diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index e2ff0cf..b331a2d 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,7 +1,10 @@
-FROM node:20-alpine AS development
+FROM node:21-alpine AS development
 ENV NODE_ENV development
 # Add a work directory
 WORKDIR /usr/app
+# copy files as a non-root user. The 'node' user is built in the Node image.
+RUN chown node:node ./
+USER node
 # Cache and Install dependencies
 COPY ./react-app/package.json .
 COPY ./react-app/package-lock.json .