diff --git a/backend/config/__init__.py b/backend/config/__init__.py
index 063cd2c..0183ce0 100644
--- a/backend/config/__init__.py
+++ b/backend/config/__init__.py
@@ -1,2 +1,5 @@
-import pymysql
-pymysql.install_as_MySQLdb()
+try:
+    import pymysql
+    pymysql.install_as_MySQLdb()
+except ImportError:
+    pass  # Docker uses mysqlclient natively