diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 5bd840e..9b4e6c9 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
 db-data/data
 s3-data/data
+garage-data/meta
+garage-data/data
 .env
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a70c105..ac11f22 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -7,28 +7,117 @@ If you use or plan to use DSW, please let us know via [info@ds-wizard.org](mailt
 - Join our [**Discord** server](https://discord.gg/MW3H9tdMcT), where you can be notified about important updates and releases + we can discuss your issues and ideas.
 - Provide us feedback (what is good and bad, [feature requests](https://ideas.ds-wizard.org/), etc.)
 
-This example is intended for **local setup and testing**. For production use there are many more things to do such as authentication, controlling exposed ports (e.g. do not expose ports of `postgres` and `minio`), data backups, or using proxy (with HTTPS and WebSocket enabled). As it is highly dependent on your use case, consult production deployment with your sysadmin or [contact us](https://ds-wizard.org/contact).
+This example is intended for **local setup and testing**. For production use there are many more things to do such as authentication, controlling exposed ports (e.g. do not expose ports of `postgres` and `garage`), data backups, or using proxy (with HTTPS and WebSocket enabled). As it is highly dependent on your use case, consult production deployment with your sysadmin or [contact us](https://ds-wizard.org/contact).
 
-## Usage
+## Overview
 
-This is an example deployment of the [Data Stewardship Wizard](https://ds-wizard.org) using [docker-compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/). You can clone the repository, create `.env` file using `example.env` and run it with:
+This is an example deployment of the [Data Stewardship Wizard](https://ds-wizard.org) using [Docker Compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/) and [Garage](https://garagehq.deuxfleurs.fr/) as the S3-compatible object storage.
 
-```
-$ docker-compose up -d
-```
+It is intentionally set up as a **single-node local POC**:
 
-Then visit [localhost:8080/wizard](http://localhost:8080/wizard/) and login as `albert.einstein@example.com` with password `password`.
+- Garage runs in Docker on host ports `9000` (S3 API) and `9003` (Admin API)
+- DSW points to `http://host.docker.internal:9000` so presigned URLs are reachable from the browser
+- `create-bucket.sh` performs the one-time Garage bootstrap for this example
 
 For information on how to use Data Stewardship Wizard, visit our [guide](https://guide.ds-wizard.org).
 
-## Important notes
+## Quick Start
+
+1. Create the local environment file:
+
+   ```bash
+   cp example.env .env
+   ```
+
+2. Start the stack:
+
+   ```bash
+   docker compose up -d
+   ```
+
+3. Bootstrap Garage:
+
+   ```bash
+   ./create-bucket.sh
+   ```
+
+4. Open DSW:
+
+   [http://localhost:8080/wizard](http://localhost:8080/wizard/)
+
+5. Log in with:
+
+   - Email: `albert.einstein@example.com`
+   - Password: `password`
+
+## What The Bootstrap Does
+
+`create-bucket.sh` is intended to be safe to rerun for this local setup. It:
+
+- assigns the single-node Garage layout if the node still has no role
+- creates the configured S3 bucket if it does not exist
+- imports the configured Garage access key if it does not exist
+- grants read, write, and owner permissions on the bucket to that key
+
+## Verification Checklist
+
+After setup, use this checklist to confirm the Garage-backed deployment works.
+
+### Infrastructure checks
+
+```bash
+docker compose ps
+docker compose logs garage --tail=100
+docker compose logs server --tail=100
+docker compose logs docworker --tail=100
+```
+
+Expected results:
+
+- `garage` is running
+- `server` creates the S3 client successfully
+- `docworker` starts without S3 errors
+- no authentication, signing, or region errors appear in the logs
+
+### Application checks
+
+In the DSW UI, verify:
+
+1. the application opens and login works
+2. a project file can be uploaded
+3. the uploaded file can be downloaded
+4. a document preview can be generated
+5. a document template asset URL works, if applicable
+
+If these checks pass, Garage is functioning as a drop-in S3-compatible backend for this example deployment.
+
+## Important Notes
 
 * Use `docker compose pull` to get newest image (hotfixes) before starting
-* **Do not expose** PostgreSQL and MinIO to the internet (MinIO should be exposed only via proxy)
+* **Do not expose** PostgreSQL and Garage to the internet in a public deployment (Garage should be behind your proxy, firewall, or private network setup)
 * When you want to use DSW publicly, **set up HTTPS proxy** (e.g. Nginx) with a certificate for your domain and change default accounts
-* Set up volume mounted to PostgreSQL and MinIO containers for persistent data
-* You have to create S3 bucket, either using Web UI (for MinIO, you can expose and use `http://localhost:9000`) or via client: https://docs.min.io/docs/minio-client-complete-guide.html#mb, e.g. use `create-bucket.sh` script
-* Always use **strong passwords** and never use default values, **change the secrets** in `config/application.yml` (32 character string in `general.secret` and RSA private key in `general.rsaPrivateKey` via `ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -m PEM -f jwtRS256.key`)
+* Set up volume mounted to PostgreSQL and Garage containers for persistent data
+* Garage needs a one-time bootstrap after the stack starts. `create-bucket.sh` assigns the single-node layout, creates the bucket, imports the configured S3 key, and grants bucket permissions
+* DSW uses `http://host.docker.internal:9000` as the S3 endpoint so both the DSW containers and the browser can reach the same local Garage endpoint
+* Always use **strong passwords** and never use default values, **change the secrets** in `config/application.yml` and `.env` (JWT secret, RSA private key, Garage RPC/admin tokens, and S3 credentials)
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+If something does not work:
+
+```bash
+docker compose ps
+docker compose logs garage --tail=200
+docker compose logs server --tail=200
+docker compose logs docworker --tail=200
+```
+
+Common local issues:
+
+- Garage was started, but `create-bucket.sh` was not run yet
+- `.env` values and the imported Garage key no longer match
+- the server is still starting and has not reached a healthy state yet
+- an old local data directory contains stale state from a previous attempt
 
 ## Security Audit
 
diff --git a/config/application.yml b/config/application.yml
index d5831b9..f9a0f30 100644
--- a/config/application.yml
+++ b/config/application.yml
@@ -59,12 +59,14 @@ general:
 database:
   connectionString: postgresql://postgres:postgres@postgres:5432/engine-wizard
 
-# (!!) Change default password
+# (!!) Change default credentials
 s3:
+  # Use a host-reachable endpoint so browser-facing presigned URLs work in local Docker.
   url: http://host.docker.internal:9000
-  username: minio
-  password: minioPassword
+  username: GK0123456789abcdef01234567
+  password: 0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef
   bucket: engine-wizard
+  region: garage
 
 # (!!) Configure SMTP
 mail:
diff --git a/config/garage.toml b/config/garage.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e4d79d9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/garage.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+metadata_dir = "/var/lib/garage/meta"
+data_dir = "/var/lib/garage/data"
+db_engine = "sqlite"
+
+# Single-node local POC settings.
+replication_factor = 1
+rpc_bind_addr = "[::]:3901"
+rpc_public_addr = "127.0.0.1:3901"
+
+[s3_api]
+# Path-style requests work without extra DNS; root_domain only enables optional vhost-style access.
+s3_region = "garage"
+api_bind_addr = "[::]:3900"
+root_domain = ".s3.garage.localhost"
+
+[admin]
+api_bind_addr = "[::]:3903"
diff --git a/create-bucket.sh b/create-bucket.sh
index 33238a0..914d8a3 100755
--- a/create-bucket.sh
+++ b/create-bucket.sh
@@ -1,18 +1,55 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
-set -a; source .env; set +a
-
-# (!!) Change default password
-MINIO_NET="dsw-deployment-example_default"
-MINIO_BUCKET="engine-wizard"
-MINIO_USER="minio"
-MINIO_PASS="minioPassword"
-
-docker run --rm --net $MINIO_NET \
-  -e MINIO_BUCKET=$MINIO_BUCKET \
-  -e MINIO_USER=$MINIO_USER \
-  -e MINIO_PASS=$MINIO_PASS \
-  --entrypoint sh minio/mc:$MINIO_VERSION -c "\
-  mc alias set dswminio http://minio:9000 $MINIO_USER $MINIO_PASS && \
-  mc mb dswminio/\$MINIO_BUCKET
-"
+set -eu
+
+if [ -f .env ]; then
+  set -a
+  . ./.env
+  set +a
+fi
+
+GARAGE_SERVICE="${GARAGE_SERVICE:-garage}"
+GARAGE_ZONE="${GARAGE_ZONE:-dc1}"
+GARAGE_CAPACITY="${GARAGE_CAPACITY:-1G}"
+GARAGE_KEY_NAME="${GARAGE_KEY_NAME:-dsw-engine-wizard}"
+S3_URL="${S3_URL:-http://host.docker.internal:9000}"
+S3_BUCKET="${S3_BUCKET:-engine-wizard}"
+S3_USERNAME="${S3_USERNAME:-GK0123456789abcdef01234567}"
+S3_PASSWORD="${S3_PASSWORD:-0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef}"
+
+garage_exec() {
+  docker compose exec -T "$GARAGE_SERVICE" /garage "$@"
+}
+
+if [ -z "$(docker compose ps -q --status running "$GARAGE_SERVICE" 2>/dev/null)" ]; then
+  echo "Garage service '$GARAGE_SERVICE' is not running. Start the stack first with: docker compose up -d" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+STATUS="$(garage_exec status)"
+NODE_ID="$(printf '%s\n' "$STATUS" | awk '/==== HEALTHY NODES ====/{flag=1; next} flag && $1 ~ /^[0-9a-f]+$/ {print $1; exit}')"
+
+if [ -z "$NODE_ID" ]; then
+  echo "Unable to determine the Garage node ID from 'garage status'." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if printf '%s\n' "$STATUS" | grep -q "NO ROLE ASSIGNED"; then
+  garage_exec layout assign -z "$GARAGE_ZONE" -c "$GARAGE_CAPACITY" "$NODE_ID"
+  garage_exec layout apply --version 1
+fi
+
+if ! garage_exec bucket info "$S3_BUCKET" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  garage_exec bucket create "$S3_BUCKET"
+fi
+
+if ! garage_exec key info "$S3_USERNAME" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  garage_exec key import "$S3_USERNAME" "$S3_PASSWORD" -n "$GARAGE_KEY_NAME" --yes
+fi
+
+garage_exec bucket allow --read --write --owner "$S3_BUCKET" --key "$S3_USERNAME"
+
+echo "Garage bootstrap completed."
+echo "S3 endpoint: $S3_URL"
+echo "Bucket: $S3_BUCKET"
+echo "Access key: $S3_USERNAME"
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 01078d5..18bfdb5 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -4,22 +4,29 @@ services:
     image: datastewardshipwizard/wizard-server:${DSW_VERSION}
     platform: linux/amd64
     restart: always
+    # Local demo only; put an HTTPS proxy in front for shared deployments.
     ports:
-    # (!!) Expose only for local deployment, externally use HTTPS proxy
       - 127.0.0.1:3000:3000
     depends_on:
       - postgres
-      - minio
+      - garage
     volumes:
       - ./config/application.yml:/app/config/application.yml:ro
     extra_hosts:
       - host.docker.internal:host-gateway
+    # Keep runtime S3 values in .env so they stay aligned with Garage bootstrap.
+    environment:
+      S3_URL: ${S3_URL}
+      S3_USERNAME: ${S3_USERNAME}
+      S3_PASSWORD: ${S3_PASSWORD}
+      S3_BUCKET: ${S3_BUCKET}
+      S3_REGION: ${S3_REGION}
 
   client:
     image: datastewardshipwizard/wizard-client:${DSW_VERSION}
     restart: always
+    # Local demo only; put an HTTPS proxy in front for shared deployments.
     ports:
-    # (!!) Expose only for local deployment, externally use HTTPS proxy
       - 127.0.0.1:8080:8080
     environment:
       API_URL: http://localhost:3000/wizard-api
@@ -29,12 +36,19 @@ services:
     restart: always
     depends_on:
       - postgres
-      - minio
+      - garage
       - server
     volumes:
       - ./config/application.yml:/app/config/application.yml:ro
     extra_hosts:
       - host.docker.internal:host-gateway
+    # Keep runtime S3 values in .env so they stay aligned with Garage bootstrap.
+    environment:
+      S3_URL: ${S3_URL}
+      S3_USERNAME: ${S3_USERNAME}
+      S3_PASSWORD: ${S3_PASSWORD}
+      S3_BUCKET: ${S3_BUCKET}
+      S3_REGION: ${S3_REGION}
 
   mailer:
     image: datastewardshipwizard/mailer:${DSW_VERSION}
@@ -48,39 +62,37 @@ services:
   postgres:
     image: postgres:${POSTGRES_VERSION}
     restart: always
-    # (!!) Expose only for debugging locally
+    # Local debug access only.
     ports:
       - 127.0.0.1:5432:5432
-    # (!!) Change default password
+    # Change defaults before using this outside a local POC.
     environment:
-      POSTGRES_DB: engine-wizard
-      POSTGRES_USER: postgres
-      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: postgres
-    # (!!) Mount for persistent data
+      POSTGRES_DB: ${POSTGRES_DB}
+      POSTGRES_USER: ${POSTGRES_USER}
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
+    # Uncomment one option below to persist PostgreSQL data locally.
     # volumes:
     #   - db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
     # OR
     #   - ./db-data/data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
 
-  minio:
-    image: minio/minio:${MINIO_VERSION}
+  garage:
+    image: dxflrs/garage:${GARAGE_VERSION}
     restart: always
-    command: server /data --console-address ":9001"
-    # (!!) Expose only for debugging locally, externally use HTTPS proxy (see MinIO docs)
+    # Publish Garage on the host so both containers and the browser can reach the same endpoint.
+    # Do not expose this directly in a public deployment.
     ports:
-      - 9000:9000
-      - 9001:9001
-    # (!!) Change default password
+      - 9000:3900
+      - 9003:3903
+    # Change these defaults before sharing or reusing this setup.
     environment:
-      MINIO_ROOT_USER: minio
-      MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD: minioPassword
-      MINIO_VOLUMES: /data
-    # (!!) Mount and backup for persistent data
-    # volumes:
-    #   - s3-data:/data
-    # OR
-    #   - ./s3-data/data:/data
+      GARAGE_RPC_SECRET: ${GARAGE_RPC_SECRET}
+      GARAGE_ADMIN_TOKEN: ${GARAGE_ADMIN_TOKEN}
+      GARAGE_METRICS_TOKEN: ${GARAGE_METRICS_TOKEN}
+    volumes:
+      - ./config/garage.toml:/etc/garage.toml:ro
+      # Uncomment to persist Garage state between local restarts.
+      # - ./garage-data:/var/lib/garage
 
 # volumes:
 #   db-data:
-#   s3-data:
diff --git a/example.env b/example.env
index 98fb379..2074f14 100644
--- a/example.env
+++ b/example.env
@@ -1,6 +1,25 @@
 DSW_VERSION=4.29
 
 # Versions of dependencies (see their docs)
-# - possibly a migration may be needed when upgrading
+# Upgrades may require migrations.
 POSTGRES_VERSION=17.5
-MINIO_VERSION=RELEASE.2025-05-24T17-08-30Z
+GARAGE_VERSION=v2.2.0
+
+# DSW DB configuration.
+POSTGRES_USER=postgres
+POSTGRES_PASSWORD=postgres
+POSTGRES_DB=engine-wizard
+
+# DSW S3 configuration.
+# Keep these aligned with the credentials imported by create-bucket.sh.
+S3_URL=http://host.docker.internal:9000
+S3_USERNAME=GK0123456789abcdef01234567
+S3_PASSWORD=0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef
+S3_BUCKET=engine-wizard
+S3_REGION=garage
+
+# Garage daemon secrets.
+# Change these defaults before sharing or reusing this setup.
+GARAGE_RPC_SECRET=1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
+GARAGE_ADMIN_TOKEN=changeMeGarageAdminToken
+GARAGE_METRICS_TOKEN=changeMeGarageMetricsToken
diff --git a/garage-data/.gitkeep b/garage-data/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8b13789
--- /dev/null
+++ b/garage-data/.gitkeep
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+