diff --git a/docker/Dockerfile b/docker/Dockerfile
index 12c5ed4b5..19050ff8f 100644
--- a/docker/Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/Dockerfile
@@ -1,115 +1,201 @@
-FROM ghcr.io/linuxserver/baseimage-ubuntu:noble AS builder
+# ============================================================================
+# Stage 0: Common base, defined here like a constant for multiple subsequent stages
+# ============================================================================
+FROM ghcr.io/linuxserver/baseimage-ubuntu:noble AS base
 
-# version, it can be a TAG or a branch
-ARG YACR_VERSION="develop"
+# ============================================================================
+# Stage 1: build-base for all build steps
+# ============================================================================
+FROM base AS plugin-base
 
-# env variables
 ARG DEBIAN_FRONTEND="noninteractive"
+
+# Install common build packages used by all plugin builders
+RUN apt-get update && \
+    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+    7zip \
+    build-essential \
+    cmake \
+    extra-cmake-modules \
+    g++ \
+    gcc \
+    git \
+    make \
+    qt6-base-dev \
+    qt6-base-private-dev \
+    unzip \
+    wget \
+    pkg-config && \
+    apt-get clean && \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# ============================================================================
+# Stage 2: kimageformats builder
+# ============================================================================
+FROM plugin-base AS kimageformats-builder
+
+# Install additional dependencies for kimageformats
+RUN apt-get update && \
+    apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+    libavif-dev \
+    libjxl-dev \
+    libarchive-dev && \
+    apt-get clean && \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# Build ECM 6.0.0 for KF6 (compatible with Qt 6.4)
+WORKDIR /tmp/ecm
+RUN git clone --depth 1 --branch v6.0.0 https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/extra-cmake-modules.git .
+RUN mkdir build
+WORKDIR /tmp/ecm/build
+RUN cmake .. \
+    -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
+    -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr \
+    -DBUILD_TESTING=OFF
+RUN make -j$(nproc)
+RUN make install
+
+# Build kimageformats 6.0.0 from KDE source (patched for Qt 6.4)
+WORKDIR /tmp/kimageformats
+RUN git clone --depth 1 --branch v6.0.0 https://invent.kde.org/frameworks/kimageformats.git .
+# Patch to work with Qt 6.4 (Noble has 6.4.2, kimageformats wants 6.5+)
+RUN sed -i 's/6\.5\.0/6.4.0/g' CMakeLists.txt
+RUN mkdir build
+WORKDIR /tmp/kimageformats/build
+RUN cmake .. \
+    -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
+    -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr \
+    -DBUILD_TESTING=OFF \
+    -DQT_MAJOR_VERSION=6
+RUN make -j$(nproc)
+RUN make install DESTDIR=/output
+
+# ============================================================================
+# Stage 3: 7zip builder
+# ============================================================================
+FROM plugin-base AS sevenzip-builder
+
+# Download 7z source
+RUN mkdir -p /src/7zip
+WORKDIR /src/7zip
+RUN wget "https://github.com/YACReader/yacreader-7z-deps/blob/main/7z2301-src.7z?raw=true" -O 7z2301-src.7z
+
+# Extract 7z source
+RUN 7z x 7z2301-src.7z -o/src/7zip/lib7zip && \
+    rm 7z2301-src.7z
+
+# Build 7z.so with RAR support
+WORKDIR /src/7zip/lib7zip/CPP/7zip/Bundles/Format7zF
+RUN mkdir -p _o
+RUN make -f makefile.gcc -j$(nproc)
+RUN mkdir -p /app/lib/7zip && \
+    cp ./_o/7z.so /app/lib/7zip
+
+# ============================================================================
+# Stage 4: YACReader builder
+# ============================================================================
+FROM plugin-base AS yacreader-builder
+
+ARG YACR_VERSION="develop"
 ENV APPNAME="YACReaderLibraryServer"
 ENV HOME="/config"
 LABEL maintainer="luisangelsm"
 
-# install build packages
-RUN \
-    apt-get update && \
+# Install YACReader-specific build packages (common packages inherited from plugin-base)
+RUN apt-get update && \
     apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
-       build-essential \
-       desktop-file-utils \
-       gcc \
-       g++ \
-       git \
-       qt6-tools-dev \
-       qt6-base-dev-tools \
-       qmake6 \
-       qmake6-bin \
-       qt6-base-dev \
-       qt6-multimedia-dev \
-       qt6-tools-dev-tools \
-       libgl-dev \
-       qt6-l10n-tools \
-       libqt6opengl6-dev \
-       libunarr-dev \
-       qt6-declarative-dev \
-       libqt6svg6-dev \
-       libqt6core5compat6-dev \
-       libbz2-dev \
-       libglu1-mesa-dev \
-       liblzma-dev \
-       libqt6gui6 \
-       libqt6multimedia6 \
-       libqt6network6 \
-       libqt6qml6 \
-       libqt6quickcontrols2-6 \
-       qt6-image-formats-plugins \
-       libqt6sql6 \
-       libqt6sql6-sqlite \
-       make \
-       sqlite3 \
-       libsqlite3-dev \
-       unzip \
-       wget \
-       7zip \
-       7zip-rar \
-       libpoppler-qt6-dev \
-       zlib1g-dev && \
+    desktop-file-utils \
+    qt6-tools-dev \
+    qt6-base-dev-tools \
+    qmake6 \
+    qmake6-bin \
+    qt6-multimedia-dev \
+    qt6-tools-dev-tools \
+    libgl-dev \
+    qt6-l10n-tools \
+    libqt6opengl6-dev \
+    libunarr-dev \
+    qt6-declarative-dev \
+    libqt6svg6-dev \
+    libqt6core5compat6-dev \
+    libbz2-dev \
+    libglu1-mesa-dev \
+    liblzma-dev \
+    libqt6gui6 \
+    libqt6multimedia6 \
+    libqt6network6 \
+    libqt6qml6 \
+    libqt6quickcontrols2-6 \
+    qt6-image-formats-plugins \
+    libqt6sql6 \
+    libqt6sql6-sqlite \
+    sqlite3 \
+    libsqlite3-dev \
+    7zip-rar \
+    libpoppler-qt6-dev \
+    zlib1g-dev && \
+    apt-get clean && \
+    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && \
     ldconfig
 
-
-# clone YACReader repo
+# Clone YACReader repository
 RUN git clone https://github.com/YACReader/yacreader.git /src/git && \
     cd /src/git && \
     git checkout $YACR_VERSION
 
-# get 7zip source
-RUN cd /src/git/compressed_archive && \
-    wget "https://github.com/YACReader/yacreader-7z-deps/blob/main/7z2301-src.7z?raw=true" -O /src/git/compressed_archive/7z2301-src.7z && \
-    7z x /src/git/compressed_archive/7z2301-src.7z -o/src/git/compressed_archive/lib7zip 
+# Copy pre-built 7z library and headers
+COPY --from=sevenzip-builder /src/7zip/lib7zip /src/git/compressed_archive/lib7zip
+COPY --from=sevenzip-builder /app/lib/7zip /app/lib/7zip
+
+# Copy kimageformats Qt6 plugins
+COPY --from=kimageformats-builder /output/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/qt6/plugins/imageformats/ \
+    /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/qt6/plugins/imageformats/
 
-# build yacreaderlibraryserver
+# Build YACReaderLibraryServer
 RUN cd /src/git/YACReaderLibraryServer && \
     qmake6 PREFIX=/app CONFIG+="7zip server_standalone" YACReaderLibraryServer.pro && \
     qmake6 -v && \
-    make  && \
+    make -j$(nproc) && \
     make install
 
-# install 7z.so with RAR support
-RUN echo "Building and installing 7z.so with RAR support..." && \
-    cd "/src/git/compressed_archive/lib7zip/CPP/7zip/Bundles/Format7zF" && \
-    make -f makefile.gcc && \
-    mkdir -p /app/lib/7zip && \
-    cp ./_o/7z.so /app/lib/7zip    
-
-# Stage 2: Runtime stage
-FROM ghcr.io/linuxserver/baseimage-ubuntu:noble
+# ============================================================================
+# Stage 5: Final runtime image (minimal, no build assets)
+# ============================================================================
+FROM base AS runtime
 
-# env variables
 ENV APPNAME="YACReaderLibraryServer"
 ENV HOME="/config"
+ENV LC_ALL="en_US.UTF-8"
+ENV PATH="/app/bin:${PATH}"
 LABEL maintainer="luisangelsm"
 
-# Copy the built application from the builder stage
-COPY --from=builder /app /app
-
-# runtime packages
+# Install only runtime dependencies (no build tools)
 RUN apt-get update && \
     apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
-       libqt6core5compat6 \
-       libpoppler-qt6-3t64 \
-       qt6-image-formats-plugins \ 
-       libqt6network6t64 \
-       libqt6sql6-sqlite && \
+    libqt6core5compat6 \
+    libpoppler-qt6-3t64 \
+    qt6-image-formats-plugins \
+    libavif16 \
+    libjxl0.7 \
+    libqt6network6t64 \
+    libqt6sql6-sqlite && \
     apt-get clean && \
     rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* /tmp/* /var/tmp/*
 
-# set ENV
-ENV LC_ALL="en_US.UTF-8" \
-    PATH="/app/bin:${PATH}"
+# Copy YACReaderLibraryServer application from builder
+COPY --from=yacreader-builder /app /app
+
+# Copy kimageformats Qt6 plugins (must be done before ldconfig)
+COPY --from=kimageformats-builder /output/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/qt6/plugins/imageformats/*.so \
+    /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/qt6/plugins/imageformats/
+
+# Refresh dynamic linker cache
+RUN ldconfig
 
-# copy files
-COPY root.tar.gz /
-# Extract the contents of root.tar.gz into the / directory
-RUN tar -xvpzf /root.tar.gz -C /
+# Copy linuxserver.io configuration
+COPY docker/root.tar.gz /
+RUN tar -xvpzf /root.tar.gz -C / && rm /root.tar.gz
 
-# ports and volumes
+# Expose server port and define volumes
 EXPOSE 8080
 VOLUME ["/config", "/comics"]
diff --git a/docker/TESTING.md b/docker/TESTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..388fd82ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/TESTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+# Docker Image Format Testing Guide
+
+## Overview
+This document describes how to test the kimageformats-based Docker image for YACReaderLibraryServer with AVIF and JXL support.
+
+## Prerequisites
+- Docker installed
+- Test comics with various image formats available at `/exos/comics/Mylar/_Incoming_Downloads/Format testing/`
+- Files needed: `avif.cbz`, `jxl.cbz`, `test_combined.cbz`
+
+## Build the Image
+
+```bash
+cd /home/nick/yacreader
+docker build -f docker/Dockerfile -t yacreader-test:kimageformats .
+```
+
+Expected: Build completes successfully with 6 stages (base, plugin-base, kimageformats-builder, sevenzip-builder, yacreader-builder, runtime)
+
+## Copy Test Files
+
+```bash
+mkdir -p /home/nick/yacreader/test-comics
+cp "/exos/comics/Mylar/_Incoming_Downloads/Format testing/"*.cbz /home/nick/yacreader/test-comics/
+ls -la /home/nick/yacreader/test-comics/
+```
+
+Expected: See avif.cbz, jxl.cbz, test_combined.cbz, test_heic.cbz, test_heif.cbz
+
+## Run Container
+
+```bash
+docker rm -f YACReaderTest 2>/dev/null
+docker run --rm -d \
+  --name YACReaderTest \
+  -p 8086:8080 \
+  -v /home/nick/yacreader/test-comics:/comics \
+  -e PUID=$(id -u) \
+  -e PGID=$(id -g) \
+  yacreader-test:kimageformats
+
+# Wait for startup
+sleep 5
+```
+
+## Verify Image Format Support
+
+```bash
+docker logs YACReaderTest 2>&1 | grep "Image formats"
+```
+
+Expected output should include:
+- `avif` ✅
+- `avifs` ✅
+- `jxl` ✅
+- Plus bonus formats: ani, hdr, pcx, psd, qoi, xcf, etc.
+
+**Should NOT include:** heic, heif (not supported in kimageformats 6.0.0)
+
+## Create and Scan Library
+
+```bash
+# Create .yacreaderlibrary directory with correct permissions
+docker exec -u abc YACReaderTest mkdir -p /comics/.yacreaderlibrary
+
+# Create library and scan comics
+docker exec YACReaderTest YACReaderLibraryServer create-library "TestComics" /comics
+```
+
+Expected output:
+```
+Processing comics...Done!
+Number of comics processed = 3
+```
+
+Note: Only 3 comics should be processed (avif.cbz, jxl.cbz, test_combined.cbz). The HEIC/HEIF files are skipped because format not supported.
+
+## Verify Comics via Web Interface
+
+```bash
+curl -s http://localhost:8086/library/1/folder/1 | grep -i "comic" | head -15
+```
+
+Expected: HTML output showing 3 comics with sizes and page counts
+
+## Check Specific Comic Details
+
+```bash
+docker exec YACReaderTest ls -la /comics/.yacreaderlibrary/
+```
+
+Expected:
+- `library.ydb` (SQLite database)
+- `covers/` directory
+- `id` file
+
+## Verify Plugins Are Installed
+
+```bash
+docker exec YACReaderTest ls -la /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/qt6/plugins/imageformats/ | grep kimg
+```
+
+Expected output should include:
+- `kimg_avif.so` ✅
+- `kimg_jxl.so` ✅
+- Plus: kimg_ani.so, kimg_hdr.so, kimg_pcx.so, kimg_psd.so, kimg_qoi.so, kimg_xcf.so, etc.
+
+## Cleanup
+
+```bash
+docker stop YACReaderTest
+docker rm YACReaderTest 2>/dev/null
+```
+
+## Known Limitations
+
+1. **HEIC/HEIF not supported**: kimageformats 6.0.0 (compatible with Ubuntu Noble's Qt 6.4.2) doesn't include HEIC/HEIF plugins. Test files `test_heic.cbz` and `test_heif.cbz` will be skipped during library scan.
+
+2. **Compatibility patch required**: kimageformats 6.0.0 requires Qt 6.5+, but Ubuntu Noble has Qt 6.4.2. The Dockerfile includes a sed command to patch the version check: `sed -i 's/6\.5\.0/6.4.0/g' CMakeLists.txt`
+
+## Success Criteria
+
+- [x] Build completes without errors
+- [x] Container starts and shows AVIF/JXL in supported formats
+- [x] Library creation processes 3 comics successfully
+- [x] Web interface shows all 3 comics
+- [x] kimageformats plugins are installed in correct location
+- [x] HEIC/HEIF files are gracefully skipped (not errors)
+
+## Comparison Test (Optional)
+
+Compare with the original PR #499 implementation:
+
+```bash
+# Original (PR #499)
+docker logs YACReaderLibraryServer 2>&1 | grep "Image formats"
+# Should show: avif, avifs, heic, heif, jxl
+
+# New (kimageformats)
+docker logs YACReaderTest 2>&1 | grep "Image formats"
+# Should show: avif, avifs, jxl (+ 30+ bonus formats, no heic/heif)
+```
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+**Problem:** "Unable to find database at: /comics/.yacreaderlibrary"
+- **Solution:** Ensure .yacreaderlibrary directory exists with correct permissions. Use `create-library` instead of `add-library` + `update-library`.
+
+**Problem:** No comics scanned
+- **Solution:** Check file permissions. Container runs as uid/gid 1000 (abc user). Files should be readable by this user.
+
+**Problem:** kimageformats plugins not found
+- **Solution:** Verify COPY command in Dockerfile uses `*.so` wildcard and paths match build output structure.