diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 6dbe635..934f4eb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@ on:
   workflow_dispatch:
     inputs:
       version:
-        description: 'Semantic Version Tag (e.g. v0.1.0)'
+        description: 'Semantic Version Tag (e.g. v1.0.0-rc.26)'
         required: true
-        default: 'v0.1.0'
+        default: 'v1.0.0-rc.26'
 
 jobs:
   release:
@@ -20,19 +20,35 @@ jobs:
       packages: write
 
     steps:
-      - name: Determine Release Tag
+      - name: Determine Release Tag & Type
         id: release_tag
+        env:
+          EVENT_NAME: ${{ github.event_name }}
+          INPUT_VERSION: ${{ inputs.version }}
+          REF_NAME: ${{ github.ref_name }}
         run: |
-          if [ "${{ github.event_name }}" = "workflow_dispatch" ]; then
-            TAG="${{ inputs.version }}"
+          if [ "$EVENT_NAME" = "workflow_dispatch" ]; then
+            TAG="$INPUT_VERSION"
           else
-            TAG="${{ github.ref_name }}"
+            TAG="$REF_NAME"
           fi
-          if ! echo "$TAG" | grep -Eq '^v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$'; then
-            echo "Error: Tag '$TAG' does not match semver format vX.Y.Z"
+
+          if [[ "$TAG" == *$'\n'* || "$TAG" == *$'\r'* ]]; then
+            echo "Error: Tag must be a single line"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          if ! printf '%s\n' "$TAG" | grep -Eq '^v(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)(-rc\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*))?$'; then
+            echo "Error: Tag '$TAG' does not match semver format vX.Y.Z or vX.Y.Z-rc.N"
             exit 1
           fi
-          echo "tag=$TAG" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+
+          printf 'tag=%s\n' "$TAG" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          if echo "$TAG" | grep -q '\-rc'; then
+            printf 'is_prerelease=true\n' >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            printf 'is_prerelease=false\n' >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
 
       - name: Checkout repository
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -59,9 +75,8 @@ jobs:
         with:
           images: ghcr.io/${{ github.repository }}
           tags: |
-            type=semver,pattern={{version}},value=${{ steps.release_tag.outputs.tag }}
-            type=semver,pattern={{major}}.{{minor}},value=${{ steps.release_tag.outputs.tag }}
-            type=raw,value=latest
+            type=raw,value=${{ steps.release_tag.outputs.tag }}
+            type=raw,value=latest,enable=${{ steps.release_tag.outputs.is_prerelease == 'false' }}
 
       - name: Build & Push Multi-Arch Container Image
         uses: docker/build-push-action@v6
@@ -90,6 +105,7 @@ jobs:
         with:
           tag_name: ${{ steps.release_tag.outputs.tag }}
           name: Release ${{ steps.release_tag.outputs.tag }}
+          prerelease: ${{ steps.release_tag.outputs.is_prerelease == 'true' }}
           generate_release_notes: true
           body: |
             ## 🚀 InfraMap Single Binary Container Release
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 659e83c..a983920 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -48,9 +48,9 @@ docker-run: docker-build ## Start production Docker Compose environment
 	@echo "Starting production Docker Compose environment..."
 	docker compose up -d
 
-release: ## Create and push semantic version git tag (usage: make release VERSION=v0.1.0)
-	@if [ -z "$(VERSION)" ]; then echo "Error: VERSION is required (e.g. make release VERSION=v0.1.0)"; exit 1; fi
-	@if ! echo "$(VERSION)" | grep -Eq '^v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$$'; then echo "Error: VERSION must match semver pattern vX.Y.Z (e.g. v0.1.0)"; exit 1; fi
+release: ## Create and push semantic version git tag (usage: make release VERSION=v1.0.0-rc.26)
+	@if [ -z "$(VERSION)" ]; then echo "Error: VERSION is required (e.g. make release VERSION=v1.0.0-rc.26)"; exit 1; fi
+	@if ! echo "$(VERSION)" | grep -Eq '^v(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*)(-rc\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*))?$$'; then echo "Error: VERSION must match semver pattern vX.Y.Z or vX.Y.Z-rc.N (e.g. v1.0.0-rc.26)"; exit 1; fi
 	@echo "Creating and pushing tag $(VERSION)..."
 	git tag -a $(VERSION) -m "Release $(VERSION)"
 	git push origin $(VERSION)
diff --git a/docs/RELEASE.md b/docs/RELEASE.md
index 35bcaeb..a35d0ac 100644
--- a/docs/RELEASE.md
+++ b/docs/RELEASE.md
@@ -8,35 +8,40 @@ This document outlines the versioning policy, automated release workflow, and ro
 
 InfraMap adheres strictly to **Semantic Versioning (SemVer 2.0.0)**:
 
-- `v{MAJOR}.{MINOR}.{PATCH}` (e.g. `v0.1.0`)
+- `v{MAJOR}.{MINOR}.{PATCH}` (e.g. `v1.0.0`)
+- `v{MAJOR}.{MINOR}.{PATCH}-rc.{N}` (e.g. `v1.0.0-rc.26` for Release Candidates)
   - **MAJOR**: Incompatible API changes or breaking architecture refactors.
   - **MINOR**: Backward-compatible new features (e.g. new integration discovery provider).
   - **PATCH**: Backward-compatible bug fixes and security patches.
+  - **RELEASE CANDIDATES (`-rc.N`)**: Pre-releases published to GHCR for validation before stable release. Pre-releases are tagged on GHCR as `:vX.Y.Z-rc.N` (the `:latest` tag is only updated on stable releases).
 
 ---
 
 ## 2. Triggering an Automated Release
 
-To initiate a release:
+To initiate a release candidate or stable release:
 
 ```bash
 # Ensure you are on develop with all PRs merged and quality gates passing
 git checkout develop
 git pull origin develop
 
-# Create and push the release tag (e.g. v0.1.0)
-make release VERSION=v0.1.0
+# Trigger release candidate build
+make release VERSION=v1.0.0-rc.26
+
+# Or trigger stable release build
+make release VERSION=v1.0.0
 ```
 
 ### What GitHub Actions Pipeline Does Automatically
 
 Upon receiving a tag matching `v*.*.*`:
 
-1. **Tag Format Validation**: Validates exact SemVer `vX.Y.Z` structure.
+1. **Tag Format Validation**: Validates exact SemVer `vX.Y.Z` or `vX.Y.Z-rc.N` structure.
 2. **Multi-Architecture Container Build**: Builds `linux/amd64` and `linux/arm64` container images with Docker Buildx.
-3. **Container Registry Tagging**: Tags images on `ghcr.io/matheus-souza/inframap` with `:v0.1.0`, `:v0.1`, and `:latest`.
+3. **Container Registry Tagging**: Tags images on `ghcr.io/matheus-souza/inframap` with `:vX.Y.Z-rc.N` (and updates `:latest` tag only for stable releases).
 4. **Vulnerability Scanning**: Runs Trivy security scanner against `CRITICAL` and `HIGH` CVEs.
-5. **GitHub Release Generation**: Creates a GitHub Release with auto-generated release notes and installation instructions.
+5. **GitHub Release Generation**: Creates a GitHub Release (marked as Pre-release for `-rc.N` tags) with auto-generated release notes and quick-start guides.
 
 ---
 
@@ -45,8 +50,8 @@ Upon receiving a tag matching `v*.*.*`:
 Before deploying a new version to production homelab nodes:
 
 ```bash
-# Pull the newly published container image
-docker pull ghcr.io/matheus-souza/inframap:v0.1.0
+# Pull the newly published release candidate container image
+docker pull ghcr.io/matheus-souza/inframap:v1.0.0-rc.26
 
 # Verify health status
 curl -f http://localhost:8055/api/v1/health
@@ -58,9 +63,9 @@ curl -f http://localhost:8055/api/v1/health
 
 If a release candidate exhibits issues in your environment:
 
-1. Update your `docker-compose.yml` image tag to the previous stable release:
+1. Update your `docker-compose.yml` image tag to the previous stable release or working RC:
    ```yaml
-   image: ghcr.io/matheus-souza/inframap:v0.0.9
+   image: ghcr.io/matheus-souza/inframap:v1.0.0-rc.25
    ```
 2. Restart the stack:
    ```bash