diff --git a/platform/docker-compose.dev.yml b/platform/docker-compose.dev.yml
index 27cc81e..31e0e73 100644
--- a/platform/docker-compose.dev.yml
+++ b/platform/docker-compose.dev.yml
@@ -1,19 +1,19 @@
-# Phase 2A full-stack local dev/test — Postgres + egress-proxy + Provisioner + a persistent
-# "identity" instance + the Gateway, all on one machine (the documented Phase 1/2A dev
-# exception; production is the two-VM Proxmox split, see docs/LAB_ARCHITECTURE.md §1).
+# Phase 2B full-stack local dev/test — Postgres + egress-proxy + Provisioner + the lightweight
+# Platform API + the Gateway, all on one machine (the documented Phase 1/2A/2B dev exception;
+# production is the two-VM Proxmox split, see docs/LAB_ARCHITECTURE.md §1).
 #
-# "identity" is a plain, non-ephemeral instance of the existing, unmodified rootnode-academy
-# image — it's what holds the canonical roster/curriculum/progress SQLite and serves the
-# platform-shell frontend. It is NOT managed by the Provisioner and never gets destroyed/reset;
-# it's infrastructure, the same way Postgres or the egress proxy are. See
-# docs/PHASE2A_GATEWAY_AND_STUDENT_FLOW.md for why this role exists and its Phase 2B
-# optimization opportunity (it currently boots a full unused k3s cluster just to serve as the
-# identity backend — wasteful but zero-new-code, matching "don't redesign the Lab image").
+# `api` (platform/api) replaces Phase 2A's "identity" service — that was a full, --privileged
+# Lab image booting an unused k3s cluster just to serve roster/curriculum/progress APIs. This
+# is a plain Node process: no k3s, no --privileged, no terminal runtime. It owns
+# students/cohorts/enrollments/curriculum/progress/scenario_attempts in Postgres and is the
+# only service that talks to the Provisioner (student launch/reset AND instructor/admin
+# actions) — see docs/PHASE2B_ADMIN_AND_PLATFORM_DATA.md.
 #
-# gateway and provisioner both run with network_mode: host — both need to reach ephemeral
-# per-student Lab containers by their internal Docker-network IP, the same requirement that
-# already applies to the Provisioner's own firewall management (see
-# platform/provisioner/docker-compose.dev.yml).
+# gateway, provisioner, and api's egress-adjacent needs aside, `api` does NOT need
+# network_mode: host — it never touches Docker networking or firewall rules itself, it only
+# calls the Provisioner's HTTP API and Postgres. gateway and provisioner keep network_mode:
+# host because they need to reach ephemeral per-student Lab containers by internal IP /
+# manage firewall rules on the host network namespace.
 
 services:
   postgres:
@@ -54,14 +54,27 @@ services:
       postgres:
         condition: service_healthy
 
-  identity:
-    image: ${LAB_IMAGE_REF:-rootnode-academy:test}
-    privileged: true
-    network_mode: bridge
-    ports:
-      - "7554:80"
-    volumes:
-      - identity-data:/data
+  api:
+    build:
+      context: ..
+      dockerfile: platform/api/Dockerfile
+    network_mode: host   # needs to reach the Provisioner at localhost:4100 (host-networked);
+                          # port 4300 is directly the host's port under host networking, no
+                          # `ports:` mapping needed (and compose rejects one with this mode).
+    environment:
+      # localhost:5433, not the "postgres" compose hostname — network_mode: host means this
+      # container is on the host's network namespace, not the compose bridge network, so
+      # compose's internal DNS doesn't resolve here (same reason Provisioner uses localhost too).
+      PLATFORM_DB_URL: postgres://postgres:postgres@localhost:5433/rootnode_platform
+      PROVISIONER_URL: "http://localhost:4100"
+      PROVISIONER_SHARED_SECRET: ${PROVISIONER_SHARED_SECRET:?set a real secret, do not use a default}
+      ADMIN_PASSWORD: ${ADMIN_PASSWORD:?set an instructor password, do not use a default}
+      PLATFORM_API_PORT: "4300"
+    depends_on:
+      postgres:
+        condition: service_healthy
+      provisioner:
+        condition: service_started
 
   gateway:
     build: ./gateway
@@ -70,10 +83,7 @@ services:
       GATEWAY_PORT: "4200"
       PROVISIONER_URL: "http://localhost:4100"
       PROVISIONER_SHARED_SECRET: ${PROVISIONER_SHARED_SECRET:?set a real secret, do not use a default}
-      IDENTITY_BACKEND_URL: "http://localhost:7554"
+      PLATFORM_API_URL: "http://localhost:4300"
     depends_on:
       - provisioner
-      - identity
-
-volumes:
-  identity-data:
+      - api