diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
index 6084487..02ecb73 100644
--- a/.dockerignore
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@
 node_modules
 dist
 *.log
-local-development
+development
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.prettierignore b/.prettierignore
index 859daa2..afcf565 100644
--- a/.prettierignore
+++ b/.prettierignore
@@ -28,5 +28,5 @@ Dockerfile*
 Thumbs.db
 
 
-local-development/
+development/
 tsconfig.json
diff --git a/local-development/.gitignore b/development/.gitignore
similarity index 100%
rename from local-development/.gitignore
rename to development/.gitignore
diff --git a/local-development/ambar-config.yaml b/development/ambar-config.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from local-development/ambar-config.yaml
rename to development/ambar-config.yaml
diff --git a/local-development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/Dockerfile b/development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/Dockerfile
similarity index 100%
rename from local-development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/Dockerfile
rename to development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/Dockerfile
diff --git a/local-development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/package-lock.json b/development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/package-lock.json
similarity index 100%
rename from local-development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/package-lock.json
rename to development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/package-lock.json
diff --git a/local-development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/package.json b/development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/package.json
similarity index 100%
rename from local-development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/package.json
rename to development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/package.json
diff --git a/local-development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/prisma-mongodb/schema.prisma b/development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/prisma-mongodb/schema.prisma
similarity index 100%
rename from local-development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/prisma-mongodb/schema.prisma
rename to development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/prisma-mongodb/schema.prisma
diff --git a/local-development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/prisma-postgres/schema.prisma b/development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/prisma-postgres/schema.prisma
similarity index 100%
rename from local-development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/prisma-postgres/schema.prisma
rename to development/build-files/frontend-database-explorer/prisma-postgres/schema.prisma
diff --git a/local-development/build-files/mongo/mongo.key b/development/build-files/mongo/mongo.key
similarity index 100%
rename from local-development/build-files/mongo/mongo.key
rename to development/build-files/mongo/mongo.key
diff --git a/local-development/docker-compose.yml b/development/docker-compose.yml
similarity index 100%
rename from local-development/docker-compose.yml
rename to development/docker-compose.yml
diff --git a/development/scripts/erase.sh b/development/scripts/erase.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..1497e15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/development/scripts/erase.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+echo "Stopping services and erasing data..."
+docker compose down
+
+echo "Going into root mode to delete docker volumes"
+sudo echo "Root mode: OK"
+sudo rm -Rf data/*
+
+echo ""
+echo "======================================================================="
+echo "||                        Data erased successfully!                  ||"
+echo "======================================================================="
+echo "|| Run 'start.sh' to restart the services.                          ||"
+echo "======================================================================="
diff --git a/development/scripts/shutdown.sh b/development/scripts/shutdown.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..7a57820
--- /dev/null
+++ b/development/scripts/shutdown.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set -e
+
+SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd -- "$( dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" &> /dev/null && pwd)
+PROJECT_ROOT=$(cd "${SCRIPT_DIR}/../../" && pwd)
+
+cd "${SCRIPT_DIR}/../"
+
+docker compose down
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/docker-scripts/mac/dev_start.sh b/development/scripts/start.sh
similarity index 92%
rename from local-development/docker-scripts/mac/dev_start.sh
rename to development/scripts/start.sh
index 0859a38..0e8289a 100755
--- a/local-development/docker-scripts/mac/dev_start.sh
+++ b/development/scripts/start.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e
 
-cd ../../
+SCRIPT_DIR=$(cd -- "$( dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" &> /dev/null && pwd)
+PROJECT_ROOT=$(cd "${SCRIPT_DIR}/../../" && pwd)
+
+cd "${SCRIPT_DIR}/../"
 
 docker compose down
 docker compose up -d --build --force-recreate
diff --git a/local-development/docker-scripts/linux/dev_demo.sh b/development/scripts/test.sh
similarity index 100%
rename from local-development/docker-scripts/linux/dev_demo.sh
rename to development/scripts/test.sh
diff --git a/local-development/docker-scripts/linux/dev_shutdown.sh b/local-development/docker-scripts/linux/dev_shutdown.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 7b9cdcf..0000000
--- a/local-development/docker-scripts/linux/dev_shutdown.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-cd ../../
-
-docker compose down
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/docker-scripts/linux/dev_start.sh b/local-development/docker-scripts/linux/dev_start.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 3fcdb59..0000000
--- a/local-development/docker-scripts/linux/dev_start.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,40 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-cd ../../
-
-docker compose down
-docker compose up -d --build --force-recreate
-
-all_services_fully_healthy() {
-    ! docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}" | grep -q -E "(unhealthy|starting)"
-}
-
-while ! all_services_fully_healthy; do
-    echo "Waiting for all services to be healthy..."
-    docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-    echo ""
-    sleep 5
-done
-
-docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-
-echo ""
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "||                     All services are healthy!                     ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo ""
-
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can now run the dev_demo.sh script!                           ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8080 to hit your backend.           ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8081 to view your event store.      ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8082 to view your projection store. ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8083 to view the email server.      ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8084 to view the storage server.    ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/docker-scripts/linux/dev_start_with_data_deletion.sh b/local-development/docker-scripts/linux/dev_start_with_data_deletion.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 027dda0..0000000
--- a/local-development/docker-scripts/linux/dev_start_with_data_deletion.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,41 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-cd ../../
-
-echo "Going into root mode to delete some docker volumes"
-sudo echo "Root mode: OK"
-docker compose down
-sudo rm -Rf data/*
-docker compose up -d --build --force-recreate
-
-
-
-all_services_fully_healthy() {
-    ! docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}" | grep -q -E "(unhealthy|starting)"
-}
-
-while ! all_services_fully_healthy; do
-    echo "Waiting for all services to be healthy..."
-    docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-    echo ""
-    sleep 5
-done
-
-docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-
-echo ""
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "||                     All services are healthy!                     ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo ""
-
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can now run the dev_demo.sh script!                           ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8080 to hit your backend.           ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8081 to view your event store.      ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8082 to view your projection store. ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
diff --git a/local-development/docker-scripts/mac/dev_demo.sh b/local-development/docker-scripts/mac/dev_demo.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index ecf5daf..0000000
--- a/local-development/docker-scripts/mac/dev_demo.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,138 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-# Colors for output
-GREEN='\033[0;32m'
-BLUE='\033[0;34m'
-RED='\033[0;31m'
-NC='\033[0m' # No Color
-YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
-
-# Arrays for random name generation
-FIRST_NAMES=("James" "Mary" "John" "Patricia" "Robert" "Jennifer" "Michael" "Linda" "William" "Elizabeth"
-             "David" "Barbara" "Richard" "Susan" "Joseph" "Jessica" "Thomas" "Sarah" "Charles" "Karen"
-             "Emma" "Olivia" "Ava" "Isabella" "Sophia" "Mia" "Charlotte" "Amelia" "Harper" "Evelyn")
-
-LAST_NAMES=("Smith" "Johnson" "Williams" "Brown" "Jones" "Garcia" "Miller" "Davis" "Rodriguez" "Martinez"
-            "Hernandez" "Lopez" "Gonzalez" "Wilson" "Anderson" "Thomas" "Taylor" "Moore" "Jackson" "Martin"
-            "Lee" "Perez" "Thompson" "White" "Harris" "Sanchez" "Clark" "Ramirez" "Lewis" "Robinson")
-
-# Function to get random name from array
-get_random_name() {
-    local array=("$@")
-    local index=$((RANDOM % ${#array[@]}))
-    echo "${array[$index]}"
-}
-
-# Function to display progress
-show_progress() {
-    local duration=$1
-    local bar_width=40
-    local sleep_interval=$(echo "scale=4; $duration / $bar_width" | bc)
-    local progress=0
-
-    echo -n "["
-    while [ $progress -lt $bar_width ]; do
-        echo -n "="
-        progress=$((progress + 1))
-        sleep $sleep_interval
-    done
-    echo -n "]"
-    echo
-}
-
-# Function to make a POST request with a session token
-make_post_request() {
-    local endpoint=$1
-    local data=$2
-    curl -s -X POST \
-        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-        -H "X-With-Session-Token: test-session" \
-        -d "$data" \
-        "http://localhost:8080$endpoint"
-}
-
-# Function to submit an application
-submit_application() {
-    local first_name=$1
-    local last_name=$2
-    local cuisine=$3
-    local experience=$4
-    local books=$5
-
-    local data="{
-        \"firstName\": \"$first_name\",
-        \"lastName\": \"$last_name\",
-        \"favoriteCuisine\": \"$cuisine\",
-        \"yearsOfProfessionalExperience\": $experience,
-        \"numberOfCookingBooksRead\": $books
-    }"
-
-    echo -e "${BLUE}Submitting application for $first_name $last_name...${NC}"
-    echo -e "Profile:"
-    echo -e "  - Cuisine: $cuisine"
-    echo -e "  - Professional Experience: $experience years"
-    echo -e "  - Cooking Books Read: $books"
-    echo -e "Expected outcome: $([ $experience == 0 ] && [ $books -gt 0 ] && echo "${GREEN}Should be APPROVED${NC}" || echo "${RED}Should be REJECTED${NC}")"
-    make_post_request "/api/v1/cooking-club/membership/command/submit-application" "$data"
-    echo
-}
-
-# Function to get members by cuisine
-get_members() {
-    echo -e "${BLUE}Fetching current members by cuisine...${NC}"
-    curl -s -X POST \
-        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-        "http://localhost:8080/api/v1/cooking-club/membership/query/members-by-cuisine"
-}
-
-# Main test script
-echo -e "${GREEN}Starting Cooking Club Application Demo${NC}"
-echo "=================================================="
-echo -e "${YELLOW}Application Rules:${NC}"
-echo "1. Approval Criteria:"
-echo "   - Must have 0 years of professional experience"
-echo "   - Must have read at least 1 cooking book"
-echo "2. All other combinations will be rejected"
-echo "=================================================="
-
-# Test 1: Should be approved (0 years experience, 3 books read)
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Test 1: Testing 'Enthusiastic Beginner' Profile${NC}"
-echo "This profile represents someone new to professional cooking (0 years)"
-echo "but who has studied through books (3 books read)."
-submit_application "$(get_random_name "${FIRST_NAMES[@]}")" "$(get_random_name "${LAST_NAMES[@]}")" "Italian" 0 3
-show_progress 1
-
-# Test 2: Should not be approved (2 years experience, 5 books read)
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Test 2: Testing 'Experienced Professional' Profile${NC}"
-echo "This profile represents someone with professional experience (2 years)"
-echo "and theoretical knowledge (5 books read). Despite the knowledge,"
-echo "professional experience disqualifies them."
-submit_application "$(get_random_name "${FIRST_NAMES[@]}")" "$(get_random_name "${LAST_NAMES[@]}")" "French" 2 5
-show_progress 1
-
-# Test 3: Should be approved (0 years experience, 1 book read)
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Test 3: Testing 'Minimal Qualifying' Profile${NC}"
-echo "This profile represents someone meeting the minimum requirements:"
-echo "no professional experience and has read exactly 1 book."
-submit_application "$(get_random_name "${FIRST_NAMES[@]}")" "$(get_random_name "${LAST_NAMES[@]}")" "Japanese" 0 1
-show_progress 1
-
-# Test 4: Should not be approved (0 years experience, 0 books read)
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Test 4: Testing 'Complete Beginner' Profile${NC}"
-echo "This profile represents someone with no professional experience"
-echo "but also no theoretical knowledge (0 books read)."
-submit_application "$(get_random_name "${FIRST_NAMES[@]}")" "$(get_random_name "${LAST_NAMES[@]}")" "Mexican" 0 0
-show_progress 1
-
-# Final Test: Display current members
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Outcome:${NC}"
-echo "Current members grouped by their preferred cuisine."
-echo "Only approved applications should appear in these results."
-sleep 1
-get_members
-echo " "
-echo " "
-
-echo -e "\n${GREEN}Demo Completed${NC}"
-echo "=================================================="
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/docker-scripts/mac/dev_shutdown.sh b/local-development/docker-scripts/mac/dev_shutdown.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 7b9cdcf..0000000
--- a/local-development/docker-scripts/mac/dev_shutdown.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-cd ../../
-
-docker compose down
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/docker-scripts/mac/dev_start_with_data_deletion.sh b/local-development/docker-scripts/mac/dev_start_with_data_deletion.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index abbd7ce..0000000
--- a/local-development/docker-scripts/mac/dev_start_with_data_deletion.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,41 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-cd ../../
-
-echo "Going into root mode to delete some docker volumes"
-sudo echo "Root mode: OK"
-docker compose down
-sudo rm -Rf data/*
-docker compose up -d --build --force-recreate
-
-
-
-all_services_fully_healthy() {
-    ! docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}" | grep -q -E "(unhealthy|starting)"
-}
-
-while ! all_services_fully_healthy; do
-    echo "Waiting for all services to be healthy..."
-    docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-    echo ""
-    sleep 5
-done
-
-docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-
-echo ""
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "||                     All services are healthy!                     ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo ""
-
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can now run the dev_demo.sh script!                           ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8080 to hit your backend.            ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8081 to view your event store.      ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8082 to view your projection store. ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
diff --git a/local-development/docker-scripts/windows/dev_demo.ps1 b/local-development/docker-scripts/windows/dev_demo.ps1
deleted file mode 100644
index 67f4df0..0000000
--- a/local-development/docker-scripts/windows/dev_demo.ps1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,157 +0,0 @@
-$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
-
-# Function for colored output
-function Write-Colored {
-    param(
-        [string]$Text,
-        [string]$Color
-    )
-    switch($Color) {
-        "GREEN" { Write-Host $Text -ForegroundColor Green }
-        "BLUE" { Write-Host $Text -ForegroundColor Blue }
-        "RED" { Write-Host $Text -ForegroundColor Red }
-        "YELLOW" { Write-Host $Text -ForegroundColor Yellow }
-        default { Write-Host $Text }
-    }
-}
-
-# Arrays for random name generation
-$FIRST_NAMES = @("James", "Mary", "John", "Patricia", "Robert", "Jennifer", "Michael", "Linda", "William", "Elizabeth",
-                "David", "Barbara", "Richard", "Susan", "Joseph", "Jessica", "Thomas", "Sarah", "Charles", "Karen",
-                "Emma", "Olivia", "Ava", "Isabella", "Sophia", "Mia", "Charlotte", "Amelia", "Harper", "Evelyn")
-
-$LAST_NAMES = @("Smith", "Johnson", "Williams", "Brown", "Jones", "Garcia", "Miller", "Davis", "Rodriguez", "Martinez",
-               "Hernandez", "Lopez", "Gonzalez", "Wilson", "Anderson", "Thomas", "Taylor", "Moore", "Jackson", "Martin",
-               "Lee", "Perez", "Thompson", "White", "Harris", "Sanchez", "Clark", "Ramirez", "Lewis", "Robinson")
-
-# Function to get random name from array
-function Get-RandomName {
-    param([string[]]$names)
-    $index = Get-Random -Minimum 0 -Maximum $names.Count
-    return $names[$index]
-}
-
-# Function to display progress
-function Show-Progress {
-    param([int]$duration)
-    $barWidth = 40
-    $sleepInterval = $duration / $barWidth
-    $progress = 0
-
-    Write-Host -NoNewline "["
-    while ($progress -lt $barWidth) {
-        Write-Host -NoNewline "="
-        $progress++
-        Start-Sleep -Milliseconds ($sleepInterval * 1000)
-    }
-    Write-Host -NoNewline "]"
-    Write-Host ""
-}
-
-# Function to make a POST request with a session token
-function Invoke-PostRequest {
-    param(
-        [string]$endpoint,
-        [string]$data
-    )
-    $headers = @{
-        "Content-Type" = "application/json"
-        "X-With-Session-Token" = "test-session"
-    }
-    return Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://localhost:8080$endpoint" -Method Post -Headers $headers -Body $data
-}
-
-# Function to submit an application
-function Submit-Application {
-    param(
-        [string]$firstName,
-        [string]$lastName,
-        [string]$cuisine,
-        [int]$experience,
-        [int]$books
-    )
-
-    $data = @{
-        firstName = $firstName
-        lastName = $lastName
-        favoriteCuisine = $cuisine
-        yearsOfProfessionalExperience = $experience
-        numberOfCookingBooksRead = $books
-    } | ConvertTo-Json
-
-    Write-Colored "Submitting application for $firstName $lastName..." "BLUE"
-    Write-Host "Profile:"
-    Write-Host "  - Cuisine: $cuisine"
-    Write-Host "  - Professional Experience: $experience years"
-    Write-Host "  - Cooking Books Read: $books"
-
-    $expectedOutcome = if ($experience -eq 0 -and $books -gt 0) { "Should be APPROVED" } else { "Should be REJECTED" }
-    Write-Colored "Expected outcome: $expectedOutcome" $(if ($experience -eq 0 -and $books -gt 0) { "GREEN" } else { "RED" })
-
-    Invoke-PostRequest -endpoint "/api/v1/cooking-club/membership/command/submit-application" -data $data
-    Write-Host ""
-}
-
-# Function to get members by cuisine
-function Get-Members {
-    Write-Colored "Fetching current members by cuisine..." "BLUE"
-    $response = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://localhost:8080/api/v1/cooking-club/membership/query/members-by-cuisine" -Method Post -ContentType "application/json"
-    return $response
-}
-
-# Main test script
-Write-Colored "Starting Cooking Club Application Demo" "GREEN"
-Write-Host "=================================================="
-Write-Colored "Application Rules:" "YELLOW"
-Write-Host "1. Approval Criteria:"
-Write-Host "   - Must have 0 years of professional experience"
-Write-Host "   - Must have read at least 1 cooking book"
-Write-Host "2. All other combinations will be rejected"
-Write-Host "=================================================="
-
-# Test 1: Should be approved (0 years experience, 3 books read)
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Colored "Test 1: Testing 'Enthusiastic Beginner' Profile" "YELLOW"
-Write-Host "This profile represents someone new to professional cooking (0 years)"
-Write-Host "but who has studied through books (3 books read)."
-Submit-Application -firstName (Get-RandomName $FIRST_NAMES) -lastName (Get-RandomName $LAST_NAMES) -cuisine "Italian" -experience 0 -books 3
-Show-Progress -duration 1
-
-# Test 2: Should not be approved (2 years experience, 5 books read)
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Colored "Test 2: Testing 'Experienced Professional' Profile" "YELLOW"
-Write-Host "This profile represents someone with professional experience (2 years)"
-Write-Host "and theoretical knowledge (5 books read). Despite the knowledge,"
-Write-Host "professional experience disqualifies them."
-Submit-Application -firstName (Get-RandomName $FIRST_NAMES) -lastName (Get-RandomName $LAST_NAMES) -cuisine "French" -experience 2 -books 5
-Show-Progress -duration 1
-
-# Test 3: Should be approved (0 years experience, 1 book read)
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Colored "Test 3: Testing 'Minimal Qualifying' Profile" "YELLOW"
-Write-Host "This profile represents someone meeting the minimum requirements:"
-Write-Host "no professional experience and has read exactly 1 book."
-Submit-Application -firstName (Get-RandomName $FIRST_NAMES) -lastName (Get-RandomName $LAST_NAMES) -cuisine "Japanese" -experience 0 -books 1
-Show-Progress -duration 1
-
-# Test 4: Should not be approved (0 years experience, 0 books read)
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Colored "Test 4: Testing 'Complete Beginner' Profile" "YELLOW"
-Write-Host "This profile represents someone with no professional experience"
-Write-Host "but also no theoretical knowledge (0 books read)."
-Submit-Application -firstName (Get-RandomName $FIRST_NAMES) -lastName (Get-RandomName $LAST_NAMES) -cuisine "Mexican" -experience 0 -books 0
-Show-Progress -duration 1
-
-# Final Test: Display current members
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Colored "Outcome:" "YELLOW"
-Write-Host "Current members grouped by their preferred cuisine."
-Write-Host "Only approved applications should appear in these results."
-Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
-Get-Members
-
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Colored "Demo Completed" "GREEN"
-Write-Host "=================================================="
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/docker-scripts/windows/dev_shutdown.ps1 b/local-development/docker-scripts/windows/dev_shutdown.ps1
deleted file mode 100644
index c50057f..0000000
--- a/local-development/docker-scripts/windows/dev_shutdown.ps1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
-$originalLocation = Get-Location
-
-try {
-    Set-Location -Path (Split-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) -Parent)
-    docker compose down
-} finally {
-    Set-Location -Path $originalLocation
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/docker-scripts/windows/dev_start.ps1 b/local-development/docker-scripts/windows/dev_start.ps1
deleted file mode 100644
index 92c0aff..0000000
--- a/local-development/docker-scripts/windows/dev_start.ps1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,46 +0,0 @@
-$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
-$originalLocation = Get-Location
-
-try {
-    Set-Location -Path (Split-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) -Parent)
-
-    docker compose down
-    docker compose up -d --build --force-recreate
-
-    function Test-AllServicesHealthy {
-        $services = docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-        return !($services -match "(unhealthy|starting)")
-    }
-
-    while (!(Test-AllServicesHealthy)) {
-        Write-Host "Waiting for all services to be healthy..."
-        docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-        Write-Host ""
-        Start-Sleep -Seconds 5
-    }
-
-    docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-
-    Write-Host ""
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "||                     All services are healthy!                       ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host ""
-
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can now run the dev_demo.ps1 script!                           ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can navigate to localhost:8080 to hit your backend.            ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can navigate to localhost:8081 to view your event store.       ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can navigate to localhost:8082 to view your projection store.  ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can navigate to localhost:8083 to view the email server.      ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can navigate to localhost:8084 to view the storage server.    ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-
-} finally {
-    Set-Location -Path $originalLocation
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/docker-scripts/windows/dev_start_with_data_deletion.ps1 b/local-development/docker-scripts/windows/dev_start_with_data_deletion.ps1
deleted file mode 100644
index 9502b73..0000000
--- a/local-development/docker-scripts/windows/dev_start_with_data_deletion.ps1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,49 +0,0 @@
-$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
-$originalLocation = Get-Location
-
-try {
-    Set-Location -Path (Split-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) -Parent)
-
-    Write-Host "Stopping existing services..."
-    docker compose down
-
-    Write-Host "Cleaning up data directory..."
-    if (Test-Path "data") {
-        Get-ChildItem -Path "data" -Recurse | Remove-Item -Force -Recurse
-    }
-
-    Write-Host "Starting services..."
-    docker compose up -d --build --force-recreate
-
-    function Test-AllServicesHealthy {
-        $services = docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-        return !($services -match "(unhealthy|starting)")
-    }
-
-    while (!(Test-AllServicesHealthy)) {
-        Write-Host "Waiting for all services to be healthy..."
-        docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-        Write-Host ""
-        Start-Sleep -Seconds 5
-    }
-
-    docker compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-
-    Write-Host ""
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "||                     All services are healthy!                       ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host ""
-
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can now run the dev_demo.ps1 script!                           ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can navigate to localhost:8080 to hit your backend.            ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can navigate to localhost:8081 to view your event store.       ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can navigate to localhost:8082 to view your projection store.  ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-} finally {
-    Set-Location -Path $originalLocation
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/podman-scripts/linux/dev_demo.sh b/local-development/podman-scripts/linux/dev_demo.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index ecf5daf..0000000
--- a/local-development/podman-scripts/linux/dev_demo.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,138 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-# Colors for output
-GREEN='\033[0;32m'
-BLUE='\033[0;34m'
-RED='\033[0;31m'
-NC='\033[0m' # No Color
-YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
-
-# Arrays for random name generation
-FIRST_NAMES=("James" "Mary" "John" "Patricia" "Robert" "Jennifer" "Michael" "Linda" "William" "Elizabeth"
-             "David" "Barbara" "Richard" "Susan" "Joseph" "Jessica" "Thomas" "Sarah" "Charles" "Karen"
-             "Emma" "Olivia" "Ava" "Isabella" "Sophia" "Mia" "Charlotte" "Amelia" "Harper" "Evelyn")
-
-LAST_NAMES=("Smith" "Johnson" "Williams" "Brown" "Jones" "Garcia" "Miller" "Davis" "Rodriguez" "Martinez"
-            "Hernandez" "Lopez" "Gonzalez" "Wilson" "Anderson" "Thomas" "Taylor" "Moore" "Jackson" "Martin"
-            "Lee" "Perez" "Thompson" "White" "Harris" "Sanchez" "Clark" "Ramirez" "Lewis" "Robinson")
-
-# Function to get random name from array
-get_random_name() {
-    local array=("$@")
-    local index=$((RANDOM % ${#array[@]}))
-    echo "${array[$index]}"
-}
-
-# Function to display progress
-show_progress() {
-    local duration=$1
-    local bar_width=40
-    local sleep_interval=$(echo "scale=4; $duration / $bar_width" | bc)
-    local progress=0
-
-    echo -n "["
-    while [ $progress -lt $bar_width ]; do
-        echo -n "="
-        progress=$((progress + 1))
-        sleep $sleep_interval
-    done
-    echo -n "]"
-    echo
-}
-
-# Function to make a POST request with a session token
-make_post_request() {
-    local endpoint=$1
-    local data=$2
-    curl -s -X POST \
-        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-        -H "X-With-Session-Token: test-session" \
-        -d "$data" \
-        "http://localhost:8080$endpoint"
-}
-
-# Function to submit an application
-submit_application() {
-    local first_name=$1
-    local last_name=$2
-    local cuisine=$3
-    local experience=$4
-    local books=$5
-
-    local data="{
-        \"firstName\": \"$first_name\",
-        \"lastName\": \"$last_name\",
-        \"favoriteCuisine\": \"$cuisine\",
-        \"yearsOfProfessionalExperience\": $experience,
-        \"numberOfCookingBooksRead\": $books
-    }"
-
-    echo -e "${BLUE}Submitting application for $first_name $last_name...${NC}"
-    echo -e "Profile:"
-    echo -e "  - Cuisine: $cuisine"
-    echo -e "  - Professional Experience: $experience years"
-    echo -e "  - Cooking Books Read: $books"
-    echo -e "Expected outcome: $([ $experience == 0 ] && [ $books -gt 0 ] && echo "${GREEN}Should be APPROVED${NC}" || echo "${RED}Should be REJECTED${NC}")"
-    make_post_request "/api/v1/cooking-club/membership/command/submit-application" "$data"
-    echo
-}
-
-# Function to get members by cuisine
-get_members() {
-    echo -e "${BLUE}Fetching current members by cuisine...${NC}"
-    curl -s -X POST \
-        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-        "http://localhost:8080/api/v1/cooking-club/membership/query/members-by-cuisine"
-}
-
-# Main test script
-echo -e "${GREEN}Starting Cooking Club Application Demo${NC}"
-echo "=================================================="
-echo -e "${YELLOW}Application Rules:${NC}"
-echo "1. Approval Criteria:"
-echo "   - Must have 0 years of professional experience"
-echo "   - Must have read at least 1 cooking book"
-echo "2. All other combinations will be rejected"
-echo "=================================================="
-
-# Test 1: Should be approved (0 years experience, 3 books read)
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Test 1: Testing 'Enthusiastic Beginner' Profile${NC}"
-echo "This profile represents someone new to professional cooking (0 years)"
-echo "but who has studied through books (3 books read)."
-submit_application "$(get_random_name "${FIRST_NAMES[@]}")" "$(get_random_name "${LAST_NAMES[@]}")" "Italian" 0 3
-show_progress 1
-
-# Test 2: Should not be approved (2 years experience, 5 books read)
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Test 2: Testing 'Experienced Professional' Profile${NC}"
-echo "This profile represents someone with professional experience (2 years)"
-echo "and theoretical knowledge (5 books read). Despite the knowledge,"
-echo "professional experience disqualifies them."
-submit_application "$(get_random_name "${FIRST_NAMES[@]}")" "$(get_random_name "${LAST_NAMES[@]}")" "French" 2 5
-show_progress 1
-
-# Test 3: Should be approved (0 years experience, 1 book read)
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Test 3: Testing 'Minimal Qualifying' Profile${NC}"
-echo "This profile represents someone meeting the minimum requirements:"
-echo "no professional experience and has read exactly 1 book."
-submit_application "$(get_random_name "${FIRST_NAMES[@]}")" "$(get_random_name "${LAST_NAMES[@]}")" "Japanese" 0 1
-show_progress 1
-
-# Test 4: Should not be approved (0 years experience, 0 books read)
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Test 4: Testing 'Complete Beginner' Profile${NC}"
-echo "This profile represents someone with no professional experience"
-echo "but also no theoretical knowledge (0 books read)."
-submit_application "$(get_random_name "${FIRST_NAMES[@]}")" "$(get_random_name "${LAST_NAMES[@]}")" "Mexican" 0 0
-show_progress 1
-
-# Final Test: Display current members
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Outcome:${NC}"
-echo "Current members grouped by their preferred cuisine."
-echo "Only approved applications should appear in these results."
-sleep 1
-get_members
-echo " "
-echo " "
-
-echo -e "\n${GREEN}Demo Completed${NC}"
-echo "=================================================="
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/podman-scripts/linux/dev_shutdown.sh b/local-development/podman-scripts/linux/dev_shutdown.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 532e29e..0000000
--- a/local-development/podman-scripts/linux/dev_shutdown.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-cd ../../
-
-podman compose down
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/podman-scripts/linux/dev_start.sh b/local-development/podman-scripts/linux/dev_start.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index ad44c8c..0000000
--- a/local-development/podman-scripts/linux/dev_start.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,36 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-cd ../../
-mkdir -p data/event-sourcing-event-bus data/event-sourcing-event-store/pg-data data/event-sourcing-projection-store/db-data data/event-sourcing-projection-store/db-config
-podman compose down
-podman compose up -d --build --force-recreate
-
-all_services_fully_healthy() {
-    ! podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}" | grep -q -E "(unhealthy|starting)"
-}
-
-while ! all_services_fully_healthy; do
-    echo "Waiting for all services to be healthy..."
-    podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-    echo ""
-    sleep 5
-done
-
-podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-
-echo ""
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "||                     All services are healthy!                     ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo ""
-
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can now run the dev_demo.sh script!                           ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8080 to hit your backend.           ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8081 to view your event store.      ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8082 to view your projection store. ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
diff --git a/local-development/podman-scripts/linux/dev_start_with_data_deletion.sh b/local-development/podman-scripts/linux/dev_start_with_data_deletion.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 29e7637..0000000
--- a/local-development/podman-scripts/linux/dev_start_with_data_deletion.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,42 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-cd ../../
-
-echo "Going into root mode to delete some podman volumes"
-sudo echo "Root mode: OK"
-podman compose down
-sudo rm -Rf data/*
-mkdir -p data/event-sourcing-event-bus data/event-sourcing-event-store/pg-data data/event-sourcing-projection-store/db-data data/event-sourcing-projection-store/db-config
-podman compose up -d --build --force-recreate
-
-
-
-all_services_fully_healthy() {
-    ! podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}" | grep -q -E "(unhealthy|starting)"
-}
-
-while ! all_services_fully_healthy; do
-    echo "Waiting for all services to be healthy..."
-    podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-    echo ""
-    sleep 5
-done
-
-podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-
-echo ""
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "||                     All services are healthy!                     ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo ""
-
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can now run the dev_demo.sh script!                           ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8080 to hit your backend.           ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8081 to view your event store.      ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8082 to view your projection store. ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
diff --git a/local-development/podman-scripts/mac/dev_demo.sh b/local-development/podman-scripts/mac/dev_demo.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index ecf5daf..0000000
--- a/local-development/podman-scripts/mac/dev_demo.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,138 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-# Colors for output
-GREEN='\033[0;32m'
-BLUE='\033[0;34m'
-RED='\033[0;31m'
-NC='\033[0m' # No Color
-YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
-
-# Arrays for random name generation
-FIRST_NAMES=("James" "Mary" "John" "Patricia" "Robert" "Jennifer" "Michael" "Linda" "William" "Elizabeth"
-             "David" "Barbara" "Richard" "Susan" "Joseph" "Jessica" "Thomas" "Sarah" "Charles" "Karen"
-             "Emma" "Olivia" "Ava" "Isabella" "Sophia" "Mia" "Charlotte" "Amelia" "Harper" "Evelyn")
-
-LAST_NAMES=("Smith" "Johnson" "Williams" "Brown" "Jones" "Garcia" "Miller" "Davis" "Rodriguez" "Martinez"
-            "Hernandez" "Lopez" "Gonzalez" "Wilson" "Anderson" "Thomas" "Taylor" "Moore" "Jackson" "Martin"
-            "Lee" "Perez" "Thompson" "White" "Harris" "Sanchez" "Clark" "Ramirez" "Lewis" "Robinson")
-
-# Function to get random name from array
-get_random_name() {
-    local array=("$@")
-    local index=$((RANDOM % ${#array[@]}))
-    echo "${array[$index]}"
-}
-
-# Function to display progress
-show_progress() {
-    local duration=$1
-    local bar_width=40
-    local sleep_interval=$(echo "scale=4; $duration / $bar_width" | bc)
-    local progress=0
-
-    echo -n "["
-    while [ $progress -lt $bar_width ]; do
-        echo -n "="
-        progress=$((progress + 1))
-        sleep $sleep_interval
-    done
-    echo -n "]"
-    echo
-}
-
-# Function to make a POST request with a session token
-make_post_request() {
-    local endpoint=$1
-    local data=$2
-    curl -s -X POST \
-        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-        -H "X-With-Session-Token: test-session" \
-        -d "$data" \
-        "http://localhost:8080$endpoint"
-}
-
-# Function to submit an application
-submit_application() {
-    local first_name=$1
-    local last_name=$2
-    local cuisine=$3
-    local experience=$4
-    local books=$5
-
-    local data="{
-        \"firstName\": \"$first_name\",
-        \"lastName\": \"$last_name\",
-        \"favoriteCuisine\": \"$cuisine\",
-        \"yearsOfProfessionalExperience\": $experience,
-        \"numberOfCookingBooksRead\": $books
-    }"
-
-    echo -e "${BLUE}Submitting application for $first_name $last_name...${NC}"
-    echo -e "Profile:"
-    echo -e "  - Cuisine: $cuisine"
-    echo -e "  - Professional Experience: $experience years"
-    echo -e "  - Cooking Books Read: $books"
-    echo -e "Expected outcome: $([ $experience == 0 ] && [ $books -gt 0 ] && echo "${GREEN}Should be APPROVED${NC}" || echo "${RED}Should be REJECTED${NC}")"
-    make_post_request "/api/v1/cooking-club/membership/command/submit-application" "$data"
-    echo
-}
-
-# Function to get members by cuisine
-get_members() {
-    echo -e "${BLUE}Fetching current members by cuisine...${NC}"
-    curl -s -X POST \
-        -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-        "http://localhost:8080/api/v1/cooking-club/membership/query/members-by-cuisine"
-}
-
-# Main test script
-echo -e "${GREEN}Starting Cooking Club Application Demo${NC}"
-echo "=================================================="
-echo -e "${YELLOW}Application Rules:${NC}"
-echo "1. Approval Criteria:"
-echo "   - Must have 0 years of professional experience"
-echo "   - Must have read at least 1 cooking book"
-echo "2. All other combinations will be rejected"
-echo "=================================================="
-
-# Test 1: Should be approved (0 years experience, 3 books read)
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Test 1: Testing 'Enthusiastic Beginner' Profile${NC}"
-echo "This profile represents someone new to professional cooking (0 years)"
-echo "but who has studied through books (3 books read)."
-submit_application "$(get_random_name "${FIRST_NAMES[@]}")" "$(get_random_name "${LAST_NAMES[@]}")" "Italian" 0 3
-show_progress 1
-
-# Test 2: Should not be approved (2 years experience, 5 books read)
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Test 2: Testing 'Experienced Professional' Profile${NC}"
-echo "This profile represents someone with professional experience (2 years)"
-echo "and theoretical knowledge (5 books read). Despite the knowledge,"
-echo "professional experience disqualifies them."
-submit_application "$(get_random_name "${FIRST_NAMES[@]}")" "$(get_random_name "${LAST_NAMES[@]}")" "French" 2 5
-show_progress 1
-
-# Test 3: Should be approved (0 years experience, 1 book read)
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Test 3: Testing 'Minimal Qualifying' Profile${NC}"
-echo "This profile represents someone meeting the minimum requirements:"
-echo "no professional experience and has read exactly 1 book."
-submit_application "$(get_random_name "${FIRST_NAMES[@]}")" "$(get_random_name "${LAST_NAMES[@]}")" "Japanese" 0 1
-show_progress 1
-
-# Test 4: Should not be approved (0 years experience, 0 books read)
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Test 4: Testing 'Complete Beginner' Profile${NC}"
-echo "This profile represents someone with no professional experience"
-echo "but also no theoretical knowledge (0 books read)."
-submit_application "$(get_random_name "${FIRST_NAMES[@]}")" "$(get_random_name "${LAST_NAMES[@]}")" "Mexican" 0 0
-show_progress 1
-
-# Final Test: Display current members
-echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Outcome:${NC}"
-echo "Current members grouped by their preferred cuisine."
-echo "Only approved applications should appear in these results."
-sleep 1
-get_members
-echo " "
-echo " "
-
-echo -e "\n${GREEN}Demo Completed${NC}"
-echo "=================================================="
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/podman-scripts/mac/dev_shutdown.sh b/local-development/podman-scripts/mac/dev_shutdown.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 532e29e..0000000
--- a/local-development/podman-scripts/mac/dev_shutdown.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-cd ../../
-
-podman compose down
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/podman-scripts/mac/dev_start.sh b/local-development/podman-scripts/mac/dev_start.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 3670547..0000000
--- a/local-development/podman-scripts/mac/dev_start.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,37 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-cd ../../
-
-podman compose down
-mkdir -p data/event-sourcing-event-bus data/event-sourcing-event-store/pg-data data/event-sourcing-projection-store/db-data data/event-sourcing-projection-store/db-config
-podman compose up -d --build --force-recreate
-
-all_services_fully_healthy() {
-    ! podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}" | grep -q -E "(unhealthy|starting)"
-}
-
-while ! all_services_fully_healthy; do
-    echo "Waiting for all services to be healthy..."
-    podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-    echo ""
-    sleep 5
-done
-
-podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-
-echo ""
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "||                     All services are healthy!                     ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo ""
-
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can now run the dev_demo.sh script!                           ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8080 to hit your backend.           ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8081 to view your event store.      ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8082 to view your projection store. ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
diff --git a/local-development/podman-scripts/mac/dev_start_with_data_deletion.sh b/local-development/podman-scripts/mac/dev_start_with_data_deletion.sh
deleted file mode 100755
index 29e7637..0000000
--- a/local-development/podman-scripts/mac/dev_start_with_data_deletion.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,42 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-set -e
-
-cd ../../
-
-echo "Going into root mode to delete some podman volumes"
-sudo echo "Root mode: OK"
-podman compose down
-sudo rm -Rf data/*
-mkdir -p data/event-sourcing-event-bus data/event-sourcing-event-store/pg-data data/event-sourcing-projection-store/db-data data/event-sourcing-projection-store/db-config
-podman compose up -d --build --force-recreate
-
-
-
-all_services_fully_healthy() {
-    ! podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}" | grep -q -E "(unhealthy|starting)"
-}
-
-while ! all_services_fully_healthy; do
-    echo "Waiting for all services to be healthy..."
-    podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-    echo ""
-    sleep 5
-done
-
-podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-
-echo ""
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "||                     All services are healthy!                     ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo ""
-
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can now run the dev_demo.sh script!                           ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8080 to hit your backend.           ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8081 to view your event store.      ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
-echo "|| You can navigate to localhost:8082 to view your projection store. ||"
-echo "======================================================================="
diff --git a/local-development/podman-scripts/windows/dev_demo.ps1 b/local-development/podman-scripts/windows/dev_demo.ps1
deleted file mode 100644
index 67f4df0..0000000
--- a/local-development/podman-scripts/windows/dev_demo.ps1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,157 +0,0 @@
-$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
-
-# Function for colored output
-function Write-Colored {
-    param(
-        [string]$Text,
-        [string]$Color
-    )
-    switch($Color) {
-        "GREEN" { Write-Host $Text -ForegroundColor Green }
-        "BLUE" { Write-Host $Text -ForegroundColor Blue }
-        "RED" { Write-Host $Text -ForegroundColor Red }
-        "YELLOW" { Write-Host $Text -ForegroundColor Yellow }
-        default { Write-Host $Text }
-    }
-}
-
-# Arrays for random name generation
-$FIRST_NAMES = @("James", "Mary", "John", "Patricia", "Robert", "Jennifer", "Michael", "Linda", "William", "Elizabeth",
-                "David", "Barbara", "Richard", "Susan", "Joseph", "Jessica", "Thomas", "Sarah", "Charles", "Karen",
-                "Emma", "Olivia", "Ava", "Isabella", "Sophia", "Mia", "Charlotte", "Amelia", "Harper", "Evelyn")
-
-$LAST_NAMES = @("Smith", "Johnson", "Williams", "Brown", "Jones", "Garcia", "Miller", "Davis", "Rodriguez", "Martinez",
-               "Hernandez", "Lopez", "Gonzalez", "Wilson", "Anderson", "Thomas", "Taylor", "Moore", "Jackson", "Martin",
-               "Lee", "Perez", "Thompson", "White", "Harris", "Sanchez", "Clark", "Ramirez", "Lewis", "Robinson")
-
-# Function to get random name from array
-function Get-RandomName {
-    param([string[]]$names)
-    $index = Get-Random -Minimum 0 -Maximum $names.Count
-    return $names[$index]
-}
-
-# Function to display progress
-function Show-Progress {
-    param([int]$duration)
-    $barWidth = 40
-    $sleepInterval = $duration / $barWidth
-    $progress = 0
-
-    Write-Host -NoNewline "["
-    while ($progress -lt $barWidth) {
-        Write-Host -NoNewline "="
-        $progress++
-        Start-Sleep -Milliseconds ($sleepInterval * 1000)
-    }
-    Write-Host -NoNewline "]"
-    Write-Host ""
-}
-
-# Function to make a POST request with a session token
-function Invoke-PostRequest {
-    param(
-        [string]$endpoint,
-        [string]$data
-    )
-    $headers = @{
-        "Content-Type" = "application/json"
-        "X-With-Session-Token" = "test-session"
-    }
-    return Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://localhost:8080$endpoint" -Method Post -Headers $headers -Body $data
-}
-
-# Function to submit an application
-function Submit-Application {
-    param(
-        [string]$firstName,
-        [string]$lastName,
-        [string]$cuisine,
-        [int]$experience,
-        [int]$books
-    )
-
-    $data = @{
-        firstName = $firstName
-        lastName = $lastName
-        favoriteCuisine = $cuisine
-        yearsOfProfessionalExperience = $experience
-        numberOfCookingBooksRead = $books
-    } | ConvertTo-Json
-
-    Write-Colored "Submitting application for $firstName $lastName..." "BLUE"
-    Write-Host "Profile:"
-    Write-Host "  - Cuisine: $cuisine"
-    Write-Host "  - Professional Experience: $experience years"
-    Write-Host "  - Cooking Books Read: $books"
-
-    $expectedOutcome = if ($experience -eq 0 -and $books -gt 0) { "Should be APPROVED" } else { "Should be REJECTED" }
-    Write-Colored "Expected outcome: $expectedOutcome" $(if ($experience -eq 0 -and $books -gt 0) { "GREEN" } else { "RED" })
-
-    Invoke-PostRequest -endpoint "/api/v1/cooking-club/membership/command/submit-application" -data $data
-    Write-Host ""
-}
-
-# Function to get members by cuisine
-function Get-Members {
-    Write-Colored "Fetching current members by cuisine..." "BLUE"
-    $response = Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://localhost:8080/api/v1/cooking-club/membership/query/members-by-cuisine" -Method Post -ContentType "application/json"
-    return $response
-}
-
-# Main test script
-Write-Colored "Starting Cooking Club Application Demo" "GREEN"
-Write-Host "=================================================="
-Write-Colored "Application Rules:" "YELLOW"
-Write-Host "1. Approval Criteria:"
-Write-Host "   - Must have 0 years of professional experience"
-Write-Host "   - Must have read at least 1 cooking book"
-Write-Host "2. All other combinations will be rejected"
-Write-Host "=================================================="
-
-# Test 1: Should be approved (0 years experience, 3 books read)
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Colored "Test 1: Testing 'Enthusiastic Beginner' Profile" "YELLOW"
-Write-Host "This profile represents someone new to professional cooking (0 years)"
-Write-Host "but who has studied through books (3 books read)."
-Submit-Application -firstName (Get-RandomName $FIRST_NAMES) -lastName (Get-RandomName $LAST_NAMES) -cuisine "Italian" -experience 0 -books 3
-Show-Progress -duration 1
-
-# Test 2: Should not be approved (2 years experience, 5 books read)
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Colored "Test 2: Testing 'Experienced Professional' Profile" "YELLOW"
-Write-Host "This profile represents someone with professional experience (2 years)"
-Write-Host "and theoretical knowledge (5 books read). Despite the knowledge,"
-Write-Host "professional experience disqualifies them."
-Submit-Application -firstName (Get-RandomName $FIRST_NAMES) -lastName (Get-RandomName $LAST_NAMES) -cuisine "French" -experience 2 -books 5
-Show-Progress -duration 1
-
-# Test 3: Should be approved (0 years experience, 1 book read)
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Colored "Test 3: Testing 'Minimal Qualifying' Profile" "YELLOW"
-Write-Host "This profile represents someone meeting the minimum requirements:"
-Write-Host "no professional experience and has read exactly 1 book."
-Submit-Application -firstName (Get-RandomName $FIRST_NAMES) -lastName (Get-RandomName $LAST_NAMES) -cuisine "Japanese" -experience 0 -books 1
-Show-Progress -duration 1
-
-# Test 4: Should not be approved (0 years experience, 0 books read)
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Colored "Test 4: Testing 'Complete Beginner' Profile" "YELLOW"
-Write-Host "This profile represents someone with no professional experience"
-Write-Host "but also no theoretical knowledge (0 books read)."
-Submit-Application -firstName (Get-RandomName $FIRST_NAMES) -lastName (Get-RandomName $LAST_NAMES) -cuisine "Mexican" -experience 0 -books 0
-Show-Progress -duration 1
-
-# Final Test: Display current members
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Colored "Outcome:" "YELLOW"
-Write-Host "Current members grouped by their preferred cuisine."
-Write-Host "Only approved applications should appear in these results."
-Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
-Get-Members
-
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Host ""
-Write-Colored "Demo Completed" "GREEN"
-Write-Host "=================================================="
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/podman-scripts/windows/dev_shutdown.ps1 b/local-development/podman-scripts/windows/dev_shutdown.ps1
deleted file mode 100644
index 74463e5..0000000
--- a/local-development/podman-scripts/windows/dev_shutdown.ps1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
-$originalLocation = Get-Location
-
-try {
-    Set-Location -Path (Split-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) -Parent)
-    podman compose down
-} finally {
-    Set-Location -Path $originalLocation
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/podman-scripts/windows/dev_start.ps1 b/local-development/podman-scripts/windows/dev_start.ps1
deleted file mode 100644
index f25737c..0000000
--- a/local-development/podman-scripts/windows/dev_start.ps1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,73 +0,0 @@
-$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
-$originalLocation = Get-Location
-
-try {
-    Set-Location -Path (Split-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) -Parent)
-
-    podman compose down
-
-    $dataDirs = @(
-       'data/event-sourcing-event-bus',
-       'data/event-sourcing-event-store/pg-data',
-       'data/event-sourcing-projection-store/db-data',
-       'data/event-sourcing-projection-store/db-config'
-    )
-
-    foreach ($dir in $dataDirs) {
-       New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $dir
-       $acl = Get-Acl $dir
-       $acl.SetAccessRuleProtection($true, $false)
-       $ownerRule = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.FileSystemAccessRule(
-           [System.Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent().Name,
-           "FullControl",
-           "ContainerInherit,ObjectInherit",
-           "None",
-           "Allow"
-       )
-       $acl.AddAccessRule($ownerRule)
-       $readExecuteRule = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.FileSystemAccessRule(
-           "Everyone",
-           "ReadAndExecute",
-           "ContainerInherit,ObjectInherit",
-           "None",
-           "Allow"
-       )
-       $acl.AddAccessRule($readExecuteRule)
-       Set-Acl $dir $acl
-    }
-
-    podman compose up -d --build --force-recreate
-
-    function Test-AllServicesHealthy {
-        $services = podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-        return !($services -match "(unhealthy|starting)")
-    }
-
-    while (!(Test-AllServicesHealthy)) {
-        Write-Host "Waiting for all services to be healthy..."
-        podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-        Write-Host ""
-        Start-Sleep -Seconds 5
-    }
-
-    podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-
-    Write-Host ""
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "||                     All services are healthy!                       ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host ""
-
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can now run the dev_demo.ps1 script!                           ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can navigate to localhost:8080 to hit your backend.            ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can navigate to localhost:8081 to view your event store.       ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can navigate to localhost:8082 to view your projection store.  ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-
-} finally {
-    Set-Location -Path $originalLocation
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/local-development/podman-scripts/windows/dev_start_with_data_deletion.ps1 b/local-development/podman-scripts/windows/dev_start_with_data_deletion.ps1
deleted file mode 100644
index 95152d7..0000000
--- a/local-development/podman-scripts/windows/dev_start_with_data_deletion.ps1
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,79 +0,0 @@
-$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
-$originalLocation = Get-Location
-
-try {
-    Set-Location -Path (Split-Path (Split-Path $PSScriptRoot -Parent) -Parent)
-
-    Write-Host "Stopping existing services..."
-    podman compose down
-
-    Write-Host "Cleaning up data directory..."
-    if (Test-Path "data") {
-        Get-ChildItem -Path "data" -Recurse | Remove-Item -Force -Recurse
-    }
-
-    $dataDirs = @(
-       'data/event-sourcing-event-bus',
-       'data/event-sourcing-event-store/pg-data',
-       'data/event-sourcing-projection-store/db-data',
-       'data/event-sourcing-projection-store/db-config'
-    )
-
-    foreach ($dir in $dataDirs) {
-       New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $dir
-       $acl = Get-Acl $dir
-       $acl.SetAccessRuleProtection($true, $false)
-       $ownerRule = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.FileSystemAccessRule(
-           [System.Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent().Name,
-           "FullControl",
-           "ContainerInherit,ObjectInherit",
-           "None",
-           "Allow"
-       )
-       $acl.AddAccessRule($ownerRule)
-       $readExecuteRule = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.FileSystemAccessRule(
-           "Everyone",
-           "ReadAndExecute",
-           "ContainerInherit,ObjectInherit",
-           "None",
-           "Allow"
-       )
-       $acl.AddAccessRule($readExecuteRule)
-       Set-Acl $dir $acl
-    }
-
-    Write-Host "Starting services..."
-    podman compose up -d --build --force-recreate
-
-    function Test-AllServicesHealthy {
-        $services = podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-        return !($services -match "(unhealthy|starting)")
-    }
-
-    while (!(Test-AllServicesHealthy)) {
-        Write-Host "Waiting for all services to be healthy..."
-        podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-        Write-Host ""
-        Start-Sleep -Seconds 5
-    }
-
-    podman compose ps --format "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
-
-    Write-Host ""
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "||                     All services are healthy!                       ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host ""
-
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can now run the dev_demo.ps1 script!                           ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can navigate to localhost:8080 to hit your backend.            ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can navigate to localhost:8081 to view your event store.       ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-    Write-Host "|| You can navigate to localhost:8082 to view your projection store.  ||"
-    Write-Host "======================================================================="
-} finally {
-    Set-Location -Path $originalLocation
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/utils.sh b/utils.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..ea6143a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,216 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+PROJECT_ROOT=$(cd -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" >/dev/null 2>&1 && pwd)
+DEVELOPMENT_DIR="${PROJECT_ROOT}/development"
+BASE_COMPOSE_FILE="${DEVELOPMENT_DIR}/docker-compose.yml"
+
+INFRA_SERVICES=(
+  event-sourcing-event-store
+  event-sourcing-projection-store
+  event-sourcing-email-server
+  event-sourcing-file-storage
+  event-sourcing-event-bus
+)
+
+usage() {
+cat <<'EOF'
+  Usage: ./utils.sh <command>
+
+  Commands:
+  run          Start infrastructure containers and run the backend locally
+  infra-up     Start only the supporting infrastructure containers
+  infra-down   Stop and remove the supporting infrastructure containers
+  infra-status Show status for the supporting infrastructure containers
+  help         Display this help message
+EOF
+}
+
+require_command() {
+  local cmd="$1"
+  if ! command -v "$cmd" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "Error: required command '$cmd' not found in PATH." >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+}
+
+init_compose_command() {
+  if docker compose version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    DOCKER_COMPOSE=(docker compose)
+  elif command -v docker-compose >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    DOCKER_COMPOSE=(docker-compose)
+  else
+    echo "Error: docker compose is required." >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+}
+
+compose_cmd() {
+  local files=( -f "${BASE_COMPOSE_FILE}" )
+  "${DOCKER_COMPOSE[@]}" --project-directory "${DEVELOPMENT_DIR}" "${files[@]}" "$@"
+}
+
+make_local_compose_override() {
+  require_command npx
+
+  local tmp_override
+  tmp_override=$(mktemp 2>/dev/null || mktemp -t docker-compose.local.override)
+
+  local override_json
+  override_json='{
+    "services": {
+      "event-sourcing-event-store": {
+        "ports": [ "5432:5432" ]
+      },
+      "event-sourcing-projection-store": {
+        "ports": [ "27017:27017" ]
+      },
+      "event-sourcing-email-server": {
+        "ports": [ "1025:1025" ]
+      },
+      "event-sourcing-event-bus": {
+        "depends_on": {
+          "event-sourcing-event-store": { "condition": "service_healthy" }
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }'
+
+  if ! echo "${override_json}" | npx yaml >"${tmp_override}" 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo "Error: Failed to generate docker compose override via YAML CLI." >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
+
+  echo "${tmp_override}"
+}
+
+wait_for_container() {
+  local container="$1"
+  local retries=30
+
+  while (( retries > 0 )); do
+    local status
+    if ! status=$(docker inspect -f '{{if .State.Health}}{{.State.Health.Status}}{{else}}{{.State.Status}}{{end}}' "$container" 2>/dev/null); then
+      sleep 1
+      ((retries--))
+      continue
+    fi
+
+    if [[ "$status" == "healthy" ]]; then
+      echo "${container} is healthy"
+      return 0
+    elif [[ "$status" == "running" ]]; then
+      echo "${container} is running"
+      return 0
+    elif [[ "$status" == "exited" ]]; then
+      echo "Error: ${container} has exited" >&2
+      exit 1
+    fi
+
+    echo "Waiting for ${container} (status: ${status})..."
+    sleep 2
+    ((retries--))
+  done
+
+  echo "Error: Timed out waiting for ${container} to start properly." >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+
+wait_for_infra() {
+  echo "Checking container status..."
+  for container in "${INFRA_SERVICES[@]}"; do
+    wait_for_container "$container"
+  done
+  echo ""
+  echo "All infrastructure containers are running successfully!"
+}
+
+start_infra() {
+  local local_override
+  local_override=$(make_local_compose_override)
+
+  trap '[[ -n "${local_override}" && -f "${local_override}" ]] && rm -f "${local_override}"' EXIT
+
+  compose_cmd up -d --no-deps "${INFRA_SERVICES[@]}"
+  wait_for_infra
+}
+
+stop_infra() {
+  compose_cmd stop "${INFRA_SERVICES[@]}" >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+  compose_cmd rm -f "${INFRA_SERVICES[@]}" >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+}
+
+infra_status() {
+  compose_cmd ps --format "table {{.Name}}\t{{.Status}}"
+}
+
+run_backend() {
+  echo "Starting backend with local environment..."
+  (cd "${PROJECT_ROOT}" && npm run watch)
+}
+
+command_run() {
+  start_infra
+  run_backend
+}
+
+command_infra_up() {
+  start_infra
+}
+
+command_infra_down() {
+  echo "Stopping infrastructure..."
+
+  local local_override
+  local_override=$(make_local_compose_override)
+  trap '[[ -n "${local_override}" && -f "${local_override}" ]] && rm -f "${local_override}"' EXIT
+
+  stop_infra
+  echo "Infrastructure stopped."
+}
+
+command_infra_status() {
+  local local_override
+  local_override=$(make_local_compose_override)
+  trap '[[ -n "${local_override}" && -f "${local_override}" ]] && rm -f "${local_override}"' EXIT
+
+  infra_status
+}
+
+main() {
+  if [[ $# -eq 0 ]]; then
+    usage
+    exit 0
+  fi
+
+  require_command docker
+  init_compose_command
+
+  local command="${1:-help}"
+  shift || true
+
+  case "$command" in
+    run)
+      command_run "$@"
+      ;;
+    infra-up)
+      command_infra_up "$@"
+      ;;
+    infra-down)
+      command_infra_down "$@"
+      ;;
+    infra-status)
+      command_infra_status "$@"
+      ;;
+    help|--help|-h)
+      usage
+      ;;
+    *)
+      echo "Unknown command: $command" >&2
+      usage
+      exit 1
+      ;;
+  esac
+}
+
+main "$@"