diff --git a/.github/workflows/publish.yml b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
index 56df65ea0..ff149b6bc 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/publish.yml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ on:
   push:
     branches:
       - master
-      # - 4451-new-deployment-with-base-and-code # for testing while developing
+      # - 5065-automatic-deployment-to-stage.ocelot.social-on-push-to-master-branch # for testing while developing
 
 jobs:
   ##############################################################################
@@ -246,6 +246,71 @@ jobs:
       - name: Push maintenance
         run: docker push --all-tags ocelotsocialnetwork/maintenance
 
+  ##############################################################################
+  # JOB: KUBERNETES DEPLOY ACTUAL/LATEST VERSION ######################################
+  ##############################################################################
+  kubernetes_deploy:
+    # see example https://github.com/do-community/example-doctl-action
+    # see example https://github.com/do-community/example-doctl-action/blob/main/.github/workflows/workflow.yaml
+    name: Kubernetes deploy of latest version to stage.ocelot.social cluster at DigitalOcean
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    needs: [upload_to_dockerhub]
+    steps:
+      ##########################################################################
+      # CHECKOUT CODE ##########################################################
+      ##########################################################################
+      - name: Checkout code
+        uses: actions/checkout@v2
+      ##########################################################################
+      # SET ENVS ###############################################################
+      ##########################################################################
+      - name: ENV - VERSION
+        run: echo "VERSION=$(node -p -e "require('./package.json').version")" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+      - name: ENV - BUILD_VERSION
+        run: echo "BUILD_VERSION=${VERSION}-${GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER}" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+      ##########################################################################
+      # Install DigitalOceans doctl and set kubeconfig #########################
+      ##########################################################################
+      - name: Install doctl
+        uses: digitalocean/action-doctl@v2
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.DIGITALOCEAN_ACCESS_TOKEN }}
+      - name: Save DigitalOcean kubeconfig with short-lived credentials
+        run: doctl kubernetes cluster kubeconfig save --expiry-seconds 600 cluster-stage-ocelot-social
+      ##########################################################################
+      # Deploy new Docker images to DigitalOcean Kubernetes cluster ############
+      ##########################################################################
+      # - name: Deploy 'latest' to DigitalOcean Kubernetes
+      #   run: |
+      #     kubectl -n default set image deployment/ocelot-webapp container-ocelot-webapp=ocelotsocialnetwork/webapp:latest
+      #     kubectl -n default rollout restart deployment/ocelot-webapp
+      #     kubectl -n default set image deployment/ocelot-backend container-ocelot-backend=ocelotsocialnetwork/backend:latest
+      #     kubectl -n default rollout restart deployment/ocelot-backend
+      #     kubectl -n default set image deployment/ocelot-maintenance container-ocelot-maintenance=ocelotsocialnetwork/maintenance:latest
+      #     kubectl -n default rollout restart deployment/ocelot-maintenance
+      #     kubectl -n default set image deployment/ocelot-neo4j container-ocelot-neo4j=ocelotsocialnetwork/neo4j-community:latest
+      #     kubectl -n default rollout restart deployment/ocelot-neo4j
+      - name: Deploy actual version '$BUILD_VERSION' to DigitalOcean Kubernetes
+        run: |
+          kubectl -n default set image deployment/ocelot-webapp container-ocelot-webapp=ocelotsocialnetwork/webapp:$BUILD_VERSION
+          kubectl -n default rollout restart deployment/ocelot-webapp
+          kubectl -n default set image deployment/ocelot-backend container-ocelot-backend=ocelotsocialnetwork/backend:$BUILD_VERSION
+          kubectl -n default rollout restart deployment/ocelot-backend
+          kubectl -n default set image deployment/ocelot-maintenance container-ocelot-maintenance=ocelotsocialnetwork/maintenance:$BUILD_VERSION
+          kubectl -n default rollout restart deployment/ocelot-maintenance
+          kubectl -n default set image deployment/ocelot-neo4j container-ocelot-neo4j=ocelotsocialnetwork/neo4j-community:$BUILD_VERSION
+          kubectl -n default rollout restart deployment/ocelot-neo4j
+      - name: Verify deployment and wait for the pods of each deplyment to get ready for cleaning and seeding of the database
+        run: |
+          kubectl -n default rollout status deployment/ocelot-backend --timeout=600s
+          kubectl -n default rollout status deployment/ocelot-neo4j --timeout=600s
+        # kubectl -n default rollout status deployment/ocelot-maintenance --timeout=600s
+        # kubectl -n default rollout status deployment/ocelot-webapp --timeout=600s
+      - name: Reset and seed Neo4j database via backend for staging
+        # db cleaning and seeding is only possible in production if env 'PRODUCTION_DB_CLEAN_ALLOW=true' is set in deployment
+        run: |
+          kubectl -n default exec -it $(kubectl -n default get pods | grep ocelot-backend | awk '{ print $1 }') -- /bin/sh -c "node --experimental-repl-await dist/db/clean.js && node --experimental-repl-await dist/db/seed.js"
+
   ##############################################################################
   # JOB: GITHUB TAG LATEST VERSION #############################################
   ##############################################################################
@@ -313,4 +378,4 @@ jobs:
           release_name: ${{ env.VERSION }}
           body_path: ./CHANGELOG.md
           draft: false
-          prerelease: false
\ No newline at end of file
+          prerelease: false
diff --git a/backend/src/config/index.js b/backend/src/config/index.js
index d6d8cc166..6ad8c578b 100644
--- a/backend/src/config/index.js
+++ b/backend/src/config/index.js
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ const environment = {
   DEBUG: env.NODE_ENV !== 'production' && env.DEBUG,
   TEST: env.NODE_ENV === 'test',
   PRODUCTION: env.NODE_ENV === 'production',
+  // used for staging enviroments if 'PRODUCTION=true' and 'PRODUCTION_DB_CLEAN_ALLOW=true'
+  PRODUCTION_DB_CLEAN_ALLOW: env.PRODUCTION_DB_CLEAN_ALLOW === 'true' || false, // default = false
   DISABLED_MIDDLEWARES: (env.NODE_ENV !== 'production' && env.DISABLED_MIDDLEWARES) || false,
 }
 
diff --git a/backend/src/db/clean.js b/backend/src/db/clean.js
index db8e8aad6..eac26036c 100644
--- a/backend/src/db/clean.js
+++ b/backend/src/db/clean.js
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-import { cleanDatabase } from '../db/factories'
 import CONFIG from '../config'
+import { cleanDatabase } from '../db/factories'
 
-if (CONFIG.PRODUCTION) {
-  throw new Error(`You cannot clean the database in production environment!`)
+if (CONFIG.PRODUCTION && !CONFIG.PRODUCTION_DB_CLEAN_ALLOW) {
+  throw new Error(`You cannot clean the database in a non-staging and real production environment!`)
 }
 
 ;(async function () {
diff --git a/backend/src/db/seed.js b/backend/src/db/seed.js
index 7bfd4f159..46c5870e0 100644
--- a/backend/src/db/seed.js
+++ b/backend/src/db/seed.js
@@ -1,11 +1,16 @@
 import sample from 'lodash/sample'
 import { createTestClient } from 'apollo-server-testing'
+import CONFIG from '../config'
 import createServer from '../server'
 import faker from '@faker-js/faker'
 import Factory from '../db/factories'
 import { getNeode, getDriver } from '../db/neo4j'
 import { gql } from '../helpers/jest'
 
+if (CONFIG.PRODUCTION && !CONFIG.PRODUCTION_DB_CLEAN_ALLOW) {
+  throw new Error(`You cannot seed the database in a non-staging and real production environment!`)
+}
+
 const languages = ['de', 'en', 'es', 'fr', 'it', 'pt', 'pl']
 
 /* eslint-disable no-multi-spaces */