diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 35e8311..9b6c7e6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -112,6 +112,88 @@ MINIO_ACCESS_KEY=minioadmin
 MINIO_SECRET_KEY=minioadmin
 ```
 
+### Manual Password Hash Generation
+
+If you need to generate the password hash manually (instead of using the setup script):
+
+#### Method 1: Using Node.js
+
+```bash
+# Install bcrypt globally
+npm install -g bcrypt-cli
+
+# Generate hash (will prompt for password)
+bcrypt-cli hash
+
+# Or with inline password (be careful with shell history)
+node -e "const bcrypt = require('bcrypt'); bcrypt.hash('YOUR_PASSWORD', 12).then(console.log)"
+```
+
+#### Method 2: Using Python
+
+```bash
+# Install bcrypt
+pip install bcrypt
+
+# Generate hash
+python3 -c "import bcrypt; password = b'YOUR_PASSWORD'; print(bcrypt.hashpw(password, bcrypt.gensalt(rounds=12)).decode())"
+```
+
+#### Method 3: Using Docker
+
+```bash
+# One-liner using Node.js in Docker
+docker run --rm -it node:alpine sh -c "npm install bcrypt && node -e \"require('bcrypt').hash('YOUR_PASSWORD', 12).then(console.log)\""
+```
+
+### JWT Secret Generation
+
+Generate a secure JWT secret:
+
+#### Method 1: Using OpenSSL
+
+```bash
+# Generate 64-character random string
+openssl rand -base64 64 | tr -d '\n'
+```
+
+#### Method 2: Using Node.js
+
+```bash
+# Generate crypto-random string
+node -e "console.log(require('crypto').randomBytes(64).toString('base64'))"
+```
+
+#### Method 3: Using Python
+
+```bash
+# Generate secure random string
+python3 -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_urlsafe(64))"
+```
+
+#### Method 4: Using /dev/urandom
+
+```bash
+# Generate from random device
+head -c 64 /dev/urandom | base64 | tr -d '\n'
+```
+
+### Example .env Configuration
+
+After generating your password hash and JWT secret:
+
+```env
+# Example with generated values
+ADMIN_PASSWORD_HASH=$2b$12$YKkb7VCztpTQ5eRQwfBfKuP0kziOlLXdH8kKDP3ZbQfCPwF.EAYmS
+JWT_SECRET=Km5F2p9kXx7Nw3Qr8vBz4Ht6Lj9Mn2Sf5Yd8Gc3Vb7Nx4Wq9Rt6Yh3Kp8Zx2Cv5
+```
+
+**Security Notes:**
+- Never commit actual passwords or secrets to version control
+- Use at least 12 rounds for bcrypt (default in examples above)
+- JWT secrets should be at least 256 bits (32 bytes) of entropy
+- Store the `.env` file securely with restricted permissions: `chmod 600 .env`
+
 ### Security Settings
 
 ```env