diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 022eab26..1a5ac713 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,167 +1,62 @@
-# EpicNext-CMS .
+# EpicNext-CMS
 
-A modern, high-performance content management system for Habbo hotel emulators, built on **Next.js 16** (App Router) with **Prisma 7**. Designed to integrate seamlessly with the Polaris MySQL/MariaDB database.
+A modern, high-performance content management system for Habbo hotel emulators, built on **Next.js 16** (App Router) with **Prisma 7** and **React 19**. Designed to integrate seamlessly with Polaris / Arcturus Morningstar MySQL/MariaDB databases.
 
-Features full public-facing website, administrative panel, NextAuth authentication (argon2id/bcrypt with MD5-to-argon2id upgrade path), real-time RCON communication with the emulator, and extensive extensibility.
+Features a full public-facing website, an administrative panel, NextAuth authentication (argon2id/bcrypt with MD5-to-argon2id upgrade), real-time RCON communication with the emulator, Server-Sent Events for live radio data, smooth page transitions, and extensive extensibility.
 
 ---
 
-## Requirements
+## System Requirements
 
-| Component       | Version                            |
-| --------------- | ---------------------------------- |
-| Node.js         | >= 22                              |
-| pnpm            | >= 10.33.4                         |
-| MySQL / MariaDB | 8.0+ / 10.6+                       |
-| Redis           | Optional (caching / rate limiting) |
+| Component       | Version        | Notes                                    |
+| --------------- | -------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
+| Node.js         | >= 22          | Required by Next.js 16                   |
+| pnpm            | >= 10.33.4     | Package manager (npm/yarn not supported) |
+| MySQL / MariaDB | 8.0+ / 10.6+   | Shared with the emulator                 |
+| Redis           | 7.x+           | Optional — caching, rate limiting, SSE   |
+| Java            | 17+            | Required only if building the emulator   |
+| Maven           | 3.9+           | Required only if building the emulator   |
 
 ---
 
-## 1. Database Setup
+## Quick Start
 
-EpicNext-CMS shares a database with the Polaris emulator. You may use an existing or empty database.
+### 1. Clone & Install
 
-**Create a new database:**
+```bash
+git clone https://gitlab.epicnabbo.nl/remco/EpicNext-Cms.git
+cd EpicNext-Cms
+pnpm install
+```
+
+### 2. Database Setup
+
+The CMS shares a database with the Polaris/Arcturus emulator. Use an existing database or create a new one:
 
 ```sql
 CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS epicnext_cms CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
 ```
 
-**Use an existing emulator database:**  
-Point `DATABASE_URL` to your existing database — the CMS reads emulator tables (`users`, `users_currency`, `bans`, etc.) directly.
+The CMS reads emulator-owned tables (`users`, `items`, `rooms`, `bans`, etc.) directly. It never creates, alters, or drops them.
 
-**Create CMS tables:**  
-After configuring `.env`, run the migration script (step 5). This creates only CMS-owned tables (`website_*`, `radio_*`, etc.), leaving the emulator schema untouched.
-
----
-
-## 2. Environment Variables
-
-Copy `.env.example` to `.env` and configure:
+### 3. Configure Environment
 
 ```bash
 cp .env.example .env
 ```
 
-### Required
+Edit `.env` with at minimum:
 
 ```dotenv
 DATABASE_URL=mysql://user:password@127.0.0.1:3306/epicnext_cms
-AUTH_SECRET=                              # minimum 32 characters, random
+AUTH_SECRET=<random 32+ character string>
 HOTEL_NAME=YourHotel
 APP_URL=http://localhost:3000
 ```
 
-### Database Pool (Tunable)
+See `.env.example` for all optional variables (RCON, email, Redis, OAuth, PayPal, etc.).
 
-```dotenv
-DATABASE_POOL_SIZE=40
-DATABASE_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS=300000
-DATABASE_CONNECT_TIMEOUT_MS=10000
-```
-
-### Password Settings
-
-```dotenv
-CONVERT_PASSWORDS=false                   # enable to upgrade legacy MD5 hashes to argon2id on login
-PASSWORD_HASH=bcrypt                      # bcrypt (default) or argon2id
-```
-
-### Laravel APP_KEY (2FA Migration)
-
-Required only for reading existing Laravel-encrypted 2FA secrets:
-
-```dotenv
-APP_KEY=base64:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx==
-```
-
-### RCON (Emulator Bridge)
-
-Enables live credits, badges, motto changes, rank changes, kick/ban:
-
-```dotenv
-RCON_HOST=127.0.0.1
-RCON_PORT=3001
-```
-
-### Badge Upload (Emulator Directory)
-
-```dotenv
-BADGE_UPLOAD_DIR=/path/to/emulator/assets/c_images/album1584
-```
-
-### Email (Password Reset / Notifications)
-
-Two options — **Resend** (recommended) or **SMTP**:
-
-```dotenv
-# Resend (preferred)
-RESEND_API_KEY=re_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-
-# OR SMTP:
-SMTP_HOST=smtp.example.com
-SMTP_PORT=587
-SMTP_USER=user
-SMTP_PASSWORD=password
-SMTP_FROM=noreply@yourhotel.nl
-```
-
-### OAuth (Discord / Google)
-
-```dotenv
-DISCORD_CLIENT_ID=
-DISCORD_CLIENT_SECRET=
-GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=
-GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=
-```
-
-### PayPal (Credit Purchases)
-
-```dotenv
-PAYPAL_CLIENT_ID=
-PAYPAL_SECRET=
-PAYPAL_API=https://api-m.sandbox.paypal.com   # sandbox for testing; live: https://api-m.paypal.com
-```
-
-### Redis (Caching / Rate Limiting)
-
-```dotenv
-REDIS_URL=redis://127.0.0.1:6379
-```
-
-### AI Content Moderation (Comments / Guestbook)
-
-```dotenv
-OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-```
-
-### Notifications & Logging
-
-```dotenv
-DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL=https://discord.com/api/webhooks/...
-ALERT_EMAIL=admin@yourhotel.nl
-LOG_LEVEL=info                                # debug | info | warn | error
-```
-
-### Emulator JAR Backup (Jobs Worker)
-
-```dotenv
-EMULATOR_JAR_PATH=/path/to/emulator.jar
-EMULATOR_BACKUP_DIR=/path/to/backups
-EMULATOR_BACKUP_KEEP=7                        # number of backups to retain
-```
-
----
-
-## 3. Install Dependencies
-
-```bash
-pnpm install
-```
-
----
-
-## 4. Generate Prisma Client
+### 4. Generate Prisma Client
 
 ```bash
 pnpm prisma:generate
@@ -169,90 +64,117 @@ pnpm prisma:generate
 
 Generates TypeScript types in `src/generated/prisma/`.
 
----
-
-## 5. Run CMS Migrations
+### 5. Run CMS Migrations
 
 ```bash
 pnpm db:migrate
 ```
 
-Executes SQL files in `prisma/migrations/` against the database, creating all CMS-owned tables.
+Creates all CMS-owned tables (`website_*`, `radio_*`, `acl_*`, `admin_audit_log`, etc.) via idempotent SQL files in `prisma/migrations/`. Emulator tables are never touched.
 
-**Check migration status:**
+Check migration status:
 
 ```bash
 pnpm db:migrate:status
 ```
 
----
-
-## 6. Configure Website Settings
-
-After starting the server (step 7) and logging in as an administrator:
-
-1. Navigate to **Admin → CMS Settings** (`/admin/settings`).
-2. Configure the following essentials:
-   - `hotel_name` — your hotel name
-   - `habbo_imaging_url` — avatar image URL (default: `https://www.habbo.com/habbo-imaging/avatarimage`)
-   - `nitro_client_url` — Nitro client URL (refer to `update-Nitrov3.sh`)
-   - `logo_url` — path to your logo
-   - `cms_favicon` — favicon URL
-   - `min_staff_rank` — minimum rank required for admin access (default: 7)
-   - Optionally: theme colors, CAPTCHA, VPN blocking, and more.
-
----
-
-## 7. Start the Server
-
-### Development (Hot Reload)
+### 6. Build & Start
 
 ```bash
+# Development (hot reload)
 pnpm dev
-```
 
-### Production
-
-```bash
+# Production
 pnpm build && pnpm start
 ```
 
-### TypeScript Check
+Open `http://localhost:3000` in your browser.
 
-```bash
-pnpm typecheck
-```
+### 7. First Login
 
-### Run Tests
-
-```bash
-pnpm test
-```
+1. Register an account at `/register`, or log in with an existing emulator account.
+2. Grant yourself admin access: `UPDATE users SET rank = 7 WHERE username = 'yourname';`
+3. Visit `/admin` and configure your hotel via **Admin → CMS Settings**.
 
 ---
 
-## 8. Jobs Worker (Background Tasks)
+## Scripts
 
-Run as a persistent process (e.g., via systemd, screen, or PM2):
-
-```bash
-pnpm jobs:worker
-```
-
-Scheduled tasks:
-
-- **Daily at 03:00** — Emulator JAR backup (when `EMULATOR_JAR_PATH` and `EMULATOR_BACKUP_DIR` are configured)
-- **Daily at 04:00** — Cleanup of login logs older than 30 days and expired password reset tokens older than 7 days
+| Command                | Description                                        |
+| ---------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
+| `pnpm dev`             | Start development server (hot reload)              |
+| `pnpm build`           | Production build                                   |
+| `pnpm start`           | Start production server                            |
+| `pnpm typecheck`       | Run TypeScript type checking                       |
+| `pnpm test`            | Run all tests (Vitest)                             |
+| `pnpm db:migrate`      | Apply pending SQL migrations                       |
+| `pnpm db:migrate:status` | Show migration status                           |
+| `pnpm analyze`         | Build + open bundle analyzer                       |
+| `pnpm jobs:worker`     | Start background task worker (systemd / PM2)       |
+| `pnpm biome:check`     | Lint and format code                               |
 
 ---
 
-## 9. First Login
+## Performance Features
 
-1. Open `http://localhost:3000` in your browser.
-2. Register an account via `/register`, or log in with an existing account.
-3. To obtain administrator access, your rank must equal or exceed `min_staff_rank` (default: 7).
-   - Set it directly in the database: `UPDATE users SET rank = 7 WHERE username = 'yourname';`
-4. Access the admin panel at `/admin`.
+| Feature                        | Description                                                    |
+| ------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| **React Compiler**             | Automatic memoization — reduces unnecessary re-renders         |
+| **View Transitions API**       | Native browser transitions between page navigations            |
+| **Lenis Smooth Scroll**        | Fluid, customizable scrolling (respects `prefers-reduced-motion`) |
+| **Server-Sent Events**         | Real-time radio now-playing & listeners via SSE (no polling)   |
+| **Redis Caching**              | Caches API responses (home, radio config) up to 30s in Redis   |
+| **Bundle Analyzer**            | Run `pnpm analyze` to visualize and optimize bundle sizes      |
+| **AnimatePresence**            | Framer Motion exit animations on modals, dialogs, and lightbox |
+| **RCON (TCP Socket)**          | Live commands to the emulator (credits, badges, kick, ban)     |
+| **Streaming & Suspense**       | Next.js App Router streaming for fast page loads               |
+| **Automatic Image Optimization** | `next/image` with Sharp for resizing and WebP/AVIF          |
+| **CSS-based Animations**       | Base UI components use `data-open`/`data-closed` CSS animations |
+| **Compression**                | Gzip compression enabled on all responses                      |
+| **Stale Times**                | Optimized router cache (30s dynamic, 180s static)              |
+
+---
+
+## Architecture
+
+```
+├── prisma/
+│   ├── schema.prisma          # ~190 models (emulator + CMS)
+│   └── migrations/            # 16 SQL migrations for CMS tables
+├── scripts/
+│   ├── apply-migrations.ts    # Custom migration runner
+│   ├── jobs-worker.ts         # Background task scheduler
+│   └── sql-statements.ts      # SQL parsing utilities
+├── src/
+│   ├── app/                   # Next.js App Router (pages & API routes)
+│   ├── actions/               # Server Actions
+│   ├── components/            # UI components
+│   ├── lib/
+│   │   ├── auth/              # NextAuth, password hashing, 2FA, SSO tickets
+│   │   ├── services/          # RCON, email, currency, PayPal, alerts
+│   │   ├── prisma.ts          # Database connection singleton
+│   │   ├── redis.ts           # Redis client (ioredis)
+│   │   ├── redis-cache.ts     # Redis caching utility for API routes
+│   │   ├── cache.ts           # In-memory cache fallback
+│   │   ├── motion.ts          # Framer Motion animation variants
+│   │   └── use-event-source.ts # React hook for SSE subscriptions
+│   ├── messages/              # i18n translations (en, nl, de, fr, es, it)
+│   └── env.ts                 # Zod-validated environment schema
+├── public/
+│   ├── assets/                # Images, icons, fonts
+│   └── scripts/               # Client-side scripts (theme-init.js)
+├── update-Nitrov3.sh          # Emulator & Nitro updater utility
+├── next.config.ts             # Next.js configuration
+└── .env.example               # Environment template with all options
+```
+
+### Database Ownership
+
+| Component                                         | Type                    | Migrations                          |
+| ------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
+| Emulator tables (`users`, `items`, `rooms`, etc.) | Existing Polaris schema | None — CMS reads/writes only        |
+| CMS tables (`website_*`, `radio_*`, etc.)         | CMS-owned               | `prisma/migrations/*.sql` (16 files) |
+| Migration tracking                                | `cms_migrations` table  | Auto-created by migration runner     |
 
 ---
 
@@ -260,70 +182,66 @@ Scheduled tasks:
 
 ### Emulator — RCON
 
-For live actions (credits, badges, rank changes, kick/ban), the Polaris emulator must be running with RCON enabled and accessible at the configured `RCON_HOST:RCON_PORT`.
+For live actions (credits, badges, rank changes, kick, ban, hotel alerts). The emulator must be running with RCON enabled at `RCON_HOST:RCON_PORT`.
 
 ### Client — Nitro
 
-The `/client` page loads the Nitro client. Configure the client URL via **Admin → CMS Settings** (`nitro_client_url`).
+The `/client` page loads the Nitro client. Configure the client URL via **Admin → CMS Settings** (`nitro_client_url`). See `update-Nitrov3.sh` for deployment.
 
 ### Radio
 
-For use with a streaming radio (e.g., Azuracast):
+Supports any streaming radio (e.g., Azuracast). Configure endpoints via CMS Settings:
 
 - `radio_now_playing_api_url`
 - `radio_listeners_api_url`
 
+The radio player uses SSE for real-time updates (10s interval, no polling).
+
+### Background Jobs
+
+Run as a persistent process:
+
+```bash
+pnpm jobs:worker
+```
+
+Scheduled tasks:
+- **Daily 03:00** — Emulator JAR backup (requires `EMULATOR_JAR_PATH` + `EMULATOR_BACKUP_DIR`)
+- **Daily 04:00** — Cleanup login logs (>30 days) and expired password reset tokens (>7 days)
+
 ### CAPTCHA
 
-Supports Cloudflare Turnstile and Google reCAPTCHA. Configure via **Admin → CMS Settings**:
-
-- `captcha_provider` — `turnstile` or `recaptcha`
-- `turnstile_site_key` / `turnstile_secret`
-- `recaptcha_site_key` / `recaptcha_secret`
+Supports Cloudflare Turnstile and Google reCAPTCHA. Configure via CMS Settings.
 
 ### Theming
 
-12 preset themes are available via **Admin → Theme** (`/admin/theme`), along with fully customizable color schemes.
+12 preset themes with fully customizable colors via **Admin → Theme** (`/admin/theme`).
+
+### AI Content Moderation
+
+Optional OpenAI-powered moderation for comments and guestbook posts. Set `OPENAI_API_KEY`.
 
 ---
 
-## Database Architecture
-
-| Component                                         | Type                    | Migrations                          |
-| ------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
-| Emulator tables (`users`, `items`, `rooms`, etc.) | Existing Polaris schema | None — read-only for CMS            |
-| CMS tables (`website_*`, `radio_*`, etc.)         | CMS-owned               | `prisma/migrations/*.sql` (9 files) |
-| Migration tracking                                | `cms_migrations` table  | Auto-created                        |
-
----
-
-## Project Structure
+## Development
 
+```bash
+pnpm dev          # Start with hot reload
+pnpm typecheck    # Type check all files
+pnpm test         # Run test suite (312+ tests)
+pnpm analyze      # Build and analyze bundle sizes
+pnpm biome:check  # Lint and format
 ```
-├── prisma/
-│   ├── schema.prisma          # ~190 models (emulator + CMS)
-│   └── migrations/            # 9 SQL migrations for CMS tables
-├── scripts/
-│   ├── apply-migrations.ts    # migration runner
-│   └── jobs-worker.ts         # background task scheduler
-├── src/
-│   ├── app/                   # Next.js App Router (pages & API routes)
-│   ├── actions/               # Server Actions
-│   ├── components/            # UI components (header, navigation, etc.)
-│   ├── lib/
-│   │   ├── auth/              # NextAuth with password hashing & 2FA
-│   │   ├── services/          # RCON, email, currency, PayPal, etc.
-│   │   ├── prisma.ts          # database connection singleton
-│   │   └── redis.ts           # Redis client abstraction
-│   ├── messages/              # i18n translations (en, nl, de, fr, es, it)
-│   └── env.ts                 # Zod-validated environment schema
-├── public/assets/             # images, icons, fonts
-├── .env.example               # environment template
-└── update-Nitrov3.sh          # emulator & Nitro updater utility
-```
+
+### Contributing
+
+1. Ensure typecheck and tests pass: `pnpm typecheck && pnpm test`
+2. Follow existing code conventions (Server Components where possible, minimal client boundaries)
+3. Use the `src/lib/motion.ts` animation variants for consistent animations
+4. SQL migrations in `prisma/migrations/` must be idempotent
 
 ---
 
 ## License
 
-This project is licensed under the **CC BY-NC-SA 4.0** license. See `LICENSE` for details.
+CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. See `LICENSE` for details.
diff --git a/next.config.ts b/next.config.ts
index 62e5a44b..ecb681eb 100644
--- a/next.config.ts
+++ b/next.config.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,9 @@ const nextConfig: NextConfig = {
 		"pino-pretty",
 	],
 
+	// Enable React Compiler for automatic memoization
+	reactCompiler: true,
+
 	// Compress responses with gzip
 	compress: true,
 
diff --git a/src/app/api/home/route.ts b/src/app/api/home/route.ts
index ca28bf5e..3d7d1ece 100644
--- a/src/app/api/home/route.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/home/route.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { apiJson } from "@/lib/api";
 import { prisma } from "@/lib/prisma";
+import { redisCache, apiCacheKey } from "@/lib/redis-cache";
 import { siteSettings } from "@/lib/services/site-settings";
 
 export const dynamic = "force-dynamic";
@@ -10,31 +11,32 @@ export const dynamic = "force-dynamic";
  * used by the public pages and the admin dashboard.
  */
 export async function GET(_req: Request) {
-	let articles: unknown[] = [];
-	let online = 0;
-	let hotelName = "Atom";
-
 	try {
-		[articles, online, hotelName] = await Promise.all([
-			prisma.websiteArticles.findMany({
-				select: {
-					id: true,
-					title: true,
-					slug: true,
-					shortStory: true,
-					image: true,
-					createdAt: true,
-				},
-				orderBy: { createdAt: "desc" },
-				take: 4,
-			}),
-			prisma.user.count({ where: { online: "1" } }),
-			siteSettings.get("hotel_name", "Atom").then((v) => v ?? "Atom"),
-		]);
-
-		return apiJson({ articles, online, hotelName });
+		const data = await redisCache(
+			apiCacheKey("home"),
+			15,
+			async () => {
+				const [articles, online, hotelName] = await Promise.all([
+					prisma.websiteArticles.findMany({
+						select: {
+							id: true,
+							title: true,
+							slug: true,
+							shortStory: true,
+							image: true,
+							createdAt: true,
+						},
+						orderBy: { createdAt: "desc" },
+						take: 4,
+					}),
+					prisma.user.count({ where: { online: "1" } }),
+					siteSettings.get("hotel_name", "Atom").then((v) => v ?? "Atom"),
+				]);
+				return { articles, online, hotelName };
+			},
+		);
+		return apiJson(data);
 	} catch {
-		// DB unavailable — return an empty payload instead of a 500.
-		return apiJson({ articles: [], online: 0, hotelName }, { status: 200 });
+		return apiJson({ articles: [], online: 0, hotelName: "Atom" }, { status: 200 });
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/app/api/radio/config/route.ts b/src/app/api/radio/config/route.ts
index 60c0a643..3009e5ec 100644
--- a/src/app/api/radio/config/route.ts
+++ b/src/app/api/radio/config/route.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { apiJson } from "@/lib/api";
 import { prisma } from "@/lib/prisma";
+import { redisCache, apiCacheKey } from "@/lib/redis-cache";
 
 // Radio player config: the subset of radio_* website_settings the front-end
 // player needs (stream URL, name, autoplay, enabled, widget visibility) as a
@@ -27,19 +28,23 @@ const CONFIG_KEYS = new Set([
 
 export async function GET(_req: Request) {
 	try {
-		const rows = await prisma.websiteSetting.findMany({
-			where: { key: { in: Array.from(CONFIG_KEYS) } },
-			select: { key: true, value: true },
-		});
-
-		const config: Record<string, string> = {};
-		for (const row of rows) {
-			config[row.key] = row.value;
-		}
-
+		const config = await redisCache(
+			apiCacheKey("radio:config"),
+			30,
+			async () => {
+				const rows = await prisma.websiteSetting.findMany({
+					where: { key: { in: Array.from(CONFIG_KEYS) } },
+					select: { key: true, value: true },
+				});
+				const result: Record<string, string> = {};
+				for (const row of rows) {
+					result[row.key] = row.value;
+				}
+				return result;
+			},
+		);
 		return apiJson(config);
 	} catch {
-		// DB unavailable — serve an empty config rather than a 500.
 		return apiJson({}, { status: 200 });
 	}
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/redis-cache.ts b/src/lib/redis-cache.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..84561bc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/redis-cache.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+import "server-only";
+
+import { redis } from "@/lib/redis";
+
+/**
+ * Cache the result of a fetch function in Redis.
+ * Falls back to the fresh fetch if Redis is unavailable.
+ */
+export async function redisCache<T>(
+	key: string,
+	ttlSeconds: number,
+	fetch: () => Promise<T>,
+): Promise<T> {
+	if (!redis) return fetch();
+
+	try {
+		const cached = await redis.get(key);
+		if (cached !== null) {
+			return JSON.parse(cached) as T;
+		}
+	} catch {
+		// cache miss or error — fall through to fresh fetch
+	}
+
+	const fresh = await fetch();
+
+	try {
+		await redis.setex(key, ttlSeconds, JSON.stringify(fresh));
+	} catch {
+		// ignore write errors
+	}
+
+	return fresh;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Invalidate a cached key. No-op if Redis is unavailable.
+ */
+export async function invalidateCache(key: string): Promise<void> {
+	if (!redis) return;
+	try {
+		await redis.del(key);
+	} catch {
+		// ignore
+	}
+}
+
+/**
+ * Build a namespaced cache key for API routes.
+ */
+export function apiCacheKey(path: string): string {
+	return `api:${path}`;
+}