_MS);
+    const timeout = setTimeout(() => controller.abort(), auth.timeout_ms);
 
-    const resVerify = await fetch(VERIFY_URL, {
+    const resVerify = await fetch(verify_url, {
       headers: { cookie, authorization: authHeader },
       credentials: "include",
       signal: controller.signal,
diff --git a/src/middleware/baseContext.js b/src/middleware/baseContext.js
index 983405d..6840173 100644
--- a/src/middleware/baseContext.js
+++ b/src/middleware/baseContext.js
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 const { baseUrl } = require("../utils/baseUrl.js");
 const navLinks = require(path.join(__dirname, "../../content/navLinks.json"));
 const processMenuLinks = require("../utils/processMenuLinks");
+const { meta } = require("../config/loader");
 
 const getSiteTitle = (owner) => `${owner}'s Software Blog`;
 
@@ -28,13 +29,13 @@
     );
     const qualifiedNavLinks = qualifyNavLinks(filteredNavLinks);
     const menu = await getPostsMenu(POSTS_DIR);
-    const siteOwner = process.env.SITE_OWNER;
+    const siteOwner = meta.site_owner;
 
     const context = {
       title: getSiteTitle(siteOwner),
       siteOwner,
-      originCountry: process.env.COUNTRY,
-      hCaptchaKey: process.env.HCAPTCHA_KEY,
+      originCountry: meta.country,
+      hCaptchaKey: meta.hcaptcha_key,
       navLinks: qualifiedNavLinks,
       years: menu,
       formatMonth,
diff --git a/src/middleware/index.js b/src/middleware/index.js
index 030d2b6..e0684d9 100644
--- a/src/middleware/index.js
+++ b/src/middleware/index.js
@@ -23,8 +23,9 @@
 const httpLogger = require("../utils/structuredLogger");
 const cacheUtils = require("./cacheUtils");
 const trace = require("./trace");
+const { meta } = require("../config/loader");
 
-function setupApp() {
+function setupApp(config) {
   const app = express();
 
   app.disable("x-powered-by");
@@ -42,10 +43,7 @@
   app.use(attachBaseContextGetter, buildBaseContext);
 
   // Setup production environment
-  if (
-    process.env.NODE_ENV === "production" ||
-    process.env.NODE_ENV === "testing"
-  ) {
+  if (meta.node_env === "production" || meta.node_env === "testing") {
     app.use(applyProductionSecurity);
   }
 
diff --git a/src/routes/index.js b/src/routes/index.js
index 42e0510..1703b84 100644
--- a/src/routes/index.js
+++ b/src/routes/index.js
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 const HttpError = require("../utils/HttpError");
 
 const stack = require("../controllers/techkStackController");
+const { meta } = require("../config/loader");
 
 const favicon = require("serve-favicon");
 const faviconsPath = path.join(__dirname, "..", "..", "public", "favicons");
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@
     extensions: false,
     fallthrough: false,
     setHeaders: (res) => {
-      if (process.env.NODE_ENV == "production") {
+      if (meta.node_env == "production") {
         // Doesn't expire
         res.set("Cache-Control", "public, max-age=31536000, immutable");
       } else {
@@ -50,7 +51,7 @@
         res.set("Cache-Control", "public, max-age=30, must-revalidate");
       }
     },
-  })
+  }),
 );
 
 router.use(
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@
     extensions: false,
     fallthrough: false,
     setHeaders: (res) => {
-      if (process.env.NODE_ENV == "production") {
+      if (meta.node_env == "production") {
         // Cache for 1 day, allow revalidation
         res.set("Cache-Control", "public, max-age=86400, must-revalidate");
       } else {
@@ -69,7 +70,7 @@
         res.set("Cache-Control", "public, max-age=30, must-revalidate");
       }
     },
-  })
+  }),
 );
 
 router.use("/favicons", express.static(faviconsPath));
diff --git a/src/routes/pages.js b/src/routes/pages.js
index b28b5bd..3b75f99 100644
--- a/src/routes/pages.js
+++ b/src/routes/pages.js
@@ -5,15 +5,14 @@
 const MarkdownRoutes = require("../utils/MarkdownRoutes");
 const HtmlRoutes = require("../utils/htmlRoutes");
 const csrfToken = require("../middleware/csrfToken");
+const { meta } = require("../config/loader");
 
 const construction = new ConstructionRoutes();
 const html = new HtmlRoutes();
 const markdown = new MarkdownRoutes();
 
-if (
-  process.env.NODE_ENV === "production" ||
-  process.env.NODE_ENV === "testing"
-) {
+const { node_env } = meta;
+if (node_env === "production" || node_env === "testing") {
   // construction.register("/newsletter", "Newsletter");
   construction.register("/projects", "Projects");
 } else {
diff --git a/src/services/tagsService.js b/src/services/tagsService.js
index 08543ec..0e52051 100644
--- a/src/services/tagsService.js
+++ b/src/services/tagsService.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 const fs = require("fs").promises;
 const path = require("path");
 const matter = require("gray-matter");
-const glob = require("glob");
+const { glob } = require("glob");
 const createExcerpt = require("../utils/createExcerpt");
 
 const CONTENT_ROOT = path.resolve(__dirname, "../../content");
@@ -15,27 +15,31 @@
 
 async function getPostsByTag(tag) {
   const allUrls = await sitemapService.getAllUrls();
-  const files = await glob.promises.glob(pattern);
+  const files = await glob(pattern);
   const tagRegex = buildTagRegex(tag);
 
   const matchedPosts = [];
 
   for (const filePath of files) {
     const raw = await fs.readFile(filePath, "utf-8");
-    const { data: frontmatter, content } = matter(raw);
-    const fileHash = hash(frontmatter);
+    try {
+      const { data: frontmatter, content } = matter(raw);
+      const fileHash = hash(frontmatter);
 
-    if (frontmatter.published !== true) continue;
-    if (!Array.isArray(frontmatter.tags)) continue;
-    if (!frontmatter.tags.some((t) => tagRegex.test(t))) continue;
+      if (frontmatter.published !== true) continue;
+      if (!Array.isArray(frontmatter.tags)) continue;
+      if (!frontmatter.tags.some((t) => tagRegex.test(t))) continue;
 
-    const urlMatches = allUrls.find((url) => url.id == fileHash);
-    matchedPosts.push({
-      title: frontmatter.title || "Untitled",
-      loc: urlMatches.loc,
-      date: frontmatter.date || null,
-      excerpt: createExcerpt(content, 200),
-    });
+      const urlMatches = allUrls.find((url) => url.id == fileHash);
+      matchedPosts.push({
+        title: frontmatter.title || "Untitled",
+        loc: urlMatches.loc,
+        date: frontmatter.date || null,
+        excerpt: createExcerpt(content, 200),
+      });
+    } catch (e) {
+      console.log("File path", filePath, e.stack);
+    }
   }
 
   return matchedPosts.sort((a, b) => new Date(b.date) - new Date(a.date));
diff --git a/src/utils/baseUrl.js b/src/utils/baseUrl.js
index 015ee03..2acba6d 100644
--- a/src/utils/baseUrl.js
+++ b/src/utils/baseUrl.js
@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
 // src/utils/baseUrl.js
+const { public } = require("../config/loader");
 function getBaseUrl({ schema = null, host = null, port = null } = {}) {
-  const envSchema = process.env.TEST_SCHEMA || process.env.SERVER_SCHEMA;
-  const envDomain = process.env.TEST_DOMAIN || process.env.SERVER_DOMAIN;
-  const envPort = process.env.TEST_PORT || process.env.SERVER_PORT;
+  const envSchema = public.schema;
+  const envDomain = public.domain;
+  const envPort = public.port;
 
-  const finalPort = envPort || port || 3000;
-  const finalProtocol = envSchema || schema || "https";
-  const finalDomain = (envDomain || host || "localhost")
+  const finalPort = envPort || port;
+  const finalProtocol = envSchema || schema;
+  const finalDomain = (envDomain || host)
     .replace(/^https?:\/\//, "")
     .replace(/\/$/, "");
 
diff --git a/src/utils/docsContext.js b/src/utils/docsContext.js
index a7b7656..1069540 100644
--- a/src/utils/docsContext.js
+++ b/src/utils/docsContext.js
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 const generateDocsMenuModel = require("./generateDocsMenuModel");
 const navLinks = require(path.join(__dirname, "../../content/navLinks.json"));
 const processMenuLinks = require("../utils/processMenuLinks");
+const { meta } = require("../config/loader");
 
 const getSiteTitle = (owner) => `${owner}'s Software Blog`;
 
@@ -38,11 +39,11 @@
  */
 module.exports = async function getDocsContext(
   isAuthenticated,
-  overrides = {}
+  overrides = {},
 ) {
   const filteredNavLinks = processMenuLinks(navLinks, isAuthenticated);
   const qualifiedNavLinks = qualifyNavLinks(filteredNavLinks);
-  const siteOwner = process.env.SITE_OWNER;
+  const siteOwner = meta.site_owner;
 
   const allYamlDocs = await loadAllYamlDocs();
   const currentPath = overrides.docPath || null;
@@ -50,13 +51,13 @@
   const docsMenu = generateDocsMenuModel(
     allYamlDocs,
     currentPath,
-    currentModule
+    currentModule,
   );
 
   const context = {
     title: getSiteTitle(siteOwner),
     siteOwner,
-    originCountry: process.env.COUNTRY,
+    originCountry: meta.country,
     navLinks: qualifiedNavLinks,
     baseUrl,
     paths: docsMenu,
diff --git a/src/utils/env.js b/src/utils/env.js
index 7af3c4a..e2280b2 100644
--- a/src/utils/env.js
+++ b/src/utils/env.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
-const NODE_ENV = process.env.NODE_ENV || "development";
+const { meta } = require("../config/loader");
+const NODE_ENV = meta.node_env || "development";
 const isProd = NODE_ENV === "production";
 const isDev = NODE_ENV === "development";
 
diff --git a/src/utils/logManager.js b/src/utils/logManager.js
index b03a0ae..4f31c65 100644
--- a/src/utils/logManager.js
+++ b/src/utils/logManager.js
@@ -3,12 +3,14 @@
 const { winstonLogger } = require("./logging");
 
 const logDir = path.join(__dirname, "../../logs");
+const { meta } = require("../config/loader");
+const { node_env } = meta;
 
 class LogManager {
   constructor(logDir, options = {}) {
     this.logDir = logDir;
     this.serverStart = Date.now();
-    this.isDevelopment = process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production";
+    this.isDevelopment = meta.node_env !== "production";
 
     // Configurable thresholds
     this.config = {
@@ -38,7 +40,7 @@
     this.metricsFile = path.join(logDir, ".cleanup-metrics");
 
     winstonLogger.info(
-      `LogManager initialized for ${this.isDevelopment ? "development" : "production"}`
+      `LogManager initialized for ${this.isDevelopment ? "development" : "production"}`,
     );
     winstonLogger.info(`Config:`, this.currentConfig);
   }
@@ -140,7 +142,7 @@
         } catch (error) {
           winstonLogger.warn(
             `Error processing session ${sessionFolder}:`,
-            error.message
+            error.message,
           );
           return null;
         }
@@ -153,12 +155,12 @@
   emergencyCleanup() {
     const sessions = this.getSessionsWithMetadata();
     const keepCount = Math.floor(
-      sessions.length * this.currentConfig.emergencyCleanupRatio
+      sessions.length * this.currentConfig.emergencyCleanupRatio,
     );
     const sessionsToDelete = sessions.slice(keepCount);
 
     winstonLogger.info(
-      `Keeping ${keepCount} newest sessions, deleting ${sessionsToDelete.length}`
+      `Keeping ${keepCount} newest sessions, deleting ${sessionsToDelete.length}`,
     );
 
     let deletedCount = 0;
@@ -223,7 +225,7 @@
             ? `age (${session.ageHours.toFixed(1)}h)`
             : "count limit";
           winstonLogger.info(
-            `  Deleted ${session.folder} - ${reason} - ${session.sizeMB.toFixed(2)}MB`
+            `  Deleted ${session.folder} - ${reason} - ${session.sizeMB.toFixed(2)}MB`,
           );
         }
       }
@@ -281,7 +283,7 @@
         const stat = fs.statSync(itemPath);
         if (stat.isDirectory()) {
           fs.readdirSync(itemPath).forEach((item) =>
-            calculateSize(path.join(itemPath, item))
+            calculateSize(path.join(itemPath, item)),
           );
         } else {
           totalSize += stat.size;
@@ -314,26 +316,26 @@
     const metrics = this.getMetrics();
     winstonLogger.info(`\n=== Log Manager Status ===`);
     winstonLogger.info(
-      `Environment: ${this.isDevelopment ? "development" : "production"}`
+      `Environment: ${this.isDevelopment ? "development" : "production"}`,
     );
     winstonLogger.info(
-      `Sessions: ${metrics.sessionCount} (max: ${this.currentConfig.maxSessionCount})`
+      `Sessions: ${metrics.sessionCount} (max: ${this.currentConfig.maxSessionCount})`,
     );
     winstonLogger.info(
-      `Total size: ${metrics.totalSizeMB.toFixed(2)}MB (max: ${this.currentConfig.maxTotalSizeMB}MB)`
+      `Total size: ${metrics.totalSizeMB.toFixed(2)}MB (max: ${this.currentConfig.maxTotalSizeMB}MB)`,
     );
     winstonLogger.info(
-      `Retention: ${this.currentConfig.sessionRetentionHours}h`
+      `Retention: ${this.currentConfig.sessionRetentionHours}h`,
     );
 
     if (metrics.sessions.length > 0) {
       const oldest = metrics.sessions[metrics.sessions.length - 1];
       const newest = metrics.sessions[0];
       winstonLogger.info(
-        `Oldest session: ${oldest.ageHours.toFixed(1)}h old (${oldest.sizeMB.toFixed(2)}MB)`
+        `Oldest session: ${oldest.ageHours.toFixed(1)}h old (${oldest.sizeMB.toFixed(2)}MB)`,
       );
       winstonLogger.info(
-        `Newest session: ${newest.ageHours.toFixed(1)}h old (${newest.sizeMB.toFixed(2)}MB)`
+        `Newest session: ${newest.ageHours.toFixed(1)}h old (${newest.sizeMB.toFixed(2)}MB)`,
       );
     }
 
diff --git a/src/utils/logging/config.js b/src/utils/logging/config.js
index 69bbf85..94b0fd5 100644
--- a/src/utils/logging/config.js
+++ b/src/utils/logging/config.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 // src/utils/logging/config.js
 const path = require("path");
+const { meta } = require("../../config/loader");
 
 const customLevels = {
   levels: {
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@
   },
 };
 
-const LOG_LEVEL = process.env.LOG_LEVEL?.toLowerCase() || "info";
+const LOG_LEVEL = meta.log_level?.toLowerCase() || "info";
 const LOG_LEVELS = customLevels.levels;
 
 const projectRoot = path.join(__dirname, "..", "..", "..");
diff --git a/src/utils/postFileUtils.js b/src/utils/postFileUtils.js
index d6cd372..bf52271 100644
--- a/src/utils/postFileUtils.js
+++ b/src/utils/postFileUtils.js
@@ -2,15 +2,18 @@
 const matter = require("gray-matter");
 const path = require("path");
 const fs = require("fs").promises;
+const { meta } = require("../config/loader");
 
 const createExcerpt = require("./createExcerpt");
 const hash = require("./hash");
 
+const { node_env } = meta;
+
 async function getAllPosts(baseDir, options = {}) {
   const { includeUnpublished = false } = options;
 
   const years = (await fs.readdir(baseDir, { withFileTypes: true })).filter(
-    (dirent) => dirent.isDirectory() && /^\d{4}$/.test(dirent.name)
+    (dirent) => dirent.isDirectory() && /^\d{4}$/.test(dirent.name),
   );
 
   const allPosts = [];
@@ -37,8 +40,7 @@
             // Filter unpublished posts in production unless explicitly included
             if (
               !data.published &&
-              (process.env.NODE_ENV === "production" ||
-                process.env.NODE_ENV === "testing") &&
+              (node_env === "production" || node_env === "testing") &&
               !includeUnpublished
             ) {
               return null;
@@ -57,7 +59,7 @@
               frontmatter: data, // Include full frontmatter for flexibility
               excerpt,
             };
-          })
+          }),
       );
 
       allPosts.push(...posts.filter(Boolean));
diff --git a/src/utils/sendContactMail.js b/src/utils/sendContactMail.js
index 02e9683..a147e67 100644
--- a/src/utils/sendContactMail.js
+++ b/src/utils/sendContactMail.js
@@ -4,12 +4,7 @@
 const fs = require("fs").promises;
 const { validateAndSanitizeEmail } = require("../utils/emailValidator");
 const { winstonLogger } = require("../utils/logging");
-const {
-  MAIL_DOMAIN,
-  MAIL_USER,
-  DEFAULT_SUBJECT,
-  EMAIL_LOG_PATH,
-} = require("../config/emailConfig");
+const { mail } = require("../config/loader");
 
 // Fixed sanitizeInput function
 function sanitizeInput(input) {
@@ -50,8 +45,8 @@
   if (!valid) throw new HttpError(errorMessage, 400);
 
   const mailData = {
-    from: `"Contact Form" <no-reply@${MAIL_DOMAIN}>`,
-    to: MAIL_USER,
+    from: `"Contact Form" <no-reply@${mail.domain}>`,
+    to: mail.user,
     replyTo: `"${cleanName}" <${sanitizedEmail}>`,
     subject: cleanSubject,
     text: cleanMessage,
diff --git a/src/utils/sendNewsletterSubscriptionMail.js b/src/utils/sendNewsletterSubscriptionMail.js
index 85de480..9305667 100644
--- a/src/utils/sendNewsletterSubscriptionMail.js
+++ b/src/utils/sendNewsletterSubscriptionMail.js
@@ -1,15 +1,16 @@
 // src/utils/sendNewsletterSubscriptionMail.js
 const transporter = require("./transporter");
 const { winstonLogger } = require("./logging");
+const { mail } = require("../config/loader");
 
 const MAIL_SUBJECT = "New Newsletter Subscription";
 
 function getMailFrom() {
-  return `Newsletter <no-reply@${process.env.MAIL_DOMAIN}>`;
+  return `Newsletter <no-reply@${mail.domain}>`;
 }
 
 function getMailText() {
-  return `Please add this email to the newsletter list: ${process.env.MAIL_NEWSLETTER}`;
+  return `Please add this email to the newsletter list: ${mail.newsletter}`;
 }
 
 async function sendNewsletterSubscriptionMail({ email }) {
diff --git a/src/utils/transporter.js b/src/utils/transporter.js
index f2537bd..3b37491 100644
--- a/src/utils/transporter.js
+++ b/src/utils/transporter.js
@@ -1,18 +1,14 @@
 // src/utils/transporter.js
 const nodemailer = require("nodemailer");
+const { mail } = require("../config/loader");
+
 require("dotenv").config();
 
-let auth = null;
-if (process.env.MAIL_AUTH != "null") {
-  auth = {
-    user: process.env.MAIL_USER,
-    pass: process.env.MAIL_PASS,
-  };
-}
+let { auth } = mail;
 const transporter = nodemailer.createTransport({
-  host: process.env.MAIL_HOST,
-  port: parseInt(process.env.MAIL_PORT, 10),
-  secure: process.env.MAIL_SECURE === "true",
+  host: mail.host,
+  port: parseInt(mail.port, 10),
+  secure: mail.secure === "true",
   auth,
 });
 
diff --git a/src/utils/verifyHCaptcha.js b/src/utils/verifyHCaptcha.js
index a1d0d10..1f5f18a 100644
--- a/src/utils/verifyHCaptcha.js
+++ b/src/utils/verifyHCaptcha.js
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 const fetch = require("node-fetch");
+const { hcaptcha } = require("../config/loader");
 
 async function verifyHCaptcha(token) {
-  const secret = process.env.HCAPTCHA_SECRET; // Your hCaptcha secret key
+  const secret = hcaptcha.secret; // Your hCaptcha secret key
   const response = await fetch("https://hcaptcha.com/siteverify", {
     method: "POST",
     headers: { "Content-Type": "application/x-www-form-urlencoded" },
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 3ac06ab..3087ce7 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -751,13 +751,6 @@
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
-"assertion-error@npm:^2.0.1":
-  version: 2.0.1
-  resolution: "assertion-error@npm:2.0.1"
-  checksum: 10c0/bbbcb117ac6480138f8c93cf7f535614282dea9dc828f540cdece85e3c665e8f78958b96afac52f29ff883c72638e6a87d469ecc9fe5bc902df03ed24a55dba8
-  languageName: node
-  linkType: hard
-
 "ast-types@npm:^0.13.4":
   version: 0.13.4
   resolution: "ast-types@npm:0.13.4"
@@ -1244,16 +1237,10 @@
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
-"chai@npm:^5.2.1":
-  version: 5.3.3
-  resolution: "chai@npm:5.3.3"
-  dependencies:
-    assertion-error: "npm:^2.0.1"
-    check-error: "npm:^2.1.1"
-    deep-eql: "npm:^5.0.1"
-    loupe: "npm:^3.1.0"
-    pathval: "npm:^2.0.0"
-  checksum: 10c0/b360fd4d38861622e5010c2f709736988b05c7f31042305fa3f4e9911f6adb80ccfb4e302068bf8ed10e835c2e2520cba0f5edc13d878b886987e5aa62483f53
+"chai@npm:^6.2.2":
+  version: 6.2.2
+  resolution: "chai@npm:6.2.2"
+  checksum: 10c0/e6c69e5f0c11dffe6ea13d0290936ebb68fcc1ad688b8e952e131df6a6d5797d5e860bc55cef1aca2e950c3e1f96daf79e9d5a70fb7dbaab4e46355e2635ed53
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
@@ -1743,13 +1730,6 @@
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
-"deep-eql@npm:^5.0.1":
-  version: 5.0.2
-  resolution: "deep-eql@npm:5.0.2"
-  checksum: 10c0/7102cf3b7bb719c6b9c0db2e19bf0aa9318d141581befe8c7ce8ccd39af9eaa4346e5e05adef7f9bd7015da0f13a3a25dcfe306ef79dc8668aedbecb658dd247
-  languageName: node
-  linkType: hard
-
 "deep-extend@npm:^0.6.0":
   version: 0.6.0
   resolution: "deep-extend@npm:0.6.0"
@@ -2116,7 +2096,7 @@
     "@faker-js/faker": "npm:^9.9.0"
     better-sqlite3: "npm:^12.2.0"
     body-parser: "npm:^2.2.0"
-    chai: "npm:^5.2.1"
+    chai: "npm:^6.2.2"
     chai-as-promised: "npm:^8.0.1"
     compression: "npm:^1.8.1"
     cookie-parser: "npm:^1.4.7"
@@ -2153,6 +2133,7 @@
     serve-favicon: "npm:^2.5.1"
     sharp: "npm:^0.34.3"
     sinon: "npm:^21.0.0"
+    smol-toml: "npm:^1.6.0"
     sqlite3: "npm:^5.1.7"
     to-ico: "npm:^1.1.5"
     validator: "npm:^13.15.15"
@@ -3560,13 +3541,6 @@
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
-"loupe@npm:^3.1.0":
-  version: 3.2.1
-  resolution: "loupe@npm:3.2.1"
-  checksum: 10c0/910c872cba291309664c2d094368d31a68907b6f5913e989d301b5c25f30e97d76d77f23ab3bf3b46d0f601ff0b6af8810c10c31b91d2c6b2f132809ca2cc705
-  languageName: node
-  linkType: hard
-
 "lru-cache@npm:^10.2.0":
   version: 10.4.3
   resolution: "lru-cache@npm:10.4.3"
@@ -4560,13 +4534,6 @@
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
-"pathval@npm:^2.0.0":
-  version: 2.0.1
-  resolution: "pathval@npm:2.0.1"
-  checksum: 10c0/460f4709479fbf2c45903a65655fc8f0a5f6d808f989173aeef5fdea4ff4f303dc13f7870303999add60ec49d4c14733895c0a869392e9866f1091fa64fd7581
-  languageName: node
-  linkType: hard
-
 "pend@npm:~1.2.0":
   version: 1.2.0
   resolution: "pend@npm:1.2.0"
@@ -5643,6 +5610,13 @@
   languageName: node
   linkType: hard
 
+"smol-toml@npm:^1.6.0":
+  version: 1.6.0
+  resolution: "smol-toml@npm:1.6.0"
+  checksum: 10c0/baf33bb6cd914d481329e31998a12829cd126541458ba400791212c80f1245d5b27dac04a56a52c02b287d2a494f1628c05fc19643286b258b2e0bb9fe67747c
+  languageName: node
+  linkType: hard
+
 "socks-proxy-agent@npm:^6.0.0":
   version: 6.2.1
   resolution: "socks-proxy-agent@npm:6.2.1"