diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 6174009..fb5e89c 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 .claude/
+.kvs/
 data/
 data*/
+integration_test/
 *.yaml
 !config.yaml
 kvs
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 2770760..2f344bc 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -10,10 +10,16 @@ This file provides guidance to Claude Code (claude.ai/code) when working with co
 go build -o kvs .
 
 # Run with default config (auto-generates config.yaml)
-./kvs
+./kvs start config.yaml
 
 # Run with custom config
-./kvs /path/to/config.yaml
+./kvs start /path/to/config.yaml
+
+# Check running instances
+./kvs status
+
+# Stop instance
+./kvs stop config
 
 # Run comprehensive integration tests
 ./integration_test.sh
@@ -25,6 +31,32 @@ go run test_conflict.go data1 data2
 go build -o kvs . && ./integration_test.sh
 ```
 
+### Process Management Commands
+```bash
+# Start as background daemon
+./kvs start <config.yaml>       # .yaml extension optional
+
+# Stop daemon
+./kvs stop <config>             # Graceful SIGTERM shutdown
+
+# Restart daemon
+./kvs restart <config>          # Stop then start
+
+# Show status
+./kvs status                    # All instances
+./kvs status <config>           # Specific instance
+
+# Run in foreground (for debugging)
+./kvs <config.yaml>             # Logs to stdout, blocks terminal
+
+# View daemon logs
+tail -f ~/.kvs/logs/kvs_<config>.yaml.log
+
+# Global state directories
+~/.kvs/pids/                    # PID files (works from any directory)
+~/.kvs/logs/                    # Daemon log files
+```
+
 ### Development Workflow
 ```bash
 # Format and check code
@@ -38,11 +70,25 @@ go mod tidy
 go build .
 
 # Test specific cluster scenarios
-./kvs node1.yaml &  # Terminal 1
-./kvs node2.yaml &  # Terminal 2
+./kvs start node1.yaml
+./kvs start node2.yaml
+
+# Wait for cluster formation
+sleep 5
+
+# Test data operations
 curl -X PUT http://localhost:8081/kv/test/data -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"test":"data"}'
 curl http://localhost:8082/kv/test/data  # Should replicate within ~30 seconds
-pkill kvs
+
+# Check daemon status
+./kvs status
+
+# View logs
+tail -f ~/.kvs/logs/kvs_node1.yaml.log
+
+# Cleanup
+./kvs stop node1
+./kvs stop node2
 ```
 
 ## Architecture Overview
@@ -58,7 +104,8 @@ KVS is a **distributed, eventually consistent key-value store** built around thr
 
 #### Modular Package Design
 - **`auth/`** - Complete JWT authentication system with POSIX-inspired permissions
-- **`cluster/`** - Distributed systems logic (gossip, sync, merkle trees)  
+- **`cluster/`** - Distributed systems logic (gossip, sync, merkle trees)
+- **`daemon/`** - Process management (daemonization, PID files, lifecycle)
 - **`storage/`** - BadgerDB abstraction with compression and revision history
 - **`server/`** - HTTP handlers, routing, and lifecycle management
 - **`features/`** - Utility functions for TTL, rate limiting, tamper logging, backup
@@ -147,9 +194,18 @@ Creates two BadgerDB instances with intentionally conflicting data (same path, s
 - **Bootstrap sync**: Up to 30 days of historical data for new nodes
 
 #### Main Entry Point Flow
-1. `main.go` loads config (auto-generates default if missing)
-2. `server.NewServer()` initializes all subsystems
-3. Graceful shutdown handling with `SIGINT`/`SIGTERM`
-4. All business logic delegated to modular packages
+1. `main.go` parses command-line arguments for subcommands (`start`, `stop`, `status`, `restart`)
+2. For daemon mode: `daemon.Daemonize()` spawns background process and manages PID files
+3. For server mode: loads config (auto-generates default if missing)
+4. `server.NewServer()` initializes all subsystems
+5. Graceful shutdown handling with `SIGINT`/`SIGTERM`
+6. All business logic delegated to modular packages
+
+#### Daemon Architecture
+- **PID Management**: Global PID files stored in `~/.kvs/pids/` for cross-directory access
+- **Logging**: Daemon logs written to `~/.kvs/logs/{config-name}.log`
+- **Process Lifecycle**: Spawns detached process via `exec.Command()` with `Setsid: true`
+- **Config Normalization**: Supports both `node1` and `node1.yaml` formats
+- **Stale PID Detection**: Checks process existence via `Signal(0)` before operations
 
 This architecture enables easy feature addition, comprehensive testing, and reliable operation in distributed environments while maintaining simplicity for single-node deployments.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d58f4dd..d9a0f43 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -69,11 +69,67 @@ go build -o kvs .
 
 ### Quick Test
 ```bash
-# Start standalone node
-./kvs
+# Start standalone node (uses config.yaml if it exists, or creates it)
+./kvs start config.yaml
 
 # Test the API
 curl http://localhost:8080/health
+
+# Check status
+./kvs status
+
+# Stop when done
+./kvs stop config
+```
+
+## 🎮 Process Management
+
+KVS includes systemd-style daemon commands for easy process management:
+
+```bash
+# Start as background daemon
+./kvs start config.yaml      # or just: ./kvs start config
+./kvs start node1.yaml       # Start with custom config
+
+# Check status
+./kvs status                 # Show all running instances
+./kvs status node1           # Show specific instance
+
+# Stop daemon
+./kvs stop node1             # Graceful shutdown
+
+# Restart daemon
+./kvs restart node1          # Stop and start
+
+# Run in foreground (traditional)
+./kvs node1.yaml             # Logs to stdout
+```
+
+### Daemon Features
+- **Global PID tracking**: PID files stored in `~/.kvs/pids/` (works from any directory)
+- **Automatic logging**: Logs written to `~/.kvs/logs/{config-name}.log`
+- **Flexible naming**: Config extension optional (`node1` or `node1.yaml` both work)
+- **Graceful shutdown**: SIGTERM sent for clean shutdown
+- **Stale PID cleanup**: Automatically detects and cleans dead processes
+- **Multi-instance**: Run multiple KVS instances on same machine
+
+### Example Workflow
+```bash
+# Start 3-node cluster as daemons
+./kvs start node1.yaml
+./kvs start node2.yaml
+./kvs start node3.yaml
+
+# Check cluster status
+./kvs status
+
+# View logs
+tail -f ~/.kvs/logs/kvs_node1.yaml.log
+
+# Stop entire cluster
+./kvs stop node1
+./kvs stop node2
+./kvs stop node3
 ```
 
 ## ⚙️ Configuration
@@ -308,17 +364,23 @@ clustering_enabled: true
 
 #### Start the Cluster
 ```bash
-# Terminal 1
-./kvs node1.yaml
-
-# Terminal 2 (wait a few seconds)
-./kvs node2.yaml
-
-# Terminal 3 (wait a few seconds)
-./kvs node3.yaml
+# Start as daemons
+./kvs start node1.yaml
+sleep 2
+./kvs start node2.yaml
+sleep 2
+./kvs start node3.yaml
 
 # Verify cluster formation
 curl http://localhost:8081/members/  # Should show all 3 nodes
+
+# Check daemon status
+./kvs status
+
+# Stop cluster when done
+./kvs stop node1
+./kvs stop node2
+./kvs stop node3
 ```
 
 ## 🔄 How It Works
@@ -364,9 +426,10 @@ go build -o kvs .
 ./integration_test.sh
 
 # Manual basic functionality test
-./kvs &
+./kvs start config.yaml
+sleep 2
 curl http://localhost:8080/health
-pkill kvs
+./kvs stop config
 
 # Manual cluster test (requires creating configs)
 echo 'node_id: "test1"
@@ -379,8 +442,9 @@ port: 8082
 seed_nodes: ["127.0.0.1:8081"]
 auth_enabled: false' > test2.yaml
 
-./kvs test1.yaml &
-./kvs test2.yaml &
+./kvs start test1.yaml
+sleep 2
+./kvs start test2.yaml
 
 # Test data replication (wait for cluster formation)
 sleep 10
@@ -393,7 +457,8 @@ sleep 30
 curl http://localhost:8082/kv/test/data
 
 # Cleanup
-pkill kvs
+./kvs stop test1
+./kvs stop test2
 rm test1.yaml test2.yaml
 ```
 
@@ -418,17 +483,22 @@ auth_enabled: false
 log_level: "debug"' > conflict2.yaml
 
 # Start nodes with conflicting data
-./kvs conflict1.yaml &
-./kvs conflict2.yaml &
+./kvs start conflict1.yaml
+sleep 2
+./kvs start conflict2.yaml
 
 # Watch logs for conflict resolution
+tail -f ~/.kvs/logs/kvs_conflict1.yaml.log ~/.kvs/logs/kvs_conflict2.yaml.log &
+
 # Both nodes will converge within ~10-30 seconds
 # Check final state
 sleep 30
 curl http://localhost:9111/kv/test/conflict/data
 curl http://localhost:9112/kv/test/conflict/data
 
-pkill kvs
+# Cleanup
+./kvs stop conflict1
+./kvs stop conflict2
 rm conflict1.yaml conflict2.yaml
 ```
 
@@ -474,6 +544,10 @@ kvs/
 ├── config/                    # Configuration management
 │   └── config.go             # Config loading & defaults
 │
+├── daemon/                    # Process management
+│   ├── daemonize.go          # Background process spawning
+│   └── pid.go                # PID file management
+│
 ├── features/                  # Utility features
 │   ├── auth.go               # Auth utilities
 │   ├── backup.go             # Backup system
@@ -580,8 +654,9 @@ type StoredValue struct {
 ## 🛡️ Production Considerations
 
 ### Deployment
-- Use systemd or similar for process management
-- Configure log rotation for JSON logs
+- Built-in daemon commands (`start`/`stop`/`restart`/`status`) for process management
+- Alternatively, use systemd or similar for advanced orchestration
+- Logs automatically written to `~/.kvs/logs/` (configure log rotation)
 - Set up monitoring for `/health` endpoint
 - Use reverse proxy (nginx/traefik) for TLS and load balancing
 
diff --git a/auth/auth.go b/auth/auth.go
index 00fa831..70405aa 100644
--- a/auth/auth.go
+++ b/auth/auth.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ func NewAuthService(db *badger.DB, logger *logrus.Logger, config *types.Config)
 // StoreAPIToken stores an API token in BadgerDB with TTL
 func (s *AuthService) StoreAPIToken(tokenString string, userUUID string, scopes []string, expiresAt int64) error {
 	tokenHash := utils.HashToken(tokenString)
-	
+
 	apiToken := types.APIToken{
 		TokenHash: tokenHash,
 		UserUUID:  userUUID,
@@ -57,13 +57,13 @@ func (s *AuthService) StoreAPIToken(tokenString string, userUUID string, scopes
 
 	return s.db.Update(func(txn *badger.Txn) error {
 		entry := badger.NewEntry([]byte(TokenStorageKey(tokenHash)), tokenData)
-		
+
 		// Set TTL to the token expiration time
 		ttl := time.Until(time.Unix(expiresAt, 0))
 		if ttl > 0 {
 			entry = entry.WithTTL(ttl)
 		}
-		
+
 		return txn.SetEntry(entry)
 	})
 }
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ func (s *AuthService) StoreAPIToken(tokenString string, userUUID string, scopes
 // GetAPIToken retrieves an API token from BadgerDB by hash
 func (s *AuthService) GetAPIToken(tokenHash string) (*types.APIToken, error) {
 	var apiToken types.APIToken
-	
+
 	err := s.db.View(func(txn *badger.Txn) error {
 		item, err := txn.Get([]byte(TokenStorageKey(tokenHash)))
 		if err != nil {
@@ -198,6 +198,40 @@ func (s *AuthService) CheckResourcePermission(authCtx *AuthContext, resourceKey
 	return CheckPermission(metadata.Permissions, operation, isOwner, isGroupMember)
 }
 
+// GetResourceMetadata retrieves metadata for a resource
+func (s *AuthService) GetResourceMetadata(resourceKey string) (*types.ResourceMetadata, error) {
+	var metadata types.ResourceMetadata
+
+	err := s.db.View(func(txn *badger.Txn) error {
+		item, err := txn.Get([]byte(ResourceMetadataKey(resourceKey)))
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		return item.Value(func(val []byte) error {
+			return json.Unmarshal(val, &metadata)
+		})
+	})
+
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return &metadata, nil
+}
+
+// SetResourceMetadata stores metadata for a resource
+func (s *AuthService) SetResourceMetadata(resourceKey string, metadata *types.ResourceMetadata) error {
+	metadataBytes, err := json.Marshal(metadata)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal metadata: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	return s.db.Update(func(txn *badger.Txn) error {
+		return txn.Set([]byte(ResourceMetadataKey(resourceKey)), metadataBytes)
+	})
+}
+
 // GetAuthContext retrieves auth context from request context
 func GetAuthContext(ctx context.Context) *AuthContext {
 	if authCtx, ok := ctx.Value("auth").(*AuthContext); ok {
@@ -209,22 +243,22 @@ func GetAuthContext(ctx context.Context) *AuthContext {
 // HasUsers checks if any users exist in the database
 func (s *AuthService) HasUsers() (bool, error) {
 	var hasUsers bool
-	
+
 	err := s.db.View(func(txn *badger.Txn) error {
 		opts := badger.DefaultIteratorOptions
 		opts.PrefetchValues = false // We only need to check if keys exist
 		iterator := txn.NewIterator(opts)
 		defer iterator.Close()
-		
+
 		// Look for any key starting with "user:"
 		prefix := []byte("user:")
 		for iterator.Seek(prefix); iterator.ValidForPrefix(prefix); iterator.Next() {
 			hasUsers = true
 			return nil // Found at least one user, can exit early
 		}
-		
+
 		return nil
 	})
-	
+
 	return hasUsers, err
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/auth/cluster.go b/auth/cluster.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..090ed5d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/auth/cluster.go
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+package auth
+
+import (
+	"net/http"
+
+	"github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
+)
+
+// ClusterAuthService handles authentication for inter-cluster communication
+type ClusterAuthService struct {
+	clusterSecret string
+	logger        *logrus.Logger
+}
+
+// NewClusterAuthService creates a new cluster authentication service
+func NewClusterAuthService(clusterSecret string, logger *logrus.Logger) *ClusterAuthService {
+	return &ClusterAuthService{
+		clusterSecret: clusterSecret,
+		logger:        logger,
+	}
+}
+
+// Middleware validates cluster authentication headers
+func (s *ClusterAuthService) Middleware(next http.Handler) http.Handler {
+	return http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		// Extract authentication headers
+		clusterSecret := r.Header.Get("X-Cluster-Secret")
+		nodeID := r.Header.Get("X-Node-ID")
+
+		// Log authentication attempt
+		s.logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
+			"node_id":     nodeID,
+			"remote_addr": r.RemoteAddr,
+			"path":        r.URL.Path,
+			"method":      r.Method,
+		}).Debug("Cluster authentication attempt")
+
+		// Validate cluster secret
+		if clusterSecret == "" {
+			s.logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
+				"node_id":     nodeID,
+				"remote_addr": r.RemoteAddr,
+				"path":        r.URL.Path,
+			}).Warn("Missing X-Cluster-Secret header")
+			http.Error(w, "Unauthorized: Missing cluster secret", http.StatusUnauthorized)
+			return
+		}
+
+		if clusterSecret != s.clusterSecret {
+			s.logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
+				"node_id":     nodeID,
+				"remote_addr": r.RemoteAddr,
+				"path":        r.URL.Path,
+			}).Warn("Invalid cluster secret")
+			http.Error(w, "Unauthorized: Invalid cluster secret", http.StatusUnauthorized)
+			return
+		}
+
+		// Validate node ID is present
+		if nodeID == "" {
+			s.logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
+				"remote_addr": r.RemoteAddr,
+				"path":        r.URL.Path,
+			}).Warn("Missing X-Node-ID header")
+			http.Error(w, "Unauthorized: Missing node ID", http.StatusUnauthorized)
+			return
+		}
+
+		// Authentication successful
+		s.logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
+			"node_id": nodeID,
+			"path":    r.URL.Path,
+		}).Debug("Cluster authentication successful")
+
+		next.ServeHTTP(w, r)
+	})
+}
diff --git a/auth/jwt.go b/auth/jwt.go
index eda4f3a..5b3e781 100644
--- a/auth/jwt.go
+++ b/auth/jwt.go
@@ -64,4 +64,4 @@ func ValidateJWT(tokenString string) (*JWTClaims, error) {
 	}
 
 	return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid token")
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/auth/middleware.go b/auth/middleware.go
index 07c244e..82b348e 100644
--- a/auth/middleware.go
+++ b/auth/middleware.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ func (s *AuthService) Middleware(requiredScopes []string, resourceKeyExtractor f
 				next(w, r)
 				return
 			}
-			
+
 			// Authenticate request
 			authCtx, err := s.AuthenticateRequest(r)
 			if err != nil {
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ func (s *RateLimitService) RateLimitMiddleware(next http.HandlerFunc) http.Handl
 			next(w, r)
 			return
 		}
-		
+
 		// Extract auth context to get user UUID
 		authCtx := GetAuthContext(r.Context())
 		if authCtx == nil {
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ func (s *RateLimitService) RateLimitMiddleware(next http.HandlerFunc) http.Handl
 			next(w, r)
 			return
 		}
-		
+
 		// Check rate limit
 		allowed, err := s.checkRateLimit(authCtx.UserUUID)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -118,22 +118,22 @@ func (s *RateLimitService) RateLimitMiddleware(next http.HandlerFunc) http.Handl
 			http.Error(w, "Internal Server Error", http.StatusInternalServerError)
 			return
 		}
-		
+
 		if !allowed {
 			s.authService.logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
 				"user_uuid": authCtx.UserUUID,
 				"limit":     s.config.RateLimitRequests,
 				"window":    s.config.RateLimitWindow,
 			}).Info("Rate limit exceeded")
-			
+
 			// Set rate limit headers
 			w.Header().Set("X-Rate-Limit-Limit", strconv.Itoa(s.config.RateLimitRequests))
 			w.Header().Set("X-Rate-Limit-Window", s.config.RateLimitWindow)
-			
+
 			http.Error(w, "Rate limit exceeded", http.StatusTooManyRequests)
 			return
 		}
-		
+
 		next(w, r)
 	}
 }
@@ -151,8 +151,8 @@ func (s *RateLimitService) checkRateLimit(userUUID string) (bool, error) {
 	if s.config.RateLimitRequests <= 0 {
 		return true, nil // Rate limiting disabled
 	}
-	
+
 	// Simplified rate limiting - in practice this would use the full implementation
 	// that was in main.go with proper window calculations and BadgerDB storage
 	return true, nil // For now, always allow
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/auth/permissions.go b/auth/permissions.go
index 7130da1..9e39fc3 100644
--- a/auth/permissions.go
+++ b/auth/permissions.go
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ func CheckPermission(permissions int, operation string, isOwner, isGroupMember b
 			return (permissions & types.PermGroupCreate) != 0
 		}
 		return (permissions & types.PermOthersCreate) != 0
-		
+
 	case "delete":
 		if isOwner {
 			return (permissions & types.PermOwnerDelete) != 0
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ func CheckPermission(permissions int, operation string, isOwner, isGroupMember b
 			return (permissions & types.PermGroupDelete) != 0
 		}
 		return (permissions & types.PermOthersDelete) != 0
-		
+
 	case "write":
 		if isOwner {
 			return (permissions & types.PermOwnerWrite) != 0
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ func CheckPermission(permissions int, operation string, isOwner, isGroupMember b
 			return (permissions & types.PermGroupWrite) != 0
 		}
 		return (permissions & types.PermOthersWrite) != 0
-		
+
 	case "read":
 		if isOwner {
 			return (permissions & types.PermOwnerRead) != 0
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ func CheckPermission(permissions int, operation string, isOwner, isGroupMember b
 			return (permissions & types.PermGroupRead) != 0
 		}
 		return (permissions & types.PermOthersRead) != 0
-		
+
 	default:
 		return false
 	}
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ func CheckPermission(permissions int, operation string, isOwner, isGroupMember b
 // CheckUserResourceRelationship determines user relationship to resource
 func CheckUserResourceRelationship(userUUID string, metadata *types.ResourceMetadata, userGroups []string) (isOwner, isGroupMember bool) {
 	isOwner = (userUUID == metadata.OwnerUUID)
-	
+
 	if metadata.GroupUUID != "" {
 		for _, groupUUID := range userGroups {
 			if groupUUID == metadata.GroupUUID {
@@ -60,6 +60,6 @@ func CheckUserResourceRelationship(userUUID string, metadata *types.ResourceMeta
 			}
 		}
 	}
-	
+
 	return isOwner, isGroupMember
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/auth/storage.go b/auth/storage.go
index bccf16e..889cca1 100644
--- a/auth/storage.go
+++ b/auth/storage.go
@@ -16,4 +16,4 @@ func TokenStorageKey(tokenHash string) string {
 
 func ResourceMetadataKey(resourceKey string) string {
 	return resourceKey + ":metadata"
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/cluster/bootstrap.go b/cluster/bootstrap.go
index f8e4704..314ec88 100644
--- a/cluster/bootstrap.go
+++ b/cluster/bootstrap.go
@@ -82,10 +82,19 @@ func (s *BootstrapService) attemptJoin(seedAddr string) bool {
 		return false
 	}
 
-	client := &http.Client{Timeout: 10 * time.Second}
-	url := fmt.Sprintf("http://%s/members/join", seedAddr)
+	client := NewAuthenticatedHTTPClient(s.config, 10*time.Second)
+	protocol := GetProtocol(s.config)
+	url := fmt.Sprintf("%s://%s/members/join", protocol, seedAddr)
 
-	resp, err := client.Post(url, "application/json", bytes.NewBuffer(jsonData))
+	req, err := http.NewRequest("POST", url, bytes.NewBuffer(jsonData))
+	if err != nil {
+		s.logger.WithError(err).Error("Failed to create join request")
+		return false
+	}
+	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	AddClusterAuthHeaders(req, s.config)
+
+	resp, err := client.Do(req)
 	if err != nil {
 		s.logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
 			"seed":  seedAddr,
@@ -142,4 +151,4 @@ func (s *BootstrapService) performGradualSync() {
 	}
 
 	s.logger.Info("Gradual sync completed")
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/cluster/gossip.go b/cluster/gossip.go
index cbdf74a..f58683f 100644
--- a/cluster/gossip.go
+++ b/cluster/gossip.go
@@ -17,13 +17,13 @@ import (
 
 // GossipService handles gossip protocol operations
 type GossipService struct {
-	config      *types.Config
-	members     map[string]*types.Member
-	membersMu   sync.RWMutex
-	logger      *logrus.Logger
-	ctx         context.Context
-	cancel      context.CancelFunc
-	wg          sync.WaitGroup
+	config    *types.Config
+	members   map[string]*types.Member
+	membersMu sync.RWMutex
+	logger    *logrus.Logger
+	ctx       context.Context
+	cancel    context.CancelFunc
+	wg        sync.WaitGroup
 }
 
 // NewGossipService creates a new gossip service
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ func (s *GossipService) Start() {
 		s.logger.Info("Clustering disabled, skipping gossip routine")
 		return
 	}
-	
+
 	s.wg.Add(1)
 	go s.gossipRoutine()
 }
@@ -181,11 +181,20 @@ func (s *GossipService) gossipWithPeer(peer *types.Member) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	// Send HTTP request to peer
-	client := &http.Client{Timeout: 5 * time.Second}
-	url := fmt.Sprintf("http://%s/members/gossip", peer.Address)
+	// Send HTTP request to peer with cluster authentication
+	client := NewAuthenticatedHTTPClient(s.config, 5*time.Second)
+	protocol := GetProtocol(s.config)
+	url := fmt.Sprintf("%s://%s/members/gossip", protocol, peer.Address)
 
-	resp, err := client.Post(url, "application/json", bytes.NewBuffer(jsonData))
+	req, err := http.NewRequest("POST", url, bytes.NewBuffer(jsonData))
+	if err != nil {
+		s.logger.WithError(err).Error("Failed to create gossip request")
+		return err
+	}
+	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	AddClusterAuthHeaders(req, s.config)
+
+	resp, err := client.Do(req)
 	if err != nil {
 		s.logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
 			"peer":  peer.Address,
@@ -300,4 +309,4 @@ func (s *GossipService) MergeMemberList(remoteMembers []types.Member, selfNodeID
 func (s *GossipService) GetJoinedTimestamp() int64 {
 	// This should be implemented by the server that uses this service
 	return time.Now().UnixMilli()
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/cluster/http_client.go b/cluster/http_client.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..70397b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cluster/http_client.go
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+package cluster
+
+import (
+	"crypto/tls"
+	"net/http"
+	"time"
+
+	"kvs/types"
+)
+
+// NewAuthenticatedHTTPClient creates an HTTP client configured for cluster authentication
+func NewAuthenticatedHTTPClient(config *types.Config, timeout time.Duration) *http.Client {
+	client := &http.Client{
+		Timeout: timeout,
+	}
+
+	// Configure TLS if enabled
+	if config.ClusterTLSEnabled {
+		tlsConfig := &tls.Config{
+			InsecureSkipVerify: config.ClusterTLSSkipVerify,
+		}
+
+		client.Transport = &http.Transport{
+			TLSClientConfig: tlsConfig,
+		}
+	}
+
+	return client
+}
+
+// AddClusterAuthHeaders adds authentication headers to an HTTP request
+func AddClusterAuthHeaders(req *http.Request, config *types.Config) {
+	req.Header.Set("X-Cluster-Secret", config.ClusterSecret)
+	req.Header.Set("X-Node-ID", config.NodeID)
+}
+
+// GetProtocol returns the appropriate protocol (http or https) based on TLS configuration
+func GetProtocol(config *types.Config) string {
+	if config.ClusterTLSEnabled {
+		return "https"
+	}
+	return "http"
+}
diff --git a/cluster/merkle.go b/cluster/merkle.go
index e6032fe..df84486 100644
--- a/cluster/merkle.go
+++ b/cluster/merkle.go
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ func (s *MerkleService) BuildSubtreeForRange(startKey, endKey string) (*types.Me
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get KV pairs for subtree: %v", err)
 	}
-	
+
 	filteredPairs := FilterPairsByRange(pairs, startKey, endKey)
 	return s.BuildMerkleTreeFromPairs(filteredPairs)
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/cluster/sync.go b/cluster/sync.go
index 84cfda8..a6f5fbd 100644
--- a/cluster/sync.go
+++ b/cluster/sync.go
@@ -51,11 +51,11 @@ func (s *SyncService) Start() {
 		s.logger.Info("Clustering disabled, skipping sync routines")
 		return
 	}
-	
+
 	// Start sync routine
 	s.wg.Add(1)
 	go s.syncRoutine()
-	
+
 	// Start Merkle tree rebuild routine
 	s.wg.Add(1)
 	go s.merkleTreeRebuildRoutine()
@@ -172,9 +172,9 @@ func (s *SyncService) performMerkleSync() {
 	// 2. Compare roots and start recursive diffing if they differ
 	if !bytes.Equal(localRoot.Hash, remoteRoot.Hash) {
 		s.logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
-			"peer":          peer.Address,
-			"local_root":    hex.EncodeToString(localRoot.Hash),
-			"remote_root":   hex.EncodeToString(remoteRoot.Hash),
+			"peer":        peer.Address,
+			"local_root":  hex.EncodeToString(localRoot.Hash),
+			"remote_root": hex.EncodeToString(remoteRoot.Hash),
 		}).Info("Merkle roots differ, starting recursive diff")
 		s.diffMerkleTreesRecursive(peer.Address, localRoot, remoteRoot)
 	} else {
@@ -186,10 +186,17 @@ func (s *SyncService) performMerkleSync() {
 
 // requestMerkleRoot requests the Merkle root from a peer
 func (s *SyncService) requestMerkleRoot(peerAddress string) (*types.MerkleRootResponse, error) {
-	client := &http.Client{Timeout: 10 * time.Second}
-	url := fmt.Sprintf("http://%s/merkle_tree/root", peerAddress)
+	client := NewAuthenticatedHTTPClient(s.config, 10*time.Second)
+	protocol := GetProtocol(s.config)
+	url := fmt.Sprintf("%s://%s/merkle_tree/root", protocol, peerAddress)
 
-	resp, err := client.Get(url)
+	req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", url, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	AddClusterAuthHeaders(req, s.config)
+
+	resp, err := client.Do(req)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -216,7 +223,7 @@ func (s *SyncService) diffMerkleTreesRecursive(peerAddress string, localNode, re
 	// Hashes differ, need to go deeper.
 	// Request children from the remote peer for the current range.
 	req := types.MerkleTreeDiffRequest{
-		ParentNode: *remoteNode, // We are asking the remote peer about its children for this range
+		ParentNode: *remoteNode,    // We are asking the remote peer about its children for this range
 		LocalHash:  localNode.Hash, // Our hash for this range
 	}
 
@@ -294,10 +301,17 @@ func (s *SyncService) handleLeafLevelDiff(peerAddress string, keys []string, loc
 
 // fetchSingleKVFromPeer fetches a single KV pair from a peer
 func (s *SyncService) fetchSingleKVFromPeer(peerAddress, path string) (*types.StoredValue, error) {
-	client := &http.Client{Timeout: 5 * time.Second}
-	url := fmt.Sprintf("http://%s/kv/%s", peerAddress, path)
+	client := NewAuthenticatedHTTPClient(s.config, 5*time.Second)
+	protocol := GetProtocol(s.config)
+	url := fmt.Sprintf("%s://%s/kv/%s", protocol, peerAddress, path)
 
-	resp, err := client.Get(url)
+	req, err := http.NewRequest("GET", url, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	AddClusterAuthHeaders(req, s.config)
+
+	resp, err := client.Do(req)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -398,14 +412,14 @@ func (s *SyncService) resolveConflict(key string, local, remote *types.StoredVal
 
 	// Timestamps are equal - need sophisticated conflict resolution
 	s.logger.WithField("key", key).Info("Timestamp collision detected, applying oldest-node rule")
-	
+
 	// Get cluster members to determine which node is older
 	members := s.gossipService.GetMembers()
-	
+
 	// Find the local node and the remote node in membership
 	var localMember, remoteMember *types.Member
 	localNodeID := s.config.NodeID
-	
+
 	for _, member := range members {
 		if member.ID == localNodeID {
 			localMember = member
@@ -414,16 +428,16 @@ func (s *SyncService) resolveConflict(key string, local, remote *types.StoredVal
 			remoteMember = member
 		}
 	}
-	
+
 	// If we can't find membership info, fall back to UUID comparison for deterministic result
 	if localMember == nil || remoteMember == nil {
 		s.logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
-			"key":             key,
-			"peerAddress":     peerAddress,
-			"localNodeID":     localNodeID,
-			"localMember":     localMember != nil,
-			"remoteMember":    remoteMember != nil,
-			"totalMembers":    len(members),
+			"key":          key,
+			"peerAddress":  peerAddress,
+			"localNodeID":  localNodeID,
+			"localMember":  localMember != nil,
+			"remoteMember": remoteMember != nil,
+			"totalMembers": len(members),
 		}).Warn("Could not find membership info for conflict resolution, using UUID comparison")
 		if remote.UUID < local.UUID {
 			// Remote UUID lexically smaller (deterministic choice)
@@ -436,41 +450,49 @@ func (s *SyncService) resolveConflict(key string, local, remote *types.StoredVal
 		s.logger.WithField("key", key).Info("Conflict resolved: local data wins (UUID tie-breaker)")
 		return nil
 	}
-	
+
 	// Apply oldest-node rule: node with earliest joined_timestamp wins
 	if remoteMember.JoinedTimestamp < localMember.JoinedTimestamp {
 		// Remote node is older, its data wins
 		err := s.storeReplicatedDataWithMetadata(key, remote)
 		if err == nil {
 			s.logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
-				"key":                key,
-				"local_joined":       localMember.JoinedTimestamp,
-				"remote_joined":      remoteMember.JoinedTimestamp,
+				"key":           key,
+				"local_joined":  localMember.JoinedTimestamp,
+				"remote_joined": remoteMember.JoinedTimestamp,
 			}).Info("Conflict resolved: remote data wins (oldest-node rule)")
 		}
 		return err
 	}
-	
+
 	// Local node is older or equal, keep local data
 	s.logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
-		"key":                key,
-		"local_joined":       localMember.JoinedTimestamp,
-		"remote_joined":      remoteMember.JoinedTimestamp,
+		"key":           key,
+		"local_joined":  localMember.JoinedTimestamp,
+		"remote_joined": remoteMember.JoinedTimestamp,
 	}).Info("Conflict resolved: local data wins (oldest-node rule)")
 	return nil
 }
 
 // requestMerkleDiff requests children hashes or keys for a given node/range from a peer
-func (s *SyncService) requestMerkleDiff(peerAddress string, req types.MerkleTreeDiffRequest) (*types.MerkleTreeDiffResponse, error) {
-	jsonData, err := json.Marshal(req)
+func (s *SyncService) requestMerkleDiff(peerAddress string, reqData types.MerkleTreeDiffRequest) (*types.MerkleTreeDiffResponse, error) {
+	jsonData, err := json.Marshal(reqData)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	client := &http.Client{Timeout: 10 * time.Second}
-	url := fmt.Sprintf("http://%s/merkle_tree/diff", peerAddress)
+	client := NewAuthenticatedHTTPClient(s.config, 10*time.Second)
+	protocol := GetProtocol(s.config)
+	url := fmt.Sprintf("%s://%s/merkle_tree/diff", protocol, peerAddress)
 
-	resp, err := client.Post(url, "application/json", bytes.NewBuffer(jsonData))
+	req, err := http.NewRequest("POST", url, bytes.NewBuffer(jsonData))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	AddClusterAuthHeaders(req, s.config)
+
+	resp, err := client.Do(req)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
@@ -525,20 +547,28 @@ func (s *SyncService) handleChildrenDiff(peerAddress string, children []types.Me
 
 // fetchAndStoreRange fetches a range of KV pairs from a peer and stores them locally
 func (s *SyncService) fetchAndStoreRange(peerAddress string, startKey, endKey string) error {
-	req := types.KVRangeRequest{
+	reqData := types.KVRangeRequest{
 		StartKey: startKey,
 		EndKey:   endKey,
 		Limit:    0, // No limit
 	}
-	jsonData, err := json.Marshal(req)
+	jsonData, err := json.Marshal(reqData)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	client := &http.Client{Timeout: 30 * time.Second} // Longer timeout for range fetches
-	url := fmt.Sprintf("http://%s/kv_range", peerAddress)
+	client := NewAuthenticatedHTTPClient(s.config, 30*time.Second) // Longer timeout for range fetches
+	protocol := GetProtocol(s.config)
+	url := fmt.Sprintf("%s://%s/kv_range", protocol, peerAddress)
 
-	resp, err := client.Post(url, "application/json", bytes.NewBuffer(jsonData))
+	req, err := http.NewRequest("POST", url, bytes.NewBuffer(jsonData))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	AddClusterAuthHeaders(req, s.config)
+
+	resp, err := client.Do(req)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -568,4 +598,4 @@ func (s *SyncService) fetchAndStoreRange(peerAddress string, startKey, endKey st
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/config/config.go b/config/config.go
index 693331f..43089ab 100644
--- a/config/config.go
+++ b/config/config.go
@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
 package config
 
 import (
+	"crypto/rand"
+	"encoding/base64"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 
-	"kvs/types"
 	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
+	"kvs/types"
 )
 
 // Default configuration
@@ -27,41 +29,61 @@ func Default() *types.Config {
 		BootstrapMaxAgeHours: 720, // 30 days
 		ThrottleDelayMs:      100,
 		FetchDelayMs:         50,
-		
+
 		// Default compression settings
 		CompressionEnabled: true,
 		CompressionLevel:   3, // Balance between performance and compression ratio
-		
+
 		// Default TTL and size limit settings
-		DefaultTTL:  "0",       // No default TTL
-		MaxJSONSize: 1048576,   // 1MB default max JSON size
-		
+		DefaultTTL:  "0",     // No default TTL
+		MaxJSONSize: 1048576, // 1MB default max JSON size
+
 		// Default rate limiting settings
 		RateLimitRequests: 100,  // 100 requests per window
 		RateLimitWindow:   "1m", // 1 minute window
-		
+
 		// Default tamper-evident logging settings
 		TamperLogActions: []string{"data_write", "user_create", "auth_failure"},
-		
+
 		// Default backup system settings
 		BackupEnabled:   true,
 		BackupSchedule:  "0 0 * * *", // Daily at midnight
 		BackupPath:      "./backups",
 		BackupRetention: 7, // Keep backups for 7 days
-		
+
 		// Default feature toggle settings (all enabled by default)
 		AuthEnabled:            true,
 		TamperLoggingEnabled:   true,
 		ClusteringEnabled:      true,
 		RateLimitingEnabled:    true,
 		RevisionHistoryEnabled: true,
-		
+
 		// Default anonymous access settings (both disabled by default for security)
-		AllowAnonymousRead:     false,
-		AllowAnonymousWrite:    false,
+		AllowAnonymousRead:  false,
+		AllowAnonymousWrite: false,
+
+		// Default cluster authentication settings (Issue #13)
+		ClusterSecret:        generateClusterSecret(),
+		ClusterTLSEnabled:    false,
+		ClusterTLSCertFile:   "",
+		ClusterTLSKeyFile:    "",
+		ClusterTLSSkipVerify: false,
 	}
 }
 
+// generateClusterSecret generates a cryptographically secure random cluster secret
+func generateClusterSecret() string {
+	// Generate 32 bytes (256 bits) of random data
+	randomBytes := make([]byte, 32)
+	if _, err := rand.Read(randomBytes); err != nil {
+		// Fallback to a warning - this should never happen in practice
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Warning: Failed to generate secure cluster secret: %v\n", err)
+		return ""
+	}
+	// Encode as base64 for easy configuration file storage
+	return base64.StdEncoding.EncodeToString(randomBytes)
+}
+
 // Load configuration from file or create default
 func Load(configPath string) (*types.Config, error) {
 	config := Default()
@@ -94,5 +116,13 @@ func Load(configPath string) (*types.Config, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse config file: %v", err)
 	}
 
+	// Generate cluster secret if not provided and clustering is enabled (Issue #13)
+	if config.ClusteringEnabled && config.ClusterSecret == "" {
+		config.ClusterSecret = generateClusterSecret()
+		fmt.Printf("Warning: No cluster_secret configured. Generated a random secret.\n")
+		fmt.Printf("         To share this secret with other nodes, add it to your config:\n")
+		fmt.Printf("         cluster_secret: %s\n", config.ClusterSecret)
+	}
+
 	return config, nil
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/daemon/daemonize.go b/daemon/daemonize.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8494bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/daemon/daemonize.go
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+package daemon
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"syscall"
+)
+
+// GetLogFilePath returns the log file path for a given config file
+func GetLogFilePath(configPath string) (string, error) {
+	logDir, err := getLogDir()
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+
+	absConfigPath, err := filepath.Abs(configPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to get absolute config path: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	basename := filepath.Base(configPath)
+	name := filepath.Base(filepath.Dir(absConfigPath)) + "_" + basename
+	return filepath.Join(logDir, name+".log"), nil
+}
+
+// Daemonize spawns the process as a daemon and returns
+func Daemonize(configPath string) error {
+	// Get absolute path to the current executable
+	executable, err := os.Executable()
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get executable path: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Get absolute path to config
+	absConfigPath, err := filepath.Abs(configPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get absolute config path: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Check if already running
+	_, running, err := ReadPID(configPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to check if instance is running: %w", err)
+	}
+	if running {
+		return fmt.Errorf("instance is already running")
+	}
+
+	// Spawn the process in background with --daemon flag
+	cmd := exec.Command(executable, "--daemon", absConfigPath)
+	cmd.SysProcAttr = &syscall.SysProcAttr{
+		Setsid: true, // Create new session
+	}
+
+	// Redirect stdout/stderr to log file
+	logDir, err := getLogDir()
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to get log directory: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(logDir, 0755); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create log directory: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	basename := filepath.Base(configPath)
+	name := filepath.Base(filepath.Dir(absConfigPath)) + "_" + basename
+	logFile := filepath.Join(logDir, name+".log")
+
+	f, err := os.OpenFile(logFile, os.O_CREATE|os.O_WRONLY|os.O_APPEND, 0644)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to open log file: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+
+	cmd.Stdout = f
+	cmd.Stderr = f
+
+	if err := cmd.Start(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to start daemon: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	fmt.Printf("Started KVS instance '%s' (PID will be written by daemon)\n", filepath.Base(configPath))
+	fmt.Printf("Logs: %s\n", logFile)
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/daemon/pid.go b/daemon/pid.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8e5240d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/daemon/pid.go
@@ -0,0 +1,171 @@
+package daemon
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"syscall"
+)
+
+// getPIDDir returns the absolute path to the PID directory
+func getPIDDir() (string, error) {
+	homeDir, err := os.UserHomeDir()
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to get user home directory: %w", err)
+	}
+	return filepath.Join(homeDir, ".kvs", "pids"), nil
+}
+
+// getLogDir returns the absolute path to the log directory
+func getLogDir() (string, error) {
+	homeDir, err := os.UserHomeDir()
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to get user home directory: %w", err)
+	}
+	return filepath.Join(homeDir, ".kvs", "logs"), nil
+}
+
+// GetPIDFilePath returns the PID file path for a given config file
+func GetPIDFilePath(configPath string) string {
+	pidDir, err := getPIDDir()
+	if err != nil {
+		// Fallback to local directory
+		pidDir = ".kvs/pids"
+	}
+
+	// Extract basename without extension
+	basename := filepath.Base(configPath)
+	name := strings.TrimSuffix(basename, filepath.Ext(basename))
+
+	return filepath.Join(pidDir, name+".pid")
+}
+
+// EnsurePIDDir creates the PID directory if it doesn't exist
+func EnsurePIDDir() error {
+	pidDir, err := getPIDDir()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	return os.MkdirAll(pidDir, 0755)
+}
+
+// WritePID writes the current process PID to a file
+func WritePID(configPath string) error {
+	if err := EnsurePIDDir(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create PID directory: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	pidFile := GetPIDFilePath(configPath)
+	pid := os.Getpid()
+
+	return os.WriteFile(pidFile, []byte(fmt.Sprintf("%d\n", pid)), 0644)
+}
+
+// ReadPID reads the PID from a file and checks if the process is running
+func ReadPID(configPath string) (int, bool, error) {
+	pidFile := GetPIDFilePath(configPath)
+
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(pidFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			return 0, false, nil
+		}
+		return 0, false, fmt.Errorf("failed to read PID file: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	pidStr := strings.TrimSpace(string(data))
+	pid, err := strconv.Atoi(pidStr)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, false, fmt.Errorf("invalid PID in file: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Check if process is actually running
+	process, err := os.FindProcess(pid)
+	if err != nil {
+		return pid, false, nil
+	}
+
+	// Send signal 0 to check if process exists
+	err = process.Signal(syscall.Signal(0))
+	if err != nil {
+		return pid, false, nil
+	}
+
+	return pid, true, nil
+}
+
+// RemovePID removes the PID file
+func RemovePID(configPath string) error {
+	pidFile := GetPIDFilePath(configPath)
+	err := os.Remove(pidFile)
+	if err != nil && !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to remove PID file: %w", err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// ListRunningInstances returns a list of running KVS instances
+func ListRunningInstances() ([]InstanceInfo, error) {
+	var instances []InstanceInfo
+
+	pidDir, err := getPIDDir()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// Check if PID directory exists
+	if _, err := os.Stat(pidDir); os.IsNotExist(err) {
+		return instances, nil
+	}
+
+	entries, err := os.ReadDir(pidDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to read PID directory: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	for _, entry := range entries {
+		if entry.IsDir() || !strings.HasSuffix(entry.Name(), ".pid") {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		name := strings.TrimSuffix(entry.Name(), ".pid")
+		configPath := name + ".yaml" // Assume .yaml extension
+
+		pid, running, err := ReadPID(configPath)
+		if err != nil {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		instances = append(instances, InstanceInfo{
+			Name:    name,
+			PID:     pid,
+			Running: running,
+		})
+	}
+
+	return instances, nil
+}
+
+// InstanceInfo holds information about a KVS instance
+type InstanceInfo struct {
+	Name    string
+	PID     int
+	Running bool
+}
+
+// StopProcess stops a process by PID
+func StopProcess(pid int) error {
+	process, err := os.FindProcess(pid)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to find process: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Try graceful shutdown first (SIGTERM)
+	if err := process.Signal(syscall.SIGTERM); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to send SIGTERM: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/features/auth.go b/features/auth.go
index 65580a5..8b9ffd6 100644
--- a/features/auth.go
+++ b/features/auth.go
@@ -99,4 +99,4 @@ func ExtractKVResourceKey(r *http.Request) string {
 		return path
 	}
 	return ""
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/features/backup.go b/features/backup.go
index 893351b..f73e4da 100644
--- a/features/backup.go
+++ b/features/backup.go
@@ -8,4 +8,4 @@ import (
 // GetBackupFilename generates a filename for a backup
 func GetBackupFilename(timestamp time.Time) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("kvs-backup-%s.zstd", timestamp.Format("2006-01-02"))
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/features/features.go b/features/features.go
index 6ee027e..e86694c 100644
--- a/features/features.go
+++ b/features/features.go
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 // Package features provides utility functions for KVS authentication, validation,
 // logging, backup, and other operational features. These functions were extracted
 // from main.go to improve code organization and maintainability.
-package features
\ No newline at end of file
+package features
diff --git a/features/ratelimit.go b/features/ratelimit.go
index 99ef49b..5906e0e 100644
--- a/features/ratelimit.go
+++ b/features/ratelimit.go
@@ -5,4 +5,4 @@ import "fmt"
 // GetRateLimitKey generates the storage key for rate limiting
 func GetRateLimitKey(userUUID string, windowStart int64) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("ratelimit:%s:%d", userUUID, windowStart)
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/features/revision.go b/features/revision.go
index d348010..395df73 100644
--- a/features/revision.go
+++ b/features/revision.go
@@ -5,4 +5,4 @@ import "fmt"
 // GetRevisionKey generates the storage key for a specific revision
 func GetRevisionKey(baseKey string, revision int) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%s:rev:%d", baseKey, revision)
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/features/tamperlog.go b/features/tamperlog.go
index 6e57f21..8e5c569 100644
--- a/features/tamperlog.go
+++ b/features/tamperlog.go
@@ -21,4 +21,4 @@ func GenerateLogSignature(timestamp, action, userUUID, resource string) string {
 	// Concatenate all fields in a deterministic order
 	data := fmt.Sprintf("%s|%s|%s|%s", timestamp, action, userUUID, resource)
 	return utils.HashSHA3512(data)
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/features/validation.go b/features/validation.go
index 096c3b5..de570df 100644
--- a/features/validation.go
+++ b/features/validation.go
@@ -21,4 +21,4 @@ func ParseTTL(ttlString string) (time.Duration, error) {
 	}
 
 	return duration, nil
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/integration_test.sh b/integration_test.sh
index e209cf3..183544f 100755
--- a/integration_test.sh
+++ b/integration_test.sh
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ cleanup() {
     log_info "Cleaning up test environment..."
     pkill -f "$BINARY" 2>/dev/null || true
     rm -rf "$TEST_DIR" 2>/dev/null || true
+    rm -rf "$HOME/.kvs" 2>/dev/null || true  # Clean up PID and log files from home dir
     sleep 2  # Allow processes to fully terminate
 }
 
@@ -53,7 +54,7 @@ wait_for_service() {
     local port=$1
     local timeout=${2:-30}
     local count=0
-    
+
     while [ $count -lt $timeout ]; do
         if curl -s "http://localhost:$port/health" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
             return 0
@@ -64,6 +65,15 @@ wait_for_service() {
     return 1
 }
 
+# Get log file path for a config file (matches daemon naming convention)
+get_log_file() {
+    local config=$1
+    local abs_path=$(realpath "$config")
+    local basename=$(basename "$config")
+    local dirname=$(basename $(dirname "$abs_path"))
+    echo "$HOME/.kvs/logs/${dirname}_${basename}.log"
+}
+
 # Test 1: Build verification
 test_build() {
     test_start "Binary build verification"
@@ -82,7 +92,7 @@ test_build() {
 # Test 2: Basic functionality
 test_basic_functionality() {
     test_start "Basic functionality test"
-    
+
     # Create basic config
     cat > basic.yaml <<EOF
 node_id: "basic-test"
@@ -94,20 +104,20 @@ log_level: "error"
 allow_anonymous_read: true
 allow_anonymous_write: true
 EOF
-    
-    # Start node
-    $BINARY basic.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1 &
-    local pid=$!
-    
+
+    # Start node using daemon command
+    $BINARY start basic.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+    sleep 2
+
     if wait_for_service 8090; then
         # Test basic CRUD
         local put_result=$(curl -s -X PUT http://localhost:8090/kv/test/basic \
             -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
             -d '{"message":"hello world"}')
-        
+
         local get_result=$(curl -s http://localhost:8090/kv/test/basic)
-        local message=$(echo "$get_result" | jq -r '.data.message' 2>/dev/null) # Adjusted jq path
-        
+        local message=$(echo "$get_result" | jq -r '.data.message' 2>/dev/null)
+
         if [ "$message" = "hello world" ]; then
             log_success "Basic CRUD operations work"
         else
@@ -116,15 +126,18 @@ EOF
     else
         log_error "Basic test node failed to start"
     fi
-    
-    kill $pid 2>/dev/null || true
-    sleep 2
+
+    $BINARY stop basic.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+    sleep 1
 }
 
 # Test 3: Cluster formation
 test_cluster_formation() {
     test_start "2-node cluster formation and Merkle Tree replication"
-    
+
+    # Shared cluster secret for authentication (Issue #13)
+    local CLUSTER_SECRET="test-cluster-secret-12345678901234567890"
+
     # Node 1 config
     cat > cluster1.yaml <<EOF
 node_id: "cluster-1"
@@ -138,8 +151,9 @@ gossip_interval_max: 10
 sync_interval: 10
 allow_anonymous_read: true
 allow_anonymous_write: true
+cluster_secret: "$CLUSTER_SECRET"
 EOF
-    
+
     # Node 2 config
     cat > cluster2.yaml <<EOF
 node_id: "cluster-2"
@@ -153,25 +167,25 @@ gossip_interval_max: 10
 sync_interval: 10
 allow_anonymous_read: true
 allow_anonymous_write: true
+cluster_secret: "$CLUSTER_SECRET"
 EOF
     
-    # Start nodes
-    $BINARY cluster1.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1 &
-    local pid1=$!
-    
+    # Start nodes using daemon commands
+    $BINARY start cluster1.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+    sleep 2
+
     if ! wait_for_service 8101; then
         log_error "Cluster node 1 failed to start"
-        kill $pid1 2>/dev/null || true
+        $BINARY stop cluster1.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
         return 1
     fi
-    
-    sleep 2 # Give node 1 a moment to fully initialize
-    $BINARY cluster2.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1 &
-    local pid2=$!
-    
+
+    $BINARY start cluster2.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+    sleep 2
+
     if ! wait_for_service 8102; then
         log_error "Cluster node 2 failed to start"
-        kill $pid1 $pid2 2>/dev/null || true
+        $BINARY stop cluster1.yaml cluster2.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
         return 1
     fi
     
@@ -219,9 +233,9 @@ EOF
     else
         log_error "Cluster formation failed (N1 members: $node1_members, N2 members: $node2_members)"
     fi
-    
-    kill $pid1 $pid2 2>/dev/null || true
-    sleep 2
+
+    $BINARY stop cluster1.yaml cluster2.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+    sleep 1
 }
 
 # Test 4: Conflict resolution (Merkle Tree based)
@@ -230,15 +244,18 @@ EOF
 # but same path. The Merkle tree sync should then trigger conflict resolution.
 test_conflict_resolution() {
     test_start "Conflict resolution test (Merkle Tree based)"
-    
+
     # Create conflicting data using our utility
     rm -rf conflict1_data conflict2_data 2>/dev/null || true
     mkdir -p conflict1_data conflict2_data
-    
+
     cd "$SCRIPT_DIR"
     if go run test_conflict.go "$TEST_DIR/conflict1_data" "$TEST_DIR/conflict2_data"; then
         cd "$TEST_DIR"
-        
+
+        # Shared cluster secret for authentication (Issue #13)
+        local CLUSTER_SECRET="conflict-cluster-secret-1234567890123"
+
         # Create configs
         cat > conflict1.yaml <<EOF
 node_id: "conflict-1"
@@ -250,8 +267,9 @@ log_level: "info"
 sync_interval: 3
 allow_anonymous_read: true
 allow_anonymous_write: true
+cluster_secret: "$CLUSTER_SECRET"
 EOF
-        
+
         cat > conflict2.yaml <<EOF
 node_id: "conflict-2"
 bind_address: "127.0.0.1"
@@ -262,18 +280,18 @@ log_level: "info"
 sync_interval: 3
 allow_anonymous_read: true
 allow_anonymous_write: true
+cluster_secret: "$CLUSTER_SECRET"
 EOF
         
-        # Start nodes
+        # Start nodes using daemon commands
         # Node 1 started first, making it "older" for tie-breaker if timestamps are equal
-        "$BINARY" conflict1.yaml >conflict1.log 2>&1 &
-        local pid1=$!
-        
+        $BINARY start conflict1.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+        sleep 2
+
         if wait_for_service 8111; then
+            $BINARY start conflict2.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
             sleep 2
-            $BINARY conflict2.yaml >conflict2.log 2>&1 &
-            local pid2=$!
-            
+
             if wait_for_service 8112; then
                 # Get initial data (full StoredValue)
                 local node1_initial_full=$(curl -s http://localhost:8111/kv/test/conflict/data)
@@ -334,8 +352,10 @@ EOF
                         log_error "Resolved data has inconsistent UUID/Timestamp: N1_UUID=$node1_final_uuid, N1_TS=$node1_final_timestamp, N2_UUID=$node2_final_uuid, N2_TS=$node2_final_timestamp"
                     fi
 
-                    # Optionally, check logs for conflict resolution messages
-                    if grep -q "Conflict resolved" conflict1.log conflict2.log 2>/dev/null; then
+                    # Check logs for conflict resolution messages
+                    local log1=$(get_log_file conflict1.yaml)
+                    local log2=$(get_log_file conflict2.yaml)
+                    if grep -q "Conflict resolved" "$log1" "$log2" 2>/dev/null; then
                         log_success "Conflict resolution messages found in logs"
                     else
                         log_error "No 'Conflict resolved' messages found in logs, but data converged."
@@ -347,14 +367,14 @@ EOF
             else
                 log_error "Conflict node 2 failed to start"
             fi
-            
-            kill $pid2 2>/dev/null || true
+
+            $BINARY stop conflict2.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
         else
             log_error "Conflict node 1 failed to start"
         fi
-        
-        kill $pid1 2>/dev/null || true
-        sleep 2
+
+        $BINARY stop conflict1.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+        sleep 1
     else
         cd "$TEST_DIR"
         log_error "Failed to create conflict test data. Ensure test_conflict.go is correct."
@@ -378,22 +398,21 @@ allow_anonymous_read: false
 allow_anonymous_write: false
 EOF
     
-    # Start node
-    $BINARY auth_test.yaml >auth_test.log 2>&1 &
-    local pid=$!
-    
+    # Start node using daemon command
+    $BINARY start auth_test.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+    sleep 3  # Allow daemon to start and root account creation
+
     if wait_for_service 8095; then
-        sleep 2  # Allow root account creation
-        
         # Extract the token from logs
-        local token=$(grep "Token:" auth_test.log | sed 's/.*Token: //' | tr -d '\n\r')
-        
+        local log_file=$(get_log_file auth_test.yaml)
+        local token=$(grep "Token:" "$log_file" | sed 's/.*Token: //' | tr -d '\n\r')
+
         if [ -z "$token" ]; then
             log_error "Failed to extract authentication token from logs"
-            kill $pid 2>/dev/null || true
+            $BINARY stop auth_test.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
             return
         fi
-        
+
         # Test 1: Admin endpoints should fail without authentication
         local no_auth_response=$(curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8095/api/users -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"nickname":"test","password":"test"}')
         if echo "$no_auth_response" | grep -q "Unauthorized"; then
@@ -401,7 +420,7 @@ EOF
         else
             log_error "Admin endpoints should reject unauthenticated requests, got: $no_auth_response"
         fi
-        
+
         # Test 2: Admin endpoints should work with valid authentication
         local auth_response=$(curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8095/api/users -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Authorization: Bearer $token" -d '{"nickname":"authtest","password":"authtest"}')
         if echo "$auth_response" | grep -q "uuid"; then
@@ -409,7 +428,7 @@ EOF
         else
             log_error "Admin endpoints should work with authentication, got: $auth_response"
         fi
-        
+
         # Test 3: KV endpoints should require auth when anonymous access is disabled
         local kv_no_auth=$(curl -s -X PUT http://localhost:8095/kv/test/auth -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"test":"auth"}')
         if echo "$kv_no_auth" | grep -q "Unauthorized"; then
@@ -417,7 +436,7 @@ EOF
         else
             log_error "KV endpoints should require auth when anonymous access disabled, got: $kv_no_auth"
         fi
-        
+
         # Test 4: KV endpoints should work with valid authentication
         local kv_auth=$(curl -s -X PUT http://localhost:8095/kv/test/auth -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Authorization: Bearer $token" -d '{"test":"auth"}')
         if echo "$kv_auth" | grep -q "uuid\|timestamp" || [ -z "$kv_auth" ]; then
@@ -425,15 +444,167 @@ EOF
         else
             log_error "KV endpoints should work with authentication, got: $kv_auth"
         fi
-        
-        kill $pid 2>/dev/null || true
-        sleep 2
+
+        $BINARY stop auth_test.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+        sleep 1
     else
         log_error "Auth test node failed to start"
-        kill $pid 2>/dev/null || true
+        $BINARY stop auth_test.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
     fi
 }
 
+# Test 6: Resource Metadata Management (Issue #12)
+test_metadata_management() {
+    test_start "Resource Metadata Management test (Issue #12)"
+
+    # Create metadata test config
+    cat > metadata_test.yaml <<EOF
+node_id: "metadata-test"
+bind_address: "127.0.0.1"
+port: 8096
+data_dir: "./metadata_test_data"
+seed_nodes: []
+log_level: "error"
+auth_enabled: true
+allow_anonymous_read: false
+allow_anonymous_write: false
+EOF
+
+    # Start node using daemon command
+    $BINARY start metadata_test.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+    sleep 3  # Allow daemon to start and root account creation
+
+    if wait_for_service 8096; then
+        # Extract the token from logs
+        local log_file=$(get_log_file metadata_test.yaml)
+        local token=$(grep "Token:" "$log_file" | sed 's/.*Token: //' | tr -d '\n\r')
+
+        if [ -z "$token" ]; then
+            log_error "Failed to extract authentication token from logs"
+            $BINARY stop metadata_test.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+            return
+        fi
+
+        # First, create a KV resource
+        curl -s -X PUT http://localhost:8096/kv/test/resource -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Authorization: Bearer $token" -d '{"data":"test"}' >/dev/null
+        sleep 1
+
+        # Test 1: Get metadata should fail for non-existent metadata (initially no metadata exists)
+        local get_response=$(curl -s -w "\n%{http_code}" -X GET http://localhost:8096/kv/test/resource/metadata -H "Authorization: Bearer $token")
+        local get_body=$(echo "$get_response" | head -n -1)
+        local get_code=$(echo "$get_response" | tail -n 1)
+
+        if [ "$get_code" = "404" ]; then
+            log_success "GET metadata returns 404 for non-existent metadata"
+        else
+            log_error "GET metadata should return 404 for non-existent metadata, got code: $get_code, body: $get_body"
+        fi
+
+        # Test 2: Update metadata should create new metadata
+        local update_response=$(curl -s -X PUT http://localhost:8096/kv/test/resource/metadata -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Authorization: Bearer $token" -d '{"owner_uuid":"test-owner-123","permissions":3840}')
+        if echo "$update_response" | grep -q "owner_uuid"; then
+            log_success "PUT metadata creates metadata successfully"
+        else
+            log_error "PUT metadata should create metadata, got: $update_response"
+        fi
+
+        # Test 3: Get metadata should now return the created metadata
+        local get_response2=$(curl -s -X GET http://localhost:8096/kv/test/resource/metadata -H "Authorization: Bearer $token")
+        if echo "$get_response2" | grep -q "test-owner-123" && echo "$get_response2" | grep -q "3840"; then
+            log_success "GET metadata returns created metadata"
+        else
+            log_error "GET metadata should return created metadata, got: $get_response2"
+        fi
+
+        # Test 4: Update metadata should modify existing metadata
+        local update_response2=$(curl -s -X PUT http://localhost:8096/kv/test/resource/metadata -H "Content-Type: application/json" -H "Authorization: Bearer $token" -d '{"owner_uuid":"new-owner-456"}')
+        if echo "$update_response2" | grep -q "new-owner-456"; then
+            log_success "PUT metadata updates existing metadata"
+        else
+            log_error "PUT metadata should update metadata, got: $update_response2"
+        fi
+
+        # Test 5: Metadata endpoints should require authentication
+        local no_auth=$(curl -s -w "\n%{http_code}" -X GET http://localhost:8096/kv/test/resource/metadata)
+        local no_auth_code=$(echo "$no_auth" | tail -n 1)
+        if [ "$no_auth_code" = "401" ]; then
+            log_success "Metadata endpoints properly require authentication"
+        else
+            log_error "Metadata endpoints should require authentication, got code: $no_auth_code"
+        fi
+
+        $BINARY stop metadata_test.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+        sleep 1
+    else
+        log_error "Metadata test node failed to start"
+        $BINARY stop metadata_test.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+    fi
+}
+
+# Test 7: Daemon commands (start, stop, status, restart)
+test_daemon_commands() {
+    test_start "Daemon command tests (start, stop, status, restart)"
+
+    # Create daemon test config
+    cat > daemon_test.yaml <<EOF
+node_id: "daemon-test"
+bind_address: "127.0.0.1"
+port: 8097
+data_dir: "./daemon_test_data"
+seed_nodes: []
+log_level: "error"
+allow_anonymous_read: true
+allow_anonymous_write: true
+EOF
+
+    # Test 1: Start command
+    $BINARY start daemon_test.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+    sleep 3  # Allow daemon to start
+
+    if wait_for_service 8097 5; then
+        log_success "Daemon 'start' command works"
+
+        # Test 2: Status command shows running
+        local status_output=$($BINARY status daemon_test.yaml 2>&1)
+        if echo "$status_output" | grep -q "RUNNING"; then
+            log_success "Daemon 'status' command shows RUNNING"
+        else
+            log_error "Daemon 'status' should show RUNNING, got: $status_output"
+        fi
+
+        # Test 3: Stop command
+        $BINARY stop daemon_test.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+        sleep 2
+
+        # Check that service is actually stopped
+        if ! curl -s "http://localhost:8097/health" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            log_success "Daemon 'stop' command works"
+        else
+            log_error "Daemon should be stopped but is still responding"
+        fi
+
+        # Test 4: Restart command
+        $BINARY restart daemon_test.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+        sleep 3
+
+        if wait_for_service 8097 5; then
+            log_success "Daemon 'restart' command works"
+
+            # Clean up
+            $BINARY stop daemon_test.yaml >/dev/null 2>&1
+            sleep 1
+        else
+            log_error "Daemon 'restart' failed to start service"
+        fi
+    else
+        log_error "Daemon 'start' command failed"
+    fi
+
+    # Ensure cleanup
+    pkill -f "daemon_test.yaml" 2>/dev/null || true
+    sleep 1
+}
+
 # Main test execution
 main() {
     echo "=================================================="
@@ -452,7 +623,9 @@ main() {
     test_cluster_formation
     test_conflict_resolution
     test_authentication_middleware
-    
+    test_metadata_management
+    test_daemon_commands
+
     # Results
     echo "=================================================="
     echo "              Test Results"
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index ebcc2d9..66c6665 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -6,26 +6,90 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"os/signal"
 	"syscall"
+	"time"
+
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
 
 	"kvs/config"
+	"kvs/daemon"
 	"kvs/server"
 )
 
-
 func main() {
-	configPath := "./config.yaml"
-
-	// Simple CLI argument parsing
-	if len(os.Args) > 1 {
-		configPath = os.Args[1]
+	if len(os.Args) < 2 {
+		// No arguments - run in foreground with default config
+		runServer("./config.yaml", false)
+		return
 	}
 
+	// Check if this is a daemon spawn
+	if os.Args[1] == "--daemon" {
+		if len(os.Args) < 3 {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: --daemon flag requires config path\n")
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+		runServer(os.Args[2], true)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Parse subcommand
+	command := os.Args[1]
+
+	switch command {
+	case "start":
+		if len(os.Args) < 3 {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Usage: kvs start <config>\n")
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+		cmdStart(normalizeConfigPath(os.Args[2]))
+
+	case "stop":
+		if len(os.Args) < 3 {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Usage: kvs stop <config>\n")
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+		cmdStop(normalizeConfigPath(os.Args[2]))
+
+	case "restart":
+		if len(os.Args) < 3 {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Usage: kvs restart <config>\n")
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+		cmdRestart(normalizeConfigPath(os.Args[2]))
+
+	case "status":
+		if len(os.Args) > 2 {
+			cmdStatusSingle(normalizeConfigPath(os.Args[2]))
+		} else {
+			cmdStatusAll()
+		}
+
+	case "help", "--help", "-h":
+		printHelp()
+
+	default:
+		// Backward compatibility: assume it's a config file path
+		runServer(command, false)
+	}
+}
+
+func runServer(configPath string, isDaemon bool) {
 	cfg, err := config.Load(configPath)
 	if err != nil {
 		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to load configuration: %v\n", err)
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 
+	// Write PID file if running as daemon
+	if isDaemon {
+		if err := daemon.WritePID(configPath); err != nil {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to write PID file: %v\n", err)
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+		defer daemon.RemovePID(configPath)
+	}
+
 	kvServer, err := server.NewServer(cfg)
 	if err != nil {
 		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to create server: %v\n", err)
@@ -46,3 +110,135 @@ func main() {
 		os.Exit(1)
 	}
 }
+
+func cmdStart(configPath string) {
+	if err := daemon.Daemonize(configPath); err != nil {
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to start: %v\n", err)
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+}
+
+func cmdStop(configPath string) {
+	pid, running, err := daemon.ReadPID(configPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to read PID: %v\n", err)
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+
+	if !running {
+		fmt.Printf("Instance '%s' is not running\n", configPath)
+		// Clean up stale PID file
+		daemon.RemovePID(configPath)
+		return
+	}
+
+	fmt.Printf("Stopping instance '%s' (PID %d)...\n", configPath, pid)
+	if err := daemon.StopProcess(pid); err != nil {
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to stop process: %v\n", err)
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+
+	// Wait a bit and verify it stopped
+	time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
+	_, stillRunning, _ := daemon.ReadPID(configPath)
+	if stillRunning {
+		fmt.Printf("Warning: Process may still be running\n")
+	} else {
+		daemon.RemovePID(configPath)
+		fmt.Printf("Stopped successfully\n")
+	}
+}
+
+func cmdRestart(configPath string) {
+	// Check if running
+	_, running, err := daemon.ReadPID(configPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to check status: %v\n", err)
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+
+	if running {
+		cmdStop(configPath)
+		// Wait a bit for clean shutdown
+		time.Sleep(2 * time.Second)
+	}
+
+	cmdStart(configPath)
+}
+
+func cmdStatusSingle(configPath string) {
+	pid, running, err := daemon.ReadPID(configPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to read PID: %v\n", err)
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+
+	if running {
+		fmt.Printf("Instance '%s': RUNNING (PID %d)\n", configPath, pid)
+	} else if pid > 0 {
+		fmt.Printf("Instance '%s': STOPPED (stale PID %d)\n", configPath, pid)
+	} else {
+		fmt.Printf("Instance '%s': STOPPED\n", configPath)
+	}
+}
+
+func cmdStatusAll() {
+	instances, err := daemon.ListRunningInstances()
+	if err != nil {
+		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Failed to list instances: %v\n", err)
+		os.Exit(1)
+	}
+
+	if len(instances) == 0 {
+		fmt.Println("No KVS instances found")
+		return
+	}
+
+	fmt.Println("KVS Instances:")
+	for _, inst := range instances {
+		status := "STOPPED"
+		if inst.Running {
+			status = "RUNNING"
+		}
+		fmt.Printf("  %-20s %s (PID %d)\n", inst.Name, status, inst.PID)
+	}
+}
+
+// normalizeConfigPath ensures config path has .yaml extension if not specified
+func normalizeConfigPath(path string) string {
+	// If path doesn't have an extension, add .yaml
+	if filepath.Ext(path) == "" {
+		return path + ".yaml"
+	}
+	return path
+}
+
+// getConfigIdentifier returns the identifier for a config (basename without extension)
+// This is used for PID files and status display
+func getConfigIdentifier(path string) string {
+	basename := filepath.Base(path)
+	return strings.TrimSuffix(basename, filepath.Ext(basename))
+}
+
+func printHelp() {
+	help := `KVS - Distributed Key-Value Store
+
+Usage:
+  kvs [config.yaml]              Run in foreground (default: ./config.yaml)
+  kvs start <config>             Start as daemon (.yaml extension optional)
+  kvs stop <config>              Stop daemon (.yaml extension optional)
+  kvs restart <config>           Restart daemon (.yaml extension optional)
+  kvs status [config]            Show status (all instances if no config given)
+  kvs help                       Show this help
+
+Examples:
+  kvs                            # Run with ./config.yaml in foreground
+  kvs node1.yaml                 # Run with node1.yaml in foreground
+  kvs start node1                # Start node1.yaml as daemon
+  kvs start node1.yaml           # Same as above
+  kvs stop node1                 # Stop node1 daemon
+  kvs status                     # Show all running instances
+  kvs status node1               # Show status of node1
+`
+	fmt.Print(help)
+}
diff --git a/server/handlers.go b/server/handlers.go
index 843f530..1f76c39 100644
--- a/server/handlers.go
+++ b/server/handlers.go
@@ -22,8 +22,6 @@ import (
 	"kvs/utils"
 )
 
-
-
 // healthHandler returns server health status
 func (s *Server) healthHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	mode := s.getMode()
@@ -215,6 +213,104 @@ func (s *Server) deleteKVHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	s.logger.WithField("path", path).Info("Value deleted")
 }
 
+// getResourceMetadataHandler retrieves metadata for a KV resource
+func (s *Server) getResourceMetadataHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	vars := mux.Vars(r)
+	path := vars["path"]
+
+	// Get metadata from storage
+	metadata, err := s.authService.GetResourceMetadata(path)
+	if err == badger.ErrKeyNotFound {
+		http.Error(w, "Not Found: No metadata exists for this resource", http.StatusNotFound)
+		return
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		s.logger.WithError(err).WithField("path", path).Error("Failed to get resource metadata")
+		http.Error(w, "Internal Server Error", http.StatusInternalServerError)
+		return
+	}
+
+	response := types.GetResourceMetadataResponse{
+		OwnerUUID:   metadata.OwnerUUID,
+		GroupUUID:   metadata.GroupUUID,
+		Permissions: metadata.Permissions,
+		TTL:         metadata.TTL,
+		CreatedAt:   metadata.CreatedAt,
+		UpdatedAt:   metadata.UpdatedAt,
+	}
+
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
+}
+
+// updateResourceMetadataHandler updates metadata for a KV resource
+func (s *Server) updateResourceMetadataHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	vars := mux.Vars(r)
+	path := vars["path"]
+
+	// Parse request body
+	var req types.UpdateResourceMetadataRequest
+	if err := json.NewDecoder(r.Body).Decode(&req); err != nil {
+		http.Error(w, "Bad Request: Invalid JSON", http.StatusBadRequest)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Get existing metadata or create new one
+	metadata, err := s.authService.GetResourceMetadata(path)
+	if err == badger.ErrKeyNotFound {
+		// Create new metadata with defaults
+		metadata = &types.ResourceMetadata{
+			OwnerUUID:   "",
+			GroupUUID:   "",
+			Permissions: types.DefaultPermissions,
+			TTL:         "",
+			CreatedAt:   time.Now().Unix(),
+			UpdatedAt:   time.Now().Unix(),
+		}
+	} else if err != nil {
+		s.logger.WithError(err).WithField("path", path).Error("Failed to get resource metadata")
+		http.Error(w, "Internal Server Error", http.StatusInternalServerError)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Update only provided fields
+	if req.OwnerUUID != nil {
+		metadata.OwnerUUID = *req.OwnerUUID
+	}
+	if req.GroupUUID != nil {
+		metadata.GroupUUID = *req.GroupUUID
+	}
+	if req.Permissions != nil {
+		metadata.Permissions = *req.Permissions
+	}
+	metadata.UpdatedAt = time.Now().Unix()
+
+	// Store updated metadata
+	if err := s.authService.SetResourceMetadata(path, metadata); err != nil {
+		s.logger.WithError(err).WithField("path", path).Error("Failed to update resource metadata")
+		http.Error(w, "Internal Server Error", http.StatusInternalServerError)
+		return
+	}
+
+	response := types.GetResourceMetadataResponse{
+		OwnerUUID:   metadata.OwnerUUID,
+		GroupUUID:   metadata.GroupUUID,
+		Permissions: metadata.Permissions,
+		TTL:         metadata.TTL,
+		CreatedAt:   metadata.CreatedAt,
+		UpdatedAt:   metadata.UpdatedAt,
+	}
+
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
+
+	s.logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
+		"path":       path,
+		"owner_uuid": metadata.OwnerUUID,
+		"group_uuid": metadata.GroupUUID,
+	}).Info("Resource metadata updated")
+}
+
 // isClusterMember checks if request is from a cluster member
 func (s *Server) isClusterMember(remoteAddr string) bool {
 	host, _, err := net.SplitHostPort(remoteAddr)
@@ -1271,3 +1367,29 @@ func (s *Server) getRevisionHistory(key string) ([]map[string]interface{}, error
 func (s *Server) getSpecificRevision(key string, revision int) (*types.StoredValue, error) {
 	return s.revisionService.GetSpecificRevision(key, revision)
 }
+
+// clusterBootstrapHandler provides the cluster secret to authenticated administrators (Issue #13)
+func (s *Server) clusterBootstrapHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+	// Ensure clustering is enabled
+	if !s.config.ClusteringEnabled {
+		http.Error(w, "Clustering is disabled", http.StatusServiceUnavailable)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Ensure cluster secret is configured
+	if s.config.ClusterSecret == "" {
+		s.logger.Error("Cluster secret is not configured")
+		http.Error(w, "Cluster secret is not configured", http.StatusInternalServerError)
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Return the cluster secret for secure bootstrap
+	response := map[string]string{
+		"cluster_secret": s.config.ClusterSecret,
+	}
+
+	s.logger.WithField("remote_addr", r.RemoteAddr).Info("Cluster secret retrieved for bootstrap")
+
+	w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+	json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(response)
+}
diff --git a/server/routes.go b/server/routes.go
index 814e5f7..a927d76 100644
--- a/server/routes.go
+++ b/server/routes.go
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package server
 
 import (
+	"net/http"
+
 	"github.com/gorilla/mux"
 )
 
@@ -11,6 +13,18 @@ func (s *Server) setupRoutes() *mux.Router {
 	// Health endpoint (always available)
 	router.HandleFunc("/health", s.healthHandler).Methods("GET")
 
+	// Resource Metadata Management endpoints (Issue #12) - Must come BEFORE general KV routes
+	// These need to be registered first to prevent /kv/{path:.+} from matching metadata paths
+	if s.config.AuthEnabled {
+		router.Handle("/kv/{path:.+}/metadata", s.authService.Middleware(
+			[]string{"admin:users:read"}, nil, "",
+		)(s.getResourceMetadataHandler)).Methods("GET")
+
+		router.Handle("/kv/{path:.+}/metadata", s.authService.Middleware(
+			[]string{"admin:users:update"}, nil, "",
+		)(s.updateResourceMetadataHandler)).Methods("PUT")
+	}
+
 	// KV endpoints (with conditional authentication based on anonymous access settings)
 	// GET endpoint - require auth if anonymous read is disabled
 	if s.config.AuthEnabled && !s.config.AllowAnonymousRead {
@@ -20,7 +34,7 @@ func (s *Server) setupRoutes() *mux.Router {
 	} else {
 		router.HandleFunc("/kv/{path:.+}", s.getKVHandler).Methods("GET")
 	}
-	
+
 	// PUT endpoint - require auth if anonymous write is disabled
 	if s.config.AuthEnabled && !s.config.AllowAnonymousWrite {
 		router.Handle("/kv/{path:.+}", s.authService.Middleware(
@@ -29,7 +43,7 @@ func (s *Server) setupRoutes() *mux.Router {
 	} else {
 		router.HandleFunc("/kv/{path:.+}", s.putKVHandler).Methods("PUT")
 	}
-	
+
 	// DELETE endpoint - always require authentication (no anonymous delete)
 	if s.config.AuthEnabled {
 		router.Handle("/kv/{path:.+}", s.authService.Middleware(
@@ -41,16 +55,32 @@ func (s *Server) setupRoutes() *mux.Router {
 
 	// Member endpoints (available when clustering is enabled)
 	if s.config.ClusteringEnabled {
+		// GET /members/ is unprotected for monitoring/inspection
 		router.HandleFunc("/members/", s.getMembersHandler).Methods("GET")
-		router.HandleFunc("/members/join", s.joinMemberHandler).Methods("POST")
-		router.HandleFunc("/members/leave", s.leaveMemberHandler).Methods("DELETE")
-		router.HandleFunc("/members/gossip", s.gossipHandler).Methods("POST")
-		router.HandleFunc("/members/pairs_by_time", s.pairsByTimeHandler).Methods("POST")
 
-		// Merkle Tree endpoints (clustering feature)
-		router.HandleFunc("/merkle_tree/root", s.getMerkleRootHandler).Methods("GET")
-		router.HandleFunc("/merkle_tree/diff", s.getMerkleDiffHandler).Methods("POST")
-		router.HandleFunc("/kv_range", s.getKVRangeHandler).Methods("POST")
+		// Apply cluster authentication middleware to all cluster communication endpoints
+		if s.clusterAuthService != nil {
+			router.Handle("/members/join", s.clusterAuthService.Middleware(http.HandlerFunc(s.joinMemberHandler))).Methods("POST")
+			router.Handle("/members/leave", s.clusterAuthService.Middleware(http.HandlerFunc(s.leaveMemberHandler))).Methods("DELETE")
+			router.Handle("/members/gossip", s.clusterAuthService.Middleware(http.HandlerFunc(s.gossipHandler))).Methods("POST")
+			router.Handle("/members/pairs_by_time", s.clusterAuthService.Middleware(http.HandlerFunc(s.pairsByTimeHandler))).Methods("POST")
+
+			// Merkle Tree endpoints (clustering feature)
+			router.Handle("/merkle_tree/root", s.clusterAuthService.Middleware(http.HandlerFunc(s.getMerkleRootHandler))).Methods("GET")
+			router.Handle("/merkle_tree/diff", s.clusterAuthService.Middleware(http.HandlerFunc(s.getMerkleDiffHandler))).Methods("POST")
+			router.Handle("/kv_range", s.clusterAuthService.Middleware(http.HandlerFunc(s.getKVRangeHandler))).Methods("POST")
+		} else {
+			// Fallback to unprotected endpoints (for backwards compatibility)
+			router.HandleFunc("/members/join", s.joinMemberHandler).Methods("POST")
+			router.HandleFunc("/members/leave", s.leaveMemberHandler).Methods("DELETE")
+			router.HandleFunc("/members/gossip", s.gossipHandler).Methods("POST")
+			router.HandleFunc("/members/pairs_by_time", s.pairsByTimeHandler).Methods("POST")
+
+			// Merkle Tree endpoints (clustering feature)
+			router.HandleFunc("/merkle_tree/root", s.getMerkleRootHandler).Methods("GET")
+			router.HandleFunc("/merkle_tree/diff", s.getMerkleDiffHandler).Methods("POST")
+			router.HandleFunc("/kv_range", s.getKVRangeHandler).Methods("POST")
+		}
 	}
 
 	// Authentication and user management endpoints (available when auth is enabled)
@@ -59,15 +89,15 @@ func (s *Server) setupRoutes() *mux.Router {
 		router.Handle("/api/users", s.authService.Middleware(
 			[]string{"admin:users:create"}, nil, "",
 		)(s.createUserHandler)).Methods("POST")
-		
+
 		router.Handle("/api/users/{uuid}", s.authService.Middleware(
 			[]string{"admin:users:read"}, nil, "",
 		)(s.getUserHandler)).Methods("GET")
-		
+
 		router.Handle("/api/users/{uuid}", s.authService.Middleware(
 			[]string{"admin:users:update"}, nil, "",
 		)(s.updateUserHandler)).Methods("PUT")
-		
+
 		router.Handle("/api/users/{uuid}", s.authService.Middleware(
 			[]string{"admin:users:delete"}, nil, "",
 		)(s.deleteUserHandler)).Methods("DELETE")
@@ -76,15 +106,15 @@ func (s *Server) setupRoutes() *mux.Router {
 		router.Handle("/api/groups", s.authService.Middleware(
 			[]string{"admin:groups:create"}, nil, "",
 		)(s.createGroupHandler)).Methods("POST")
-		
+
 		router.Handle("/api/groups/{uuid}", s.authService.Middleware(
 			[]string{"admin:groups:read"}, nil, "",
 		)(s.getGroupHandler)).Methods("GET")
-		
+
 		router.Handle("/api/groups/{uuid}", s.authService.Middleware(
 			[]string{"admin:groups:update"}, nil, "",
 		)(s.updateGroupHandler)).Methods("PUT")
-		
+
 		router.Handle("/api/groups/{uuid}", s.authService.Middleware(
 			[]string{"admin:groups:delete"}, nil, "",
 		)(s.deleteGroupHandler)).Methods("DELETE")
@@ -93,6 +123,12 @@ func (s *Server) setupRoutes() *mux.Router {
 		router.Handle("/api/tokens", s.authService.Middleware(
 			[]string{"admin:tokens:create"}, nil, "",
 		)(s.createTokenHandler)).Methods("POST")
+
+		// Cluster Bootstrap endpoint (Issue #13) - Protected by JWT authentication
+		// Allows authenticated administrators to retrieve the cluster secret for new nodes
+		router.Handle("/auth/cluster-bootstrap", s.authService.Middleware(
+			[]string{"admin:tokens:create"}, nil, "",
+		)(s.clusterBootstrapHandler)).Methods("GET")
 	}
 
 	// Revision History endpoints (available when revision history is enabled)
diff --git a/server/server.go b/server/server.go
index 22735a9..41b6e37 100644
--- a/server/server.go
+++ b/server/server.go
@@ -50,7 +50,8 @@ type Server struct {
 	backupMu      sync.RWMutex       // Protects backup status
 
 	// Authentication service
-	authService *auth.AuthService
+	authService        *auth.AuthService
+	clusterAuthService *auth.ClusterAuthService
 }
 
 // NewServer initializes and returns a new Server instance
@@ -120,6 +121,11 @@ func NewServer(config *types.Config) (*Server, error) {
 	// Initialize authentication service
 	server.authService = auth.NewAuthService(db, logger, config)
 
+	// Initialize cluster authentication service (Issue #13)
+	if config.ClusteringEnabled {
+		server.clusterAuthService = auth.NewClusterAuthService(config.ClusterSecret, logger)
+	}
+
 	// Setup initial root account if needed (Issue #3)
 	if config.AuthEnabled {
 		if err := server.setupRootAccount(); err != nil {
@@ -219,7 +225,7 @@ func (s *Server) setupRootAccount() error {
 func (s *Server) createRootUserAndToken() error {
 	rootNickname := "root"
 	adminGroupName := "admin"
-	
+
 	// Generate UUIDs
 	rootUserUUID := "root-" + time.Now().Format("20060102-150405")
 	adminGroupUUID := "admin-" + time.Now().Format("20060102-150405")
@@ -234,7 +240,7 @@ func (s *Server) createRootUserAndToken() error {
 		UpdatedAt: now,
 	}
 
-	// Create root user  
+	// Create root user
 	rootUser := types.User{
 		UUID:         rootUserUUID,
 		NicknameHash: hashUserNickname(rootNickname),
@@ -251,7 +257,7 @@ func (s *Server) createRootUserAndToken() error {
 	// Create API token with full administrative scopes
 	adminScopes := []string{
 		"admin:users:create", "admin:users:read", "admin:users:update", "admin:users:delete",
-		"admin:groups:create", "admin:groups:read", "admin:groups:update", "admin:groups:delete", 
+		"admin:groups:create", "admin:groups:read", "admin:groups:update", "admin:groups:delete",
 		"admin:tokens:create", "admin:tokens:revoke",
 		"read", "write", "delete",
 	}
@@ -269,13 +275,13 @@ func (s *Server) createRootUserAndToken() error {
 
 	// Log the token securely (one-time display)
 	s.logger.WithFields(logrus.Fields{
-		"user_uuid":    rootUserUUID,
-		"group_uuid":   adminGroupUUID,
-		"expires_at":   time.Unix(expiresAt, 0).Format(time.RFC3339),
-		"expires_in":   "24 hours",
+		"user_uuid":  rootUserUUID,
+		"group_uuid": adminGroupUUID,
+		"expires_at": time.Unix(expiresAt, 0).Format(time.RFC3339),
+		"expires_in": "24 hours",
 	}).Warn("Root account created - SAVE THIS TOKEN:")
 
-	// Display token prominently  
+	// Display token prominently
 	fmt.Printf("\n" + strings.Repeat("=", 80) + "\n")
 	fmt.Printf("🔐 ROOT ACCOUNT CREATED - INITIAL SETUP TOKEN\n")
 	fmt.Printf("===========================================\n")
@@ -309,7 +315,7 @@ func (s *Server) storeUserAndGroup(user *types.User, group *types.Group) error {
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal user data: %v", err)
 		}
-		
+
 		if err := txn.Set([]byte(auth.UserStorageKey(user.UUID)), userData); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to store user: %v", err)
 		}
@@ -319,7 +325,7 @@ func (s *Server) storeUserAndGroup(user *types.User, group *types.Group) error {
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal group data: %v", err)
 		}
-		
+
 		if err := txn.Set([]byte(auth.GroupStorageKey(group.UUID)), groupData); err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to store group: %v", err)
 		}
@@ -327,4 +333,3 @@ func (s *Server) storeUserAndGroup(user *types.User, group *types.Group) error {
 		return nil
 	})
 }
-
diff --git a/storage/compression.go b/storage/compression.go
index 0a635de..487599c 100644
--- a/storage/compression.go
+++ b/storage/compression.go
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ package storage
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	
+
 	"github.com/klauspost/compress/zstd"
 )
 
@@ -57,4 +57,4 @@ func (c *CompressionService) DecompressData(compressedData []byte) ([]byte, erro
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("decompressor not initialized")
 	}
 	return c.decompressor.DecodeAll(compressedData, nil)
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/storage/revision.go b/storage/revision.go
index 25f35c2..c248701 100644
--- a/storage/revision.go
+++ b/storage/revision.go
@@ -34,10 +34,10 @@ func GetRevisionKey(baseKey string, revision int) string {
 func (r *RevisionService) StoreRevisionHistory(txn *badger.Txn, key string, storedValue types.StoredValue, ttl time.Duration) error {
 	// Get existing metadata to check current revisions
 	metadataKey := auth.ResourceMetadataKey(key)
-	
+
 	var metadata types.ResourceMetadata
 	var currentRevisions []int
-	
+
 	// Try to get existing metadata
 	metadataData, err := r.storage.RetrieveWithDecompression(txn, []byte(metadataKey))
 	if err == badger.ErrKeyNotFound {
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ func (r *RevisionService) StoreRevisionHistory(txn *badger.Txn, key string, stor
 		if err != nil {
 			return fmt.Errorf("failed to unmarshal metadata: %v", err)
 		}
-		
+
 		// Extract current revisions (we store them as a custom field)
 		if metadata.TTL == "" {
 			currentRevisions = []int{}
@@ -69,13 +69,13 @@ func (r *RevisionService) StoreRevisionHistory(txn *badger.Txn, key string, stor
 			currentRevisions = []int{1, 2, 3} // Assume all revisions exist for existing keys
 		}
 	}
-	
+
 	// Revision rotation logic: shift existing revisions
 	if len(currentRevisions) >= 3 {
 		// Delete oldest revision (rev:3)
 		oldestRevKey := GetRevisionKey(key, 3)
 		txn.Delete([]byte(oldestRevKey))
-		
+
 		// Shift rev:2 → rev:3
 		rev2Key := GetRevisionKey(key, 2)
 		rev2Data, err := r.storage.RetrieveWithDecompression(txn, []byte(rev2Key))
@@ -83,8 +83,8 @@ func (r *RevisionService) StoreRevisionHistory(txn *badger.Txn, key string, stor
 			rev3Key := GetRevisionKey(key, 3)
 			r.storage.StoreWithTTL(txn, []byte(rev3Key), rev2Data, ttl)
 		}
-		
-		// Shift rev:1 → rev:2  
+
+		// Shift rev:1 → rev:2
 		rev1Key := GetRevisionKey(key, 1)
 		rev1Data, err := r.storage.RetrieveWithDecompression(txn, []byte(rev1Key))
 		if err == nil {
@@ -92,80 +92,80 @@ func (r *RevisionService) StoreRevisionHistory(txn *badger.Txn, key string, stor
 			r.storage.StoreWithTTL(txn, []byte(rev2Key), rev1Data, ttl)
 		}
 	}
-	
+
 	// Store current value as rev:1
 	currentValueBytes, err := json.Marshal(storedValue)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal current value for revision: %v", err)
 	}
-	
+
 	rev1Key := GetRevisionKey(key, 1)
 	err = r.storage.StoreWithTTL(txn, []byte(rev1Key), currentValueBytes, ttl)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to store revision 1: %v", err)
 	}
-	
+
 	// Update metadata with new revision count
 	metadata.UpdatedAt = time.Now().Unix()
 	metadataBytes, err := json.Marshal(metadata)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to marshal metadata: %v", err)
 	}
-	
+
 	return r.storage.StoreWithTTL(txn, []byte(metadataKey), metadataBytes, ttl)
 }
 
 // GetRevisionHistory retrieves all available revisions for a given key
 func (r *RevisionService) GetRevisionHistory(key string) ([]map[string]interface{}, error) {
 	var revisions []map[string]interface{}
-	
+
 	err := r.storage.db.View(func(txn *badger.Txn) error {
 		// Check revisions 1, 2, 3
 		for rev := 1; rev <= 3; rev++ {
 			revKey := GetRevisionKey(key, rev)
-			
+
 			revData, err := r.storage.RetrieveWithDecompression(txn, []byte(revKey))
 			if err == badger.ErrKeyNotFound {
 				continue // Skip missing revisions
 			} else if err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("failed to retrieve revision %d: %v", rev, err)
 			}
-			
+
 			var storedValue types.StoredValue
 			err = json.Unmarshal(revData, &storedValue)
 			if err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("failed to unmarshal revision %d: %v", rev, err)
 			}
-			
+
 			var data interface{}
 			err = json.Unmarshal(storedValue.Data, &data)
 			if err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("failed to unmarshal revision %d data: %v", rev, err)
 			}
-			
+
 			revision := map[string]interface{}{
 				"revision":  rev,
 				"uuid":      storedValue.UUID,
 				"timestamp": storedValue.Timestamp,
 				"data":      data,
 			}
-			
+
 			revisions = append(revisions, revision)
 		}
-		
+
 		return nil
 	})
-	
+
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	
+
 	// Sort revisions by revision number (newest first)
 	// Note: they're already in order since we iterate 1->3, but reverse for newest first
 	for i, j := 0, len(revisions)-1; i < j; i, j = i+1, j-1 {
 		revisions[i], revisions[j] = revisions[j], revisions[i]
 	}
-	
+
 	return revisions, nil
 }
 
@@ -174,23 +174,23 @@ func (r *RevisionService) GetSpecificRevision(key string, revision int) (*types.
 	if revision < 1 || revision > 3 {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid revision number: %d (must be 1-3)", revision)
 	}
-	
+
 	var storedValue types.StoredValue
 	err := r.storage.db.View(func(txn *badger.Txn) error {
 		revKey := GetRevisionKey(key, revision)
-		
+
 		revData, err := r.storage.RetrieveWithDecompression(txn, []byte(revKey))
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		
+
 		return json.Unmarshal(revData, &storedValue)
 	})
-	
+
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	
+
 	return &storedValue, nil
 }
 
@@ -200,15 +200,15 @@ func GetRevisionFromPath(path string) (string, int, error) {
 	if len(parts) < 4 || parts[len(parts)-2] != "rev" {
 		return "", 0, fmt.Errorf("invalid revision path format")
 	}
-	
+
 	revisionStr := parts[len(parts)-1]
 	revision, err := strconv.Atoi(revisionStr)
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", 0, fmt.Errorf("invalid revision number: %s", revisionStr)
 	}
-	
+
 	// Reconstruct the base key without the "/rev/N" suffix
 	baseKey := strings.Join(parts[:len(parts)-2], "/")
-	
+
 	return baseKey, revision, nil
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/storage/storage.go b/storage/storage.go
index 952725d..d16ec03 100644
--- a/storage/storage.go
+++ b/storage/storage.go
@@ -12,17 +12,17 @@ import (
 
 // StorageService handles all BadgerDB operations and data management
 type StorageService struct {
-	db               *badger.DB
-	config           *types.Config
-	compressionSvc   *CompressionService
-	logger           *logrus.Logger
+	db             *badger.DB
+	config         *types.Config
+	compressionSvc *CompressionService
+	logger         *logrus.Logger
 }
 
 // NewStorageService creates a new storage service
 func NewStorageService(db *badger.DB, config *types.Config, logger *logrus.Logger) (*StorageService, error) {
 	var compressionSvc *CompressionService
 	var err error
-	
+
 	// Initialize compression if enabled
 	if config.CompressionEnabled {
 		compressionSvc, err = NewCompressionService()
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ func (s *StorageService) Close() {
 func (s *StorageService) StoreWithTTL(txn *badger.Txn, key []byte, data []byte, ttl time.Duration) error {
 	var finalData []byte
 	var err error
-	
+
 	// Compress data if compression is enabled
 	if s.config.CompressionEnabled && s.compressionSvc != nil {
 		finalData, err = s.compressionSvc.CompressData(data)
@@ -60,14 +60,14 @@ func (s *StorageService) StoreWithTTL(txn *badger.Txn, key []byte, data []byte,
 	} else {
 		finalData = data
 	}
-	
+
 	entry := badger.NewEntry(key, finalData)
-	
+
 	// Apply TTL if specified
 	if ttl > 0 {
 		entry = entry.WithTTL(ttl)
 	}
-	
+
 	return txn.SetEntry(entry)
 }
 
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ func (s *StorageService) RetrieveWithDecompression(txn *badger.Txn, key []byte)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	
+
 	var compressedData []byte
 	err = item.Value(func(val []byte) error {
 		compressedData = append(compressedData, val...)
@@ -86,12 +86,12 @@ func (s *StorageService) RetrieveWithDecompression(txn *badger.Txn, key []byte)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	
+
 	// Decompress data if compression is enabled
 	if s.config.CompressionEnabled && s.compressionSvc != nil {
 		return s.compressionSvc.DecompressData(compressedData)
 	}
-	
+
 	return compressedData, nil
 }
 
@@ -109,4 +109,4 @@ func (s *StorageService) DecompressData(compressedData []byte) ([]byte, error) {
 		return compressedData, nil
 	}
 	return s.compressionSvc.DecompressData(compressedData)
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
diff --git a/types/types.go b/types/types.go
index bcdf027..0c90b2c 100644
--- a/types/types.go
+++ b/types/types.go
@@ -13,20 +13,20 @@ type StoredValue struct {
 
 // User represents a system user
 type User struct {
-	UUID         string   `json:"uuid"`         // Server-generated UUID
+	UUID         string   `json:"uuid"`          // Server-generated UUID
 	NicknameHash string   `json:"nickname_hash"` // SHA3-512 hash of nickname
-	Groups       []string `json:"groups"`       // List of group UUIDs this user belongs to
-	CreatedAt    int64    `json:"created_at"`   // Unix timestamp
-	UpdatedAt    int64    `json:"updated_at"`   // Unix timestamp
+	Groups       []string `json:"groups"`        // List of group UUIDs this user belongs to
+	CreatedAt    int64    `json:"created_at"`    // Unix timestamp
+	UpdatedAt    int64    `json:"updated_at"`    // Unix timestamp
 }
 
 // Group represents a user group
 type Group struct {
-	UUID        string   `json:"uuid"`        // Server-generated UUID
-	NameHash    string   `json:"name_hash"`   // SHA3-512 hash of group name
-	Members     []string `json:"members"`     // List of user UUIDs in this group
-	CreatedAt   int64    `json:"created_at"`  // Unix timestamp
-	UpdatedAt   int64    `json:"updated_at"`  // Unix timestamp
+	UUID      string   `json:"uuid"`       // Server-generated UUID
+	NameHash  string   `json:"name_hash"`  // SHA3-512 hash of group name
+	Members   []string `json:"members"`    // List of user UUIDs in this group
+	CreatedAt int64    `json:"created_at"` // Unix timestamp
+	UpdatedAt int64    `json:"updated_at"` // Unix timestamp
 }
 
 // APIToken represents a JWT authentication token
@@ -40,12 +40,12 @@ type APIToken struct {
 
 // ResourceMetadata contains ownership and permission information for stored resources
 type ResourceMetadata struct {
-	OwnerUUID   string `json:"owner_uuid"`   // UUID of the resource owner
-	GroupUUID   string `json:"group_uuid"`   // UUID of the resource group
-	Permissions int    `json:"permissions"`  // 12-bit permission mask (POSIX-inspired)
-	TTL         string `json:"ttl"`          // Time-to-live duration (Go format)
-	CreatedAt   int64  `json:"created_at"`   // Unix timestamp when resource was created
-	UpdatedAt   int64  `json:"updated_at"`   // Unix timestamp when resource was last updated
+	OwnerUUID   string `json:"owner_uuid"`  // UUID of the resource owner
+	GroupUUID   string `json:"group_uuid"`  // UUID of the resource group
+	Permissions int    `json:"permissions"` // 12-bit permission mask (POSIX-inspired)
+	TTL         string `json:"ttl"`         // Time-to-live duration (Go format)
+	CreatedAt   int64  `json:"created_at"`  // Unix timestamp when resource was created
+	UpdatedAt   int64  `json:"updated_at"`  // Unix timestamp when resource was last updated
 }
 
 // Permission constants for POSIX-inspired ACL
@@ -55,19 +55,19 @@ const (
 	PermOwnerDelete = 1 << 10
 	PermOwnerWrite  = 1 << 9
 	PermOwnerRead   = 1 << 8
-	
+
 	// Group permissions (bits 7-4)
 	PermGroupCreate = 1 << 7
 	PermGroupDelete = 1 << 6
 	PermGroupWrite  = 1 << 5
 	PermGroupRead   = 1 << 4
-	
+
 	// Others permissions (bits 3-0)
 	PermOthersCreate = 1 << 3
 	PermOthersDelete = 1 << 2
 	PermOthersWrite  = 1 << 1
 	PermOthersRead   = 1 << 0
-	
+
 	// Default permissions: Owner(1111), Group(0110), Others(0010)
 	DefaultPermissions = (PermOwnerCreate | PermOwnerDelete | PermOwnerWrite | PermOwnerRead) |
 		(PermGroupWrite | PermGroupRead) |
@@ -131,6 +131,22 @@ type CreateTokenResponse struct {
 	ExpiresAt int64  `json:"expires_at"`
 }
 
+// Resource Metadata Management API structures (Issue #12)
+type GetResourceMetadataResponse struct {
+	OwnerUUID   string `json:"owner_uuid"`
+	GroupUUID   string `json:"group_uuid"`
+	Permissions int    `json:"permissions"`
+	TTL         string `json:"ttl"`
+	CreatedAt   int64  `json:"created_at"`
+	UpdatedAt   int64  `json:"updated_at"`
+}
+
+type UpdateResourceMetadataRequest struct {
+	OwnerUUID   *string `json:"owner_uuid,omitempty"`
+	GroupUUID   *string `json:"group_uuid,omitempty"`
+	Permissions *int    `json:"permissions,omitempty"`
+}
+
 // Cluster and member management types
 type Member struct {
 	ID              string `json:"id"`
@@ -231,50 +247,57 @@ type KVRangeResponse struct {
 
 // Configuration
 type Config struct {
-	NodeID             string   `yaml:"node_id"`
-	BindAddress        string   `yaml:"bind_address"`
-	Port               int      `yaml:"port"`
-	DataDir            string   `yaml:"data_dir"`
-	SeedNodes          []string `yaml:"seed_nodes"`
-	ReadOnly           bool     `yaml:"read_only"`
-	LogLevel           string   `yaml:"log_level"`
-	GossipIntervalMin  int      `yaml:"gossip_interval_min"`
-	GossipIntervalMax  int      `yaml:"gossip_interval_max"`
-	SyncInterval       int      `yaml:"sync_interval"`
-	CatchupInterval    int      `yaml:"catchup_interval"`
-	BootstrapMaxAgeHours int    `yaml:"bootstrap_max_age_hours"`
-	ThrottleDelayMs    int      `yaml:"throttle_delay_ms"`
-	FetchDelayMs       int      `yaml:"fetch_delay_ms"`
-	
+	NodeID               string   `yaml:"node_id"`
+	BindAddress          string   `yaml:"bind_address"`
+	Port                 int      `yaml:"port"`
+	DataDir              string   `yaml:"data_dir"`
+	SeedNodes            []string `yaml:"seed_nodes"`
+	ReadOnly             bool     `yaml:"read_only"`
+	LogLevel             string   `yaml:"log_level"`
+	GossipIntervalMin    int      `yaml:"gossip_interval_min"`
+	GossipIntervalMax    int      `yaml:"gossip_interval_max"`
+	SyncInterval         int      `yaml:"sync_interval"`
+	CatchupInterval      int      `yaml:"catchup_interval"`
+	BootstrapMaxAgeHours int      `yaml:"bootstrap_max_age_hours"`
+	ThrottleDelayMs      int      `yaml:"throttle_delay_ms"`
+	FetchDelayMs         int      `yaml:"fetch_delay_ms"`
+
 	// Database compression configuration
 	CompressionEnabled bool `yaml:"compression_enabled"`
 	CompressionLevel   int  `yaml:"compression_level"`
-	
+
 	// TTL configuration
-	DefaultTTL    string `yaml:"default_ttl"`      // Go duration format, "0" means no default TTL
-	MaxJSONSize   int    `yaml:"max_json_size"`    // Maximum JSON size in bytes
-	
+	DefaultTTL  string `yaml:"default_ttl"`   // Go duration format, "0" means no default TTL
+	MaxJSONSize int    `yaml:"max_json_size"` // Maximum JSON size in bytes
+
 	// Rate limiting configuration
 	RateLimitRequests int    `yaml:"rate_limit_requests"` // Max requests per window
 	RateLimitWindow   string `yaml:"rate_limit_window"`   // Window duration (Go format)
-	
+
 	// Tamper-evident logging configuration
 	TamperLogActions []string `yaml:"tamper_log_actions"` // Actions to log
-	
+
 	// Backup system configuration
-	BackupEnabled   bool   `yaml:"backup_enabled"`    // Enable/disable automated backups
-	BackupSchedule  string `yaml:"backup_schedule"`   // Cron schedule format
-	BackupPath      string `yaml:"backup_path"`       // Directory to store backups
-	BackupRetention int    `yaml:"backup_retention"`  // Days to keep backups
-	
+	BackupEnabled   bool   `yaml:"backup_enabled"`   // Enable/disable automated backups
+	BackupSchedule  string `yaml:"backup_schedule"`  // Cron schedule format
+	BackupPath      string `yaml:"backup_path"`      // Directory to store backups
+	BackupRetention int    `yaml:"backup_retention"` // Days to keep backups
+
 	// Feature toggles for optional functionalities
 	AuthEnabled            bool `yaml:"auth_enabled"`             // Enable/disable authentication system
 	TamperLoggingEnabled   bool `yaml:"tamper_logging_enabled"`   // Enable/disable tamper-evident logging
 	ClusteringEnabled      bool `yaml:"clustering_enabled"`       // Enable/disable clustering/gossip
 	RateLimitingEnabled    bool `yaml:"rate_limiting_enabled"`    // Enable/disable rate limiting
 	RevisionHistoryEnabled bool `yaml:"revision_history_enabled"` // Enable/disable revision history
-	
+
 	// Anonymous access control (Issue #5)
-	AllowAnonymousRead     bool `yaml:"allow_anonymous_read"`     // Allow unauthenticated read access to KV endpoints
-	AllowAnonymousWrite    bool `yaml:"allow_anonymous_write"`    // Allow unauthenticated write access to KV endpoints
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+	AllowAnonymousRead  bool `yaml:"allow_anonymous_read"`  // Allow unauthenticated read access to KV endpoints
+	AllowAnonymousWrite bool `yaml:"allow_anonymous_write"` // Allow unauthenticated write access to KV endpoints
+
+	// Cluster authentication (Issue #13)
+	ClusterSecret        string `yaml:"cluster_secret"`          // Shared secret for cluster authentication (auto-generated if empty)
+	ClusterTLSEnabled    bool   `yaml:"cluster_tls_enabled"`     // Require TLS for inter-node communication
+	ClusterTLSCertFile   string `yaml:"cluster_tls_cert_file"`   // Path to TLS certificate file
+	ClusterTLSKeyFile    string `yaml:"cluster_tls_key_file"`    // Path to TLS private key file
+	ClusterTLSSkipVerify bool   `yaml:"cluster_tls_skip_verify"` // Skip TLS verification (insecure, for testing only)
+}
diff --git a/utils/hash.go b/utils/hash.go
index 1595b6a..ed23efa 100644
--- a/utils/hash.go
+++ b/utils/hash.go
@@ -22,4 +22,4 @@ func HashGroupName(groupname string) string {
 
 func HashToken(token string) string {
 	return HashSHA3512(token)
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}