diff --git a/backend/config/seed.php b/backend/config/seed.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e7bc58a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/config/seed.php
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+<?php
+
+return [
+    'admin' => [
+        'email' => env('ADMIN_EMAIL', 'admin@tide.test'),
+        'display_name' => env('ADMIN_DISPLAY_NAME', 'admin'),
+        'password' => env('ADMIN_PASSWORD', 'changemenow'),
+    ],
+];
diff --git a/backend/database/seeders/AdminUserSeeder.php b/backend/database/seeders/AdminUserSeeder.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ea9890a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/database/seeders/AdminUserSeeder.php
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Database\Seeders;
+
+use App\Auth\PasswordHasher;
+use App\Shared\ValueObject\EmailAddress;
+use App\User\CreateUserDto;
+use App\User\User;
+use App\User\UserRepository;
+use DateTimeImmutable;
+use DateTimeZone;
+use Illuminate\Database\Seeder;
+
+class AdminUserSeeder extends Seeder
+{
+    public function __construct(
+        private UserRepository $userRepo,
+        private PasswordHasher $hasher,
+    ) {}
+
+    public function run(): void
+    {
+        $email = config('seed.admin.email', 'admin@tide.test');
+        $displayName = config('seed.admin.display_name', 'admin');
+        $password = config('seed.admin.password', 'changemenow');
+
+        $emailVo = new EmailAddress($email);
+        if ($this->userRepo->findByEmail($emailVo) !== null) {
+            return;
+        }
+
+        $now = new DateTimeImmutable('now', new DateTimeZone('UTC'));
+        $created = $this->userRepo->create(new CreateUserDto(
+            email: $emailVo,
+            displayName: $displayName,
+            passwordHash: $this->hasher->hash($password),
+            isAdmin: false,
+            emailConfirmedAt: $now,
+        ));
+        $this->userRepo->update(new User(
+            id: $created->getId(),
+            email: $created->getEmail(),
+            displayName: $created->getDisplayName(),
+            passwordHash: $created->getPasswordHash(),
+            isAdmin: true,
+            emailConfirmedAt: $now,
+        ));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/backend/database/seeders/CommentSeeder.php b/backend/database/seeders/CommentSeeder.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1755bcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/database/seeders/CommentSeeder.php
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Database\Seeders;
+
+use App\Comment\CommentRepository;
+use App\Comment\CreateCommentDto;
+use App\Post\PostRepository;
+use App\Shared\ValueObject\EmailAddress;
+use App\User\UserRepository;
+use DateTimeImmutable;
+use DateTimeZone;
+use Illuminate\Database\Seeder;
+
+class CommentSeeder extends Seeder
+{
+    public function __construct(
+        private CommentRepository $commentRepo,
+        private PostRepository $postRepo,
+        private UserRepository $userRepo,
+    ) {}
+
+    public function run(): void
+    {
+        $now = new DateTimeImmutable('now', new DateTimeZone('UTC'));
+        $bob = $this->userRepo->findByEmail(
+            new EmailAddress('bob@example.com'),
+        );
+        $carol = $this->userRepo->findByEmail(
+            new EmailAddress('carol@example.com'),
+        );
+        if ($bob === null || $carol === null) {
+            return;
+        }
+        $posts = $this->postRepo->findRecent(10);
+        if (count($posts) === 0) {
+            return;
+        }
+        $firstPost = $posts[0];
+
+        $this->commentRepo->create(new CreateCommentDto(
+            postId: $firstPost->getId(),
+            userId: $bob->getId(),
+            body: 'Welcome aboard!',
+            createdAt: $now,
+        ));
+        $this->commentRepo->create(new CreateCommentDto(
+            postId: $firstPost->getId(),
+            userId: $carol->getId(),
+            body: 'Looking forward to more.',
+            createdAt: $now->modify('+1 minute'),
+        ));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/backend/database/seeders/DatabaseSeeder.php b/backend/database/seeders/DatabaseSeeder.php
index 6b901f8..603a20f 100644
--- a/backend/database/seeders/DatabaseSeeder.php
+++ b/backend/database/seeders/DatabaseSeeder.php
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 namespace Database\Seeders;
 
-use App\Models\User;
 use Illuminate\Database\Console\Seeds\WithoutModelEvents;
 use Illuminate\Database\Seeder;
 
@@ -10,16 +9,13 @@ class DatabaseSeeder extends Seeder
 {
     use WithoutModelEvents;
 
-    /**
-     * Seed the application's database.
-     */
     public function run(): void
     {
-        // User::factory(10)->create();
-
-        User::factory()->create([
-            'name' => 'Test User',
-            'email' => 'test@example.com',
+        $this->call([
+            AdminUserSeeder::class,
+            UserSeeder::class,
+            PostSeeder::class,
+            CommentSeeder::class,
         ]);
     }
 }
diff --git a/backend/database/seeders/PostSeeder.php b/backend/database/seeders/PostSeeder.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ccefd2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/database/seeders/PostSeeder.php
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Database\Seeders;
+
+use App\Post\CreatePostDto;
+use App\Post\PostRepository;
+use App\Shared\ValueObject\EmailAddress;
+use App\User\UserRepository;
+use DateTimeImmutable;
+use DateTimeZone;
+use Illuminate\Database\Seeder;
+
+class PostSeeder extends Seeder
+{
+    public function __construct(
+        private PostRepository $postRepo,
+        private UserRepository $userRepo,
+    ) {}
+
+    public function run(): void
+    {
+        $now = new DateTimeImmutable('now', new DateTimeZone('UTC'));
+        $samples = [
+            [
+                'email' => 'alice@example.com',
+                'title' => 'Hello World',
+                'body' => 'My first post on TIDE.',
+            ],
+            [
+                'email' => 'bob@example.com',
+                'title' => 'Riding the wave',
+                'body' => 'Bob shares his thoughts.',
+            ],
+            [
+                'email' => 'carol@example.com',
+                'title' => 'Notes from week one',
+                'body' => 'Carol lays out her plan.',
+            ],
+        ];
+        foreach ($samples as $index => $sample) {
+            $author = $this->userRepo->findByEmail(
+                new EmailAddress($sample['email']),
+            );
+            if ($author === null) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            $this->postRepo->create(new CreatePostDto(
+                userId: $author->getId(),
+                title: $sample['title'],
+                body: $sample['body'],
+                createdAt: $now->modify("-{$index} hour"),
+            ));
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/backend/database/seeders/UserSeeder.php b/backend/database/seeders/UserSeeder.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c877477
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/database/seeders/UserSeeder.php
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Database\Seeders;
+
+use App\Auth\PasswordHasher;
+use App\Shared\ValueObject\EmailAddress;
+use App\User\CreateUserDto;
+use App\User\UserRepository;
+use DateTimeImmutable;
+use DateTimeZone;
+use Illuminate\Database\Seeder;
+
+class UserSeeder extends Seeder
+{
+    public function __construct(
+        private UserRepository $userRepo,
+        private PasswordHasher $hasher,
+    ) {}
+
+    public function run(): void
+    {
+        $now = new DateTimeImmutable('now', new DateTimeZone('UTC'));
+        $samples = [
+            ['email' => 'alice@example.com', 'displayName' => 'alice'],
+            ['email' => 'bob@example.com', 'displayName' => 'bob'],
+            ['email' => 'carol@example.com', 'displayName' => 'carol'],
+        ];
+        foreach ($samples as $sample) {
+            $email = new EmailAddress($sample['email']);
+            if ($this->userRepo->findByEmail($email) !== null) {
+                continue;
+            }
+            $this->userRepo->create(new CreateUserDto(
+                email: $email,
+                displayName: $sample['displayName'],
+                passwordHash: $this->hasher->hash('longenoughpassword'),
+                isAdmin: false,
+                emailConfirmedAt: $now,
+            ));
+        }
+    }
+}