feat!: major simplification - refocus on core remote access mission (v1.3.0)

BREAKING CHANGES: Pi Gateway refocused on secure remote access.
Advanced features moved to optional extensions.

Removed from Core:
- Container orchestration → extensions/containers/
- Web status dashboard → extensions/dashboard/
- Cloud backup integration → extensions/backup/
- Network optimizer → extensions/network/
- Auto-maintenance system → extensions/maintenance/
- Monitoring system → extensions/monitoring/

UI Simplification:
- Removed all emojis and colors (plain text only)
- Removed progress bars and ASCII art
- Simplified setup menu (3 choices instead of nested menus)
- Reduced setup.sh from 748 to 351 lines (53% reduction)

Core Focus:
Pi Gateway now exclusively provides:
- SSH hardening and secure access
- WireGuard VPN server setup
- Firewall configuration (UFW + fail2ban)
- System security hardening
- Optional: Remote desktop (VNC) and Dynamic DNS

Changes:
- setup.sh: Complete rewrite with simplified menu system
- common.sh: Removed all color/emoji formatting, plain text only
- README.md: Updated mission and scope
- VERSION: 1.2.0 → 1.3.0
- Created extensions/ system for advanced features
- Added extensions/README.md documentation

Migration:
- Core users (SSH + VPN): No changes needed, simpler setup
- Advanced features: Available in extensions/, run manually
- Extensions are standalone: sudo extensions/containers/container-support.sh

Closes: Major refactoring for production simplicity

Author: vnykmshr

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -5,6 +5,59 @@ All notable changes to Pi Gateway will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [1.3.0] - 2025-10-31
+
+### BREAKING CHANGES
+
+**Major Simplification Release** - Pi Gateway refocused on core mission: secure remote access gateway.
+
+#### Removed from Core
+- Container orchestration (moved to `extensions/containers/`)
+- Web status dashboard (moved to `extensions/dashboard/`)
+- Cloud backup integration (moved to `extensions/backup/`)
+- Network optimizer (moved to `extensions/network/`)
+- Auto-maintenance system (moved to `extensions/maintenance/`)
+- Monitoring system (moved to `extensions/monitoring/`)
+
+#### UI Changes
+- Removed all emojis and colors from output (plain text only)
+- Removed progress bars and ASCII art
+- Simplified setup menu (3 choices instead of complex nested menus)
+- Reduced setup.sh from 748 to 352 lines (53% reduction)
+
+#### Core Focus
+Pi Gateway now focuses exclusively on:
+- SSH hardening and secure access
+- WireGuard VPN server setup
+- Firewall configuration
+- System security hardening
+- Optional: Remote desktop (VNC) and Dynamic DNS
+
+### Added
+- Extensions system for optional advanced features
+- Plain text output for better scriptability
+- Simplified setup experience
+- Extensions documentation
+
+### Changed
+- Refocused project scope on secure remote access
+- Moved advanced features to optional extensions
+- Simplified common.sh (removed colors, emojis)
+- Updated README to reflect new mission
+
+### Fixed
+- Version inconsistency between VERSION file and common.sh
+
+### Migration Guide
+
+**If you used advanced features:**
+1. Advanced features still available in `extensions/` directory
+2. Run extension scripts manually: `sudo extensions/containers/container-support.sh`
+3. Extensions are standalone and optional
+
+**Core users (SSH + VPN only):**
+- No changes needed, setup process is simpler and faster
+
 ## [1.2.0] - 2025-09-21
 
 ### Added

README.md

@@ -1,17 +1,15 @@
-# Pi Gateway - Homelab Bootstrap
+# Pi Gateway
 
 [![CI Status](https://github.com/vnykmshr/pi-gateway/workflows/Pi%20Gateway%20CI/badge.svg)](https://github.com/vnykmshr/pi-gateway/actions)
 [![Release](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/vnykmshr/pi-gateway)](https://github.com/vnykmshr/pi-gateway/releases)
 [![License](https://img.shields.io/github/license/vnykmshr/pi-gateway)](LICENSE)
 [![Tests](https://img.shields.io/badge/tests-40%20tests%20|%20100%25%20pass-green)](https://github.com/vnykmshr/pi-gateway/actions)
-[![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-1.2.0-blue)](https://github.com/vnykmshr/pi-gateway/releases)
-[![Production Ready](https://img.shields.io/badge/production-ready-brightgreen)](docs/deployment-guide.md)
 
-**Complete Raspberry Pi homelab bootstrap system with automated security hardening, VPN setup, and comprehensive testing infrastructure.**
+**Secure remote access gateway for Raspberry Pi. SSH + VPN setup in under 10 minutes.**
 
 ## Overview
 
-Pi Gateway provides a one-script automated setup for core services while supporting dynamic IP environments. All provisioning is tracked in this repository, following Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles for reliability, reproducibility, and extensibility.
+Pi Gateway transforms your Raspberry Pi into a secure remote access gateway with hardened SSH, WireGuard VPN, and firewall protection. Simple, focused, and production-ready.
 
 ## Quick Start
 
@@ -38,33 +36,23 @@ make setup
 curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vnykmshr/pi-gateway/main/scripts/quick-install.sh | bash -s -- --interactive
 ```
 
-## ✨ Features
-
-### 🔐 **Security & Hardening**
-- **SSH Hardening**: Key-based authentication, fail2ban, custom ports
-- **System Hardening**: Kernel parameters, network security, service management
-- **Firewall Configuration**: UFW setup with secure defaults
-- **User Account Security**: Service accounts, permission hardening
-
-### 🌐 **VPN & Remote Access**
-- **WireGuard VPN Server**: Automated setup with client management
-- **Dynamic DNS**: Cloudflare integration for remote access
-- **Remote Desktop**: VNC server configuration
-- **Port Management**: Automated port forwarding setup
-
-### 🧪 **Development & Testing**
-- **Production Validated**: ✅ Comprehensive E2E testing completed
-- **QEMU Pi Emulation**: Full hardware emulation testing environment
-- **Virtual Sandbox**: Complete dry-run environment with hardware mocking
-- **Docker-based Pi Simulation**: Realistic Raspberry Pi OS environment testing
-- **40 Unit Tests**: 100% pass rate with comprehensive validation
-- **Security Verified**: Complete security hardening validation
-- **All Components Tested**: SSH, VPN, firewall, monitoring all validated
-
-### 🏠 **Homelab Ready**
-- **Service Discovery**: mDNS and local network integration
-- **Monitoring Setup**: System health monitoring
-- **Extension Support**: Plugin architecture for custom services
+## Features
+
+**Core Security:**
+- SSH hardening with key-based authentication and fail2ban
+- WireGuard VPN server with client management
+- Firewall configuration (UFW) with secure defaults
+- System security hardening
+
+**Optional Components:**
+- Remote desktop access (VNC)
+- Dynamic DNS integration
+- Custom port configuration
+
+**Quality:**
+- 40 unit tests with 100% pass rate
+- Dry-run mode for safe testing
+- Docker and QEMU-based integration testing
 
 ## Requirements
 
@@ -79,13 +67,24 @@ curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vnykmshr/pi-gateway/main/scripts/qui
 - Dynamic DNS provider account (DuckDNS, No-IP, etc.)
 - SSH client for initial access
 
-## Core Services
+## Core Components
+
+- System hardening and security best practices
+- SSH with key-based authentication
+- WireGuard VPN for encrypted remote access
+- Firewall protection (UFW + fail2ban)
+
+## Extensions
+
+Advanced features moved to `extensions/` directory:
+- Container orchestration (Docker/Podman)
+- Web status dashboard
+- Cloud backup integration
+- Network optimization
+- Automated maintenance
+- System monitoring
 
-- **System Hardening**: Security best practices for internet-connected devices
-- **SSH Access**: Key-based authentication, password login disabled
-- **WireGuard VPN**: High-performance encrypted remote connectivity
-- **Remote Desktop**: GUI access via VNC or xRDP
-- **Dynamic DNS**: Reliable hostname for changing IPs
+See `extensions/README.md` for installation instructions.
 
 ## Documentation
 

VERSION

@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.2.0
+1.3.0

extensions/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+# Pi Gateway Extensions
+
+Optional features for advanced users. Core Pi Gateway provides secure remote access (SSH + VPN + Firewall). Extensions add additional functionality.
+
+## Available Extensions
+
+### Container Support
+**Location:** `extensions/containers/`
+**Features:** Docker/Podman setup, container orchestration, Portainer management
+**Use case:** Run containerized services on your Pi
+
+### Status Dashboard
+**Location:** `extensions/dashboard/`
+**Features:** Web-based status monitoring, service health checks
+**Use case:** Visual monitoring of Pi Gateway services
+
+### Cloud Backup
+**Location:** `extensions/backup/`
+**Features:** Automated backups to cloud storage (rclone-based)
+**Use case:** Backup configurations to cloud providers
+
+### Network Optimization
+**Location:** `extensions/network/`
+**Features:** TCP tuning, bandwidth management, QoS
+**Use case:** Performance optimization for specific workloads
+
+### Auto Maintenance
+**Location:** `extensions/maintenance/`
+**Features:** Automated updates, system cleanup, health checks
+**Use case:** Hands-off system maintenance
+
+### Monitoring
+**Location:** `extensions/monitoring/`
+**Features:** Metrics collection, alerting, log aggregation
+**Use case:** Production-grade monitoring setup
+
+## Installation
+
+Extensions are standalone and optional. Each extension directory contains:
+- Installation script
+- Configuration files
+- Documentation
+
+**Example:**
+```bash
+cd extensions/containers
+sudo ./container-support.sh
+```
+
+## Compatibility
+
+Extensions require Pi Gateway core to be installed first. Some extensions may have additional dependencies or resource requirements.
+
+## Support
+
+Extensions are community-supported and may have different maintenance schedules than core Pi Gateway.