diff --git a/.github/workflows/build.yml b/.github/workflows/build.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index bdd9f40..0000000
--- a/.github/workflows/build.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,117 +0,0 @@
-name: Java CI with Maven
-
-on:
-  push:
-    branches: [ main ]
-  pull_request:
-    branches: [ main ]
-
-jobs:
-  build:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-
-      - name: Set up JDK 17
-        uses: actions/setup-java@v4
-        with:
-          java-version: '17'
-          distribution: 'temurin'
-          cache: maven
-
-      - name: Build with Maven
-        run: mvn -B package --file pom.xml
-
-      - name: Run tests
-        run: mvn -B test
-
-      - name: Generate test coverage report
-        run: mvn verify
-
-      - name: Upload test coverage
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
-        with:
-          name: test-coverage-report
-          path: target/site/jacoco/
-          
-      # Add this step to make the JAR available for the Docker job
-      - name: Upload JAR artifact
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
-        with:
-          name: app-jar
-          path: target/*.jar
-
-  sonarcloud:
-    name: SonarCloud Analysis
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: build
-
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-        with:
-          fetch-depth: 0
-
-      - name: Set up JDK 17
-        uses: actions/setup-java@v4
-        with:
-          java-version: '17'
-          distribution: 'temurin'
-
-      - name: Cache SonarCloud packages
-        uses: actions/cache@v4
-        with:
-          path: ~/.sonar/cache
-          key: ${{ runner.os }}-sonar
-          restore-keys: ${{ runner.os }}-sonar
-
-      - name: Build and analyze
-        env:
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          SONAR_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SONAR_TOKEN }}
-        run: >
-          mvn -B verify sonar:sonar
-          -Dsonar.projectKey=${{ secrets.SONAR_PROJECT_KEY }}
-          -Dsonar.organization=${{ secrets.SONAR_ORGANIZATION }}
-          -Dsonar.host.url=https://sonarcloud.io
-          -Dsonar.scanner.force-ci-analysis=true
-        continue-on-error: true
-
-  docker:
-    name: Docker Build and Push
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    needs: [build, sonarcloud]
-    if: github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
-
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-      
-      # Download the JAR file that was built in the build job
-      - name: Download JAR
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
-        with:
-          name: app-jar
-          path: app
-      
-      # List the contents to confirm the JAR exists
-      - name: List downloaded files
-        run: ls -la app/
-
-      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
-        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
-
-      - name: Login to DockerHub
-        uses: docker/login-action@v3
-        with:
-          username: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}
-          password: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_TOKEN }}
-
-      - name: Build and push
-        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
-        with:
-          context: .
-          push: true
-          tags: kenzycodex/distributed-storage:latest,kenzycodex/distributed-storage:${{ github.sha }}
-          # Add build args to specify the JAR location
-          build-args: |
-            JAR_FILE=app/*.jar
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..67ec0ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,340 @@
+name: CI/CD Pipeline
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [ main, develop, 'feature/**' ]
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [ main, develop ]
+
+env:
+  JAVA_VERSION: '17'
+  MAVEN_OPTS: -Xmx1024m
+
+jobs:
+  test:
+    name: Test and Build
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    services:
+      mysql:
+        image: mysql:8.0
+        env:
+          MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: rootpassword
+          MYSQL_DATABASE: loadbalancer
+          MYSQL_USER: loadbalancer
+          MYSQL_PASSWORD: loadbalancer
+        ports:
+          - 3306:3306
+        options: >-
+          --health-cmd="mysqladmin ping"
+          --health-interval=10s
+          --health-timeout=5s
+          --health-retries=3
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up JDK ${{ env.JAVA_VERSION }}
+        uses: actions/setup-java@v4
+        with:
+          java-version: ${{ env.JAVA_VERSION }}
+          distribution: 'temurin'
+          cache: maven
+
+      - name: Build Load Balancer
+        run: |
+          mvn clean compile -q
+          mvn package -DskipTests
+
+      - name: Build Storage Node
+        run: |
+          cd storage-node
+          mvn clean compile -q
+          mvn package -DskipTests
+
+      - name: Run Load Balancer Tests
+        run: mvn test
+        env:
+          SPRING_DATASOURCE_URL: jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/loadbalancer
+          SPRING_DATASOURCE_USERNAME: loadbalancer
+          SPRING_DATASOURCE_PASSWORD: loadbalancer
+
+      - name: Run Storage Node Tests
+        run: |
+          cd storage-node
+          mvn test
+
+      - name: Generate Test Coverage
+        run: |
+          mvn jacoco:report
+          cd storage-node && mvn jacoco:report
+
+      - name: Upload Load Balancer Coverage
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: loadbalancer-coverage
+          path: target/site/jacoco/
+
+      - name: Upload Storage Node Coverage
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: storagenode-coverage
+          path: storage-node/target/site/jacoco/
+
+      - name: Upload Load Balancer JAR
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: loadbalancer-jar
+          path: target/*.jar
+
+      - name: Upload Storage Node JAR
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: storagenode-jar
+          path: storage-node/target/*.jar
+
+  code-quality:
+    name: Code Quality Analysis
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: test
+    if: github.event_name == 'push' || github.event_name == 'pull_request'
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Set up JDK ${{ env.JAVA_VERSION }}
+        uses: actions/setup-java@v4
+        with:
+          java-version: ${{ env.JAVA_VERSION }}
+          distribution: 'temurin'
+
+      - name: Cache SonarCloud packages
+        uses: actions/cache@v4
+        with:
+          path: ~/.sonar/cache
+          key: ${{ runner.os }}-sonar
+          restore-keys: ${{ runner.os }}-sonar
+
+      - name: Build and analyze Load Balancer
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          SONAR_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SONAR_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          if [ -n "$SONAR_TOKEN" ]; then
+            mvn -B verify sonar:sonar \
+              -Dsonar.projectKey=${{ secrets.SONAR_PROJECT_KEY }} \
+              -Dsonar.organization=${{ secrets.SONAR_ORGANIZATION }} \
+              -Dsonar.host.url=https://sonarcloud.io
+          else
+            echo "SonarCloud token not available, skipping analysis"
+          fi
+        continue-on-error: true
+
+  docker-build:
+    name: Docker Build and Test
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: test
+    if: github.event_name == 'push'
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Download Load Balancer JAR
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: loadbalancer-jar
+          path: target/
+
+      - name: Download Storage Node JAR
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: storagenode-jar
+          path: storage-node/target/
+
+      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+
+      - name: Build Load Balancer Image
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+        with:
+          context: .
+          file: ./Dockerfile
+          push: false
+          tags: distributed-storage-loadbalancer:test
+          build-args: |
+            JAR_FILE=target/*.jar
+
+      - name: Build Storage Node Image
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+        with:
+          context: ./storage-node
+          file: ./storage-node/Dockerfile
+          push: false
+          tags: distributed-storage-storagenode:test
+          build-args: |
+            JAR_FILE=target/*.jar
+
+      - name: Test Docker Compose
+        run: |
+          # Create a test docker-compose that uses local images
+          cp docker-compose.yml docker-compose.test.yml
+          sed -i 's|build:|image: distributed-storage-loadbalancer:test #build:|g' docker-compose.test.yml
+          sed -i 's|context: \./storage-node|distributed-storage-storagenode:test #context: ./storage-node|g' docker-compose.test.yml
+
+          # Start services
+          docker-compose -f docker-compose.test.yml up -d db
+          sleep 30
+
+          # Check if services can start (don't run full stack due to complexity)
+          echo "Docker images built successfully"
+
+  docker-publish:
+    name: Publish Docker Images
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: [test, docker-build]
+    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && github.event_name == 'push'
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Download Load Balancer JAR
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: loadbalancer-jar
+          path: target/
+
+      - name: Download Storage Node JAR
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: storagenode-jar
+          path: storage-node/target/
+
+      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+
+      - name: Login to DockerHub
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
+        with:
+          username: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}
+          password: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_TOKEN }}
+        if: secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME != ''
+
+      - name: Generate version tag
+        id: version
+        run: |
+          if [[ "${{ github.ref }}" == "refs/heads/main" ]]; then
+            VERSION=$(date +%Y.%m.%d)-${GITHUB_SHA::7}
+            echo "version=${VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "latest=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          else
+            VERSION=${GITHUB_SHA::7}
+            echo "version=${VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "latest=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          fi
+
+      - name: Build and Push Load Balancer
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+        with:
+          context: .
+          file: ./Dockerfile
+          push: true
+          tags: |
+            kenzycodex/distributed-storage-loadbalancer:${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+            ${{ steps.version.outputs.latest == 'true' && 'kenzycodex/distributed-storage-loadbalancer:latest' || '' }}
+          build-args: |
+            JAR_FILE=target/*.jar
+        if: secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME != ''
+
+      - name: Build and Push Storage Node
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+        with:
+          context: ./storage-node
+          file: ./storage-node/Dockerfile
+          push: true
+          tags: |
+            kenzycodex/distributed-storage-storagenode:${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+            ${{ steps.version.outputs.latest == 'true' && 'kenzycodex/distributed-storage-storagenode:latest' || '' }}
+          build-args: |
+            JAR_FILE=target/*.jar
+        if: secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME != ''
+
+  create-release:
+    name: Create Release
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: [test, docker-publish]
+    if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && github.event_name == 'push'
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Download artifacts
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: loadbalancer-jar
+          path: artifacts/
+
+      - name: Download Storage Node JAR
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: storagenode-jar
+          path: artifacts/
+
+      - name: Generate version tag
+        id: version
+        run: |
+          VERSION=$(date +%Y.%m.%d)-${GITHUB_SHA::7}
+          echo "version=v${VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "release_name=Release ${VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+      - name: Create Release
+        uses: actions/create-release@v1
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        with:
+          tag_name: ${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+          release_name: ${{ steps.version.outputs.release_name }}
+          body: |
+            ## What's Changed
+
+            Automated release generated from main branch.
+
+            ### Features in this release:
+            - Load balancer with multiple strategies
+            - Storage node service with file operations
+            - Docker deployment support
+            - Health monitoring and metrics
+
+            ### Docker Images
+            - `kenzycodex/distributed-storage-loadbalancer:${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}`
+            - `kenzycodex/distributed-storage-storagenode:${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}`
+
+            **Full Changelog**: https://github.com/kenzycodex/distributed-storage/commits/${{ github.sha }}
+          draft: false
+          prerelease: false
+
+      - name: Upload Load Balancer JAR
+        uses: actions/upload-release-asset@v1
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        with:
+          upload_url: ${{ steps.create_release.outputs.upload_url }}
+          asset_path: artifacts/load-balancer-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar
+          asset_name: distributed-storage-loadbalancer.jar
+          asset_content_type: application/java-archive
+
+      - name: Upload Storage Node JAR
+        uses: actions/upload-release-asset@v1
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        with:
+          upload_url: ${{ steps.create_release.outputs.upload_url }}
+          asset_path: artifacts/storage-node-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar
+          asset_name: distributed-storage-storagenode.jar
+          asset_content_type: application/java-archive
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-validation.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-validation.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..44b049e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-validation.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+name: PR Validation
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [ main, develop ]
+    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
+
+env:
+  JAVA_VERSION: '17'
+
+jobs:
+  validate:
+    name: Validate Pull Request
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    services:
+      mysql:
+        image: mysql:8.0
+        env:
+          MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: rootpassword
+          MYSQL_DATABASE: loadbalancer
+          MYSQL_USER: loadbalancer
+          MYSQL_PASSWORD: loadbalancer
+        ports:
+          - 3306:3306
+        options: >-
+          --health-cmd="mysqladmin ping"
+          --health-interval=10s
+          --health-timeout=5s
+          --health-retries=3
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout PR code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up JDK ${{ env.JAVA_VERSION }}
+        uses: actions/setup-java@v4
+        with:
+          java-version: ${{ env.JAVA_VERSION }}
+          distribution: 'temurin'
+          cache: maven
+
+      - name: Validate Maven projects
+        run: |
+          echo "Validating Load Balancer..."
+          mvn validate
+          echo "Validating Storage Node..."
+          cd storage-node && mvn validate
+
+      - name: Compile Load Balancer
+        run: mvn clean compile
+
+      - name: Compile Storage Node
+        run: |
+          cd storage-node
+          mvn clean compile
+
+      - name: Run Load Balancer Tests
+        run: mvn test
+        env:
+          SPRING_DATASOURCE_URL: jdbc:mysql://localhost:3306/loadbalancer
+          SPRING_DATASOURCE_USERNAME: loadbalancer
+          SPRING_DATASOURCE_PASSWORD: loadbalancer
+
+      - name: Run Storage Node Tests
+        run: |
+          cd storage-node
+          mvn test
+
+      - name: Check Code Style
+        run: |
+          mvn spotless:check || echo "Code style issues found"
+          cd storage-node && mvn spotless:check || echo "Storage node code style issues found"
+        continue-on-error: true
+
+      - name: Build Docker Images
+        run: |
+          # Build Load Balancer
+          mvn package -DskipTests
+          docker build -t test-loadbalancer .
+
+          # Build Storage Node
+          cd storage-node
+          mvn package -DskipTests
+          docker build -t test-storagenode .
+
+      - name: Test Docker Compose Configuration
+        run: |
+          docker-compose config --quiet
+
+      - name: Initialize CodeQL
+        uses: github/codeql-action/init@v3
+        with:
+          languages: java
+        continue-on-error: true
+
+      - name: Autobuild
+        uses: github/codeql-action/autobuild@v3
+        continue-on-error: true
+
+      - name: Perform CodeQL Analysis
+        uses: github/codeql-action/analyze@v3
+        continue-on-error: true
+
+      - name: Comment PR Results
+        uses: actions/github-script@v7
+        if: always()
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const { context } = require('@actions/github');
+            const jobStatus = '${{ job.status }}';
+
+            let comment = `## 🔍 PR Validation Results\n\n`;
+
+            if (jobStatus === 'success') {
+              comment += `✅ **All checks passed!** This PR is ready for review.\n\n`;
+              comment += `### What was tested:\n`;
+              comment += `- ✅ Code compilation\n`;
+              comment += `- ✅ Unit tests\n`;
+              comment += `- ✅ Docker image builds\n`;
+              comment += `- ✅ Docker Compose configuration\n`;
+            } else {
+              comment += `❌ **Some checks failed.** Please review the issues below.\n\n`;
+              comment += `Check the [workflow run](${context.payload.pull_request.html_url}/checks) for details.\n`;
+            }
+
+            github.rest.issues.createComment({
+              issue_number: context.issue.number,
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              body: comment
+            });
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..953ae42
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+name: Release
+
+on:
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - 'v*'
+
+env:
+  JAVA_VERSION: '17'
+
+jobs:
+  release:
+    name: Create Release
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up JDK ${{ env.JAVA_VERSION }}
+        uses: actions/setup-java@v4
+        with:
+          java-version: ${{ env.JAVA_VERSION }}
+          distribution: 'temurin'
+          cache: maven
+
+      - name: Build Load Balancer
+        run: mvn clean package -DskipTests
+
+      - name: Build Storage Node
+        run: |
+          cd storage-node
+          mvn clean package -DskipTests
+
+      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
+        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v3
+
+      - name: Login to DockerHub
+        uses: docker/login-action@v3
+        with:
+          username: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}
+          password: ${{ secrets.DOCKERHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Extract version from tag
+        id: version
+        run: |
+          VERSION=${GITHUB_REF#refs/tags/v}
+          echo "version=${VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          echo "tag=${GITHUB_REF#refs/tags/}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+      - name: Build and Push Load Balancer
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+        with:
+          context: .
+          file: ./Dockerfile
+          push: true
+          tags: |
+            kenzycodex/distributed-storage-loadbalancer:${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+            kenzycodex/distributed-storage-loadbalancer:latest
+          build-args: |
+            JAR_FILE=target/*.jar
+
+      - name: Build and Push Storage Node
+        uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
+        with:
+          context: ./storage-node
+          file: ./storage-node/Dockerfile
+          push: true
+          tags: |
+            kenzycodex/distributed-storage-storagenode:${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+            kenzycodex/distributed-storage-storagenode:latest
+          build-args: |
+            JAR_FILE=target/*.jar
+
+      - name: Create GitHub Release
+        uses: actions/create-release@v1
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        with:
+          tag_name: ${{ steps.version.outputs.tag }}
+          release_name: Release ${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+          body: |
+            ## DistributedStorage ${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+
+            ### What's New
+
+            Check the [CHANGELOG](CHANGELOG.md) for detailed changes.
+
+            ### Docker Images
+            ```bash
+            docker pull kenzycodex/distributed-storage-loadbalancer:${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+            docker pull kenzycodex/distributed-storage-storagenode:${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}
+            ```
+
+            ### Quick Start
+            ```bash
+            git clone https://github.com/kenzycodex/distributed-storage.git
+            cd distributed-storage
+            git checkout ${{ steps.version.outputs.tag }}
+            docker-compose up -d
+            ```
+
+            **Full Changelog**: https://github.com/kenzycodex/distributed-storage/compare/v${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}...HEAD
+          draft: false
+          prerelease: false
+
+      - name: Upload Load Balancer JAR
+        uses: actions/upload-release-asset@v1
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        with:
+          upload_url: ${{ steps.create_release.outputs.upload_url }}
+          asset_path: target/load-balancer-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar
+          asset_name: distributed-storage-loadbalancer-${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}.jar
+          asset_content_type: application/java-archive
+
+      - name: Upload Storage Node JAR
+        uses: actions/upload-release-asset@v1
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        with:
+          upload_url: ${{ steps.create_release.outputs.upload_url }}
+          asset_path: storage-node/target/storage-node-1.0-SNAPSHOT.jar
+          asset_name: distributed-storage-storagenode-${{ steps.version.outputs.version }}.jar
+          asset_content_type: application/java-archive
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..afaf360
--- /dev/null
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+1.0.0
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/VERSIONING.md b/docs/VERSIONING.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..31278f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/VERSIONING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,179 @@
+# Versioning Strategy
+
+This document describes the versioning strategy used for DistributedStorage.
+
+## Version Format
+
+We follow [Semantic Versioning (SemVer)](https://semver.org/) with the format `MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH`:
+
+- **MAJOR**: Incremented for incompatible API changes
+- **MINOR**: Incremented for backwards-compatible functionality additions
+- **PATCH**: Incremented for backwards-compatible bug fixes
+
+## Version Management
+
+### Automated Versioning
+
+The project uses automated version management through:
+
+1. **Version Manager Script**: `scripts/version-manager.sh`
+2. **GitHub Actions**: Automatic version tagging on main branch merges
+3. **Maven Versions Plugin**: Updates all pom.xml files consistently
+
+### Version Manager Usage
+
+```bash
+# Show current version
+./scripts/version-manager.sh current
+
+# Increment patch version (1.0.0 → 1.0.1)
+./scripts/version-manager.sh patch
+
+# Increment minor version (1.0.1 → 1.1.0)
+./scripts/version-manager.sh minor
+
+# Increment major version (1.1.0 → 2.0.0)
+./scripts/version-manager.sh major
+```
+
+## Release Process
+
+### 1. Feature Development
+- Create feature branch: `feature/description`
+- Develop and test changes
+- Create pull request to `main`
+
+### 2. Version Increment
+When merging to `main`, determine version bump:
+
+- **Patch**: Bug fixes, documentation updates, minor improvements
+- **Minor**: New features, API additions (backwards compatible)
+- **Major**: Breaking changes, API removals/changes
+
+### 3. Automated Release
+On push to `main`:
+1. CI/CD pipeline runs tests and builds
+2. Automatic version tag creation
+3. Docker images published to registry
+4. GitHub release created with artifacts
+
+### 4. Manual Release (if needed)
+```bash
+# Update version manually
+./scripts/version-manager.sh minor
+
+# Push tag to trigger release
+git push origin v1.1.0
+```
+
+## Branch Strategy
+
+- **main**: Production-ready code, triggers releases
+- **develop**: Integration branch (optional)
+- **feature/\***: Feature development branches
+- **hotfix/\***: Critical bug fixes
+- **release/\***: Release preparation branches
+
+## Version Tags
+
+Git tags follow the format:
+- `v1.0.0` - Release versions
+- `v1.0.0-rc.1` - Release candidates
+- `v1.0.0-beta.1` - Beta releases
+- `v1.0.0-alpha.1` - Alpha releases
+
+## Docker Image Versioning
+
+Docker images are tagged with:
+- **Latest**: `kenzycodex/distributed-storage-loadbalancer:latest`
+- **Version**: `kenzycodex/distributed-storage-loadbalancer:1.0.0`
+- **SHA**: `kenzycodex/distributed-storage-loadbalancer:abc1234`
+
+## Backwards Compatibility
+
+### Major Version (Breaking Changes)
+- API endpoint changes
+- Configuration format changes
+- Database schema changes requiring migration
+- Java version requirement changes
+
+### Minor Version (New Features)
+- New API endpoints
+- New configuration options
+- New load balancing strategies
+- Performance improvements
+
+### Patch Version (Bug Fixes)
+- Bug fixes
+- Security patches
+- Documentation updates
+- Dependency updates (compatible)
+
+## Deprecation Policy
+
+Before removing features in a major version:
+1. Mark as deprecated in minor version
+2. Add deprecation warnings
+3. Document migration path
+4. Provide at least one minor version notice
+
+## Examples
+
+### Version History
+```
+v1.0.0 - Initial release with core functionality
+v1.1.0 - Added file metadata persistence
+v1.2.0 - Added authentication and RBAC
+v1.2.1 - Fixed security vulnerability
+v1.3.0 - Added file replication
+v2.0.0 - API redesign, breaking changes
+```
+
+### Breaking Changes (Major)
+```java
+// v1.x.x API
+@PostMapping("/upload")
+public ResponseEntity<String> upload(MultipartFile file)
+
+// v2.0.0 API (breaking change)
+@PostMapping("/files")
+public ResponseEntity<FileResponse> createFile(FileRequest request)
+```
+
+### New Features (Minor)
+```java
+// v1.1.0 - Added new endpoint (non-breaking)
+@GetMapping("/files/{id}/metadata")
+public ResponseEntity<FileMetadata> getMetadata(@PathVariable Long id)
+```
+
+## Version File Locations
+
+- `VERSION` - Main version file
+- `pom.xml` - Maven project version
+- `storage-node/pom.xml` - Storage node version
+- `CHANGELOG.md` - Human-readable change log
+
+## Automation
+
+The versioning process is automated through:
+
+1. **GitHub Actions**: `.github/workflows/ci.yml`
+2. **Version Script**: `scripts/version-manager.sh`
+3. **Maven Plugins**: Versions plugin for dependency management
+4. **Docker Labels**: Images tagged with version metadata
+
+## Best Practices
+
+1. **Always update CHANGELOG.md** with user-facing changes
+2. **Test thoroughly** before version increments
+3. **Use semantic commit messages** for automatic changelog generation
+4. **Tag important milestones** even if not formal releases
+5. **Document breaking changes** clearly in release notes
+
+## Monitoring Versions
+
+- **GitHub Releases**: Track all versions and downloads
+- **Docker Hub**: Monitor image pulls by version
+- **Metrics**: Version-specific usage analytics
+- **Dependency Scanning**: Security alerts by version
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diff --git a/scripts/version-manager.sh b/scripts/version-manager.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7c2d66d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/version-manager.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,205 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Version Manager for DistributedStorage
+# Usage: ./scripts/version-manager.sh [major|minor|patch|current]
+
+set -e
+
+VERSION_FILE="VERSION"
+CURRENT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)"
+
+# Colors for output
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+BLUE='\033[0;34m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+log() {
+    echo -e "${BLUE}[INFO]${NC} $1"
+}
+
+success() {
+    echo -e "${GREEN}[SUCCESS]${NC} $1"
+}
+
+warning() {
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}[WARNING]${NC} $1"
+}
+
+error() {
+    echo -e "${RED}[ERROR]${NC} $1"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Get current version
+get_current_version() {
+    if [[ -f "$VERSION_FILE" ]]; then
+        cat "$VERSION_FILE"
+    else
+        echo "1.0.0"
+    fi
+}
+
+# Parse version into components
+parse_version() {
+    local version=$1
+    IFS='.' read -r major minor patch <<< "$version"
+    echo "$major $minor $patch"
+}
+
+# Increment version
+increment_version() {
+    local type=$1
+    local current_version=$(get_current_version)
+    read -r major minor patch <<< $(parse_version "$current_version")
+
+    case $type in
+        major)
+            major=$((major + 1))
+            minor=0
+            patch=0
+            ;;
+        minor)
+            minor=$((minor + 1))
+            patch=0
+            ;;
+        patch)
+            patch=$((patch + 1))
+            ;;
+        *)
+            error "Invalid version type: $type. Use major, minor, or patch"
+            ;;
+    esac
+
+    echo "$major.$minor.$patch"
+}
+
+# Update version in files
+update_version_files() {
+    local new_version=$1
+
+    log "Updating version to $new_version in project files..."
+
+    # Update VERSION file
+    echo "$new_version" > "$VERSION_FILE"
+
+    # Update pom.xml files
+    mvn versions:set -DnewVersion="$new_version" -DgenerateBackupPoms=false
+    cd storage-node && mvn versions:set -DnewVersion="$new_version" -DgenerateBackupPoms=false && cd ..
+
+    # Update CHANGELOG.md
+    local today=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
+    if [[ -f "CHANGELOG.md" ]]; then
+        # Create backup
+        cp CHANGELOG.md CHANGELOG.md.bak
+
+        # Add new version entry
+        {
+            head -n 5 CHANGELOG.md
+            echo ""
+            echo "## [v$new_version] - $today"
+            echo ""
+            echo "### Added"
+            echo "- Version bump to $new_version"
+            echo ""
+            tail -n +6 CHANGELOG.md
+        } > CHANGELOG.md.tmp
+
+        mv CHANGELOG.md.tmp CHANGELOG.md
+        rm CHANGELOG.md.bak
+    fi
+
+    success "Version updated to $new_version"
+}
+
+# Create git tag
+create_git_tag() {
+    local version=$1
+    local tag="v$version"
+
+    log "Creating git tag $tag..."
+
+    if git rev-parse "$tag" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        warning "Tag $tag already exists"
+        return
+    fi
+
+    git add .
+    git commit -m "Bump version to $version" || true
+    git tag -a "$tag" -m "Release version $version"
+
+    success "Created git tag $tag"
+    log "To push the tag: git push origin $tag"
+}
+
+# Main function
+main() {
+    local action=${1:-current}
+
+    case $action in
+        current)
+            local current=$(get_current_version)
+            echo "Current version: $current"
+            ;;
+        major|minor|patch)
+            local current=$(get_current_version)
+            local new_version=$(increment_version "$action")
+
+            log "Current version: $current"
+            log "New version: $new_version"
+
+            read -p "Do you want to update to version $new_version? (y/N): " -n 1 -r
+            echo
+
+            if [[ $REPLY =~ ^[Yy]$ ]]; then
+                update_version_files "$new_version"
+
+                read -p "Create git tag? (y/N): " -n 1 -r
+                echo
+
+                if [[ $REPLY =~ ^[Yy]$ ]]; then
+                    create_git_tag "$new_version"
+                fi
+            else
+                log "Version update cancelled"
+            fi
+            ;;
+        help|--help|-h)
+            cat << EOF
+Version Manager for DistributedStorage
+
+Usage: $0 [COMMAND]
+
+Commands:
+  current    Show current version
+  major      Increment major version (x.0.0)
+  minor      Increment minor version (x.y.0)
+  patch      Increment patch version (x.y.z)
+  help       Show this help message
+
+Examples:
+  $0 current     # Show current version
+  $0 patch       # Increment patch version
+  $0 minor       # Increment minor version
+  $0 major       # Increment major version
+
+The script will:
+1. Update VERSION file
+2. Update Maven pom.xml files
+3. Update CHANGELOG.md
+4. Optionally create git commit and tag
+EOF
+            ;;
+        *)
+            error "Unknown command: $action. Use 'help' for usage information"
+            ;;
+    esac
+}
+
+# Check if running from correct directory
+if [[ ! -f "pom.xml" ]] || [[ ! -d "storage-node" ]]; then
+    error "Please run this script from the project root directory"
+fi
+
+main "$@"
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