diff --git a/docs/docs/install/environment-variables.md b/docs/docs/install/environment-variables.md
index 4c163ac226187..a3c08f2c70d3b 100644
--- a/docs/docs/install/environment-variables.md
+++ b/docs/docs/install/environment-variables.md
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ Regardless of filesystem, it is not recommended to use a network share for your
 | Variable                        | Description                                  |         Default          | Services                                |
 | :------------------------------ | :------------------------------------------- | :----------------------: | :-------------------------------------- |
 | `TZ`                            | Timezone                                     |                          | microservices                           |
-| `NODE_ENV`                      | Environment (production, development)        |       `production`       | server, microservices, machine learning |
+| `IMMICH_ENV`                    | Environment (production, development)        |       `production`       | server, microservices, machine learning |
 | `IMMICH_LOG_LEVEL`              | Log Level (verbose, debug, log, warn, error) |          `log`           | server, microservices, machine learning |
 | `IMMICH_MEDIA_LOCATION`         | Media Location                               | `./upload`<sup>\*1</sup> | server, microservices                   |
 | `IMMICH_CONFIG_FILE`            | Path to config file                          |                          | server, microservices                   |
diff --git a/machine-learning/Dockerfile b/machine-learning/Dockerfile
index 001bba2b63070..cd1f2b2d995c5 100644
--- a/machine-learning/Dockerfile
+++ b/machine-learning/Dockerfile
@@ -74,8 +74,7 @@ RUN apt-get update && \
     rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
 
 WORKDIR /usr/src/app
-ENV NODE_ENV=production \
-    TRANSFORMERS_CACHE=/cache \
+ENV TRANSFORMERS_CACHE=/cache \
     PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE=1 \
     PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 \
     PATH="/opt/venv/bin:$PATH" \
diff --git a/machine-learning/export/Dockerfile b/machine-learning/export/Dockerfile
index 26584c68a3d0e..cbd1b418ef8a1 100644
--- a/machine-learning/export/Dockerfile
+++ b/machine-learning/export/Dockerfile
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 FROM mambaorg/micromamba:bookworm-slim@sha256:abcb3ae7e3521d08e1fdeaff63131765b34e4f29b6a8a2c28660036b53841569 as builder
 
-ENV NODE_ENV=production \
-  TRANSFORMERS_CACHE=/cache \
+ENV TRANSFORMERS_CACHE=/cache \
   PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE=1 \
   PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 \
   PATH="/opt/venv/bin:$PATH" \
diff --git a/server/Dockerfile b/server/Dockerfile
index 8acdf91d05036..d31ed90ad67a7 100644
--- a/server/Dockerfile
+++ b/server/Dockerfile
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ RUN npm ci && \
     rm -rf node_modules/@img/sharp-linuxmusl-x64
 COPY server .
 ENV PATH="${PATH}:/usr/src/app/bin" \
-    NODE_ENV=development \
+    IMMICH_ENV=development \
     NVIDIA_DRIVER_CAPABILITIES=all \
     NVIDIA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=all
 ENTRYPOINT ["tini", "--", "/bin/sh"]
diff --git a/server/src/config.ts b/server/src/config.ts
index 3e3a42c760201..0f8a645005e04 100644
--- a/server/src/config.ts
+++ b/server/src/config.ts
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ export const immichAppConfig: ConfigModuleOptions = {
   envFilePath: '.env',
   isGlobal: true,
   validationSchema: Joi.object({
-    NODE_ENV: Joi.string().optional().valid('development', 'production', 'staging').default('development'),
+    IMMICH_ENV: Joi.string().optional().valid('development', 'production').default('production'),
     IMMICH_LOG_LEVEL: Joi.string()
       .optional()
       .valid(...Object.values(LogLevel)),
diff --git a/server/src/constants.ts b/server/src/constants.ts
index 937dcf373af3f..41759c2763930 100644
--- a/server/src/constants.ts
+++ b/server/src/constants.ts
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ export const serverVersion = Version.fromString(version);
 export const AUDIT_LOG_MAX_DURATION = Duration.fromObject({ days: 100 });
 export const ONE_HOUR = Duration.fromObject({ hours: 1 });
 
-export const envName = (process.env.NODE_ENV || 'development').toUpperCase();
-export const isDev = () => process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development';
+export const envName = (process.env.IMMICH_ENV || 'production').toUpperCase();
+export const isDev = () => process.env.IMMICH_ENV === 'development';
 export const APP_MEDIA_LOCATION = process.env.IMMICH_MEDIA_LOCATION || './upload';
 export const WEB_ROOT = process.env.IMMICH_WEB_ROOT || '/usr/src/app/www';
 
diff --git a/server/src/services/version.service.spec.ts b/server/src/services/version.service.spec.ts
index 35bb2606282d4..e6a2284b1a2d2 100644
--- a/server/src/services/version.service.spec.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/version.service.spec.ts
@@ -61,11 +61,11 @@ describe(VersionService.name, () => {
 
   describe('handVersionCheck', () => {
     beforeEach(() => {
-      process.env.NODE_ENV = 'production';
+      process.env.IMMICH_ENV = 'production';
     });
 
     it('should not run in dev mode', async () => {
-      process.env.NODE_ENV = 'development';
+      process.env.IMMICH_ENV = 'development';
       await expect(sut.handleVersionCheck()).resolves.toEqual(JobStatus.SKIPPED);
     });