diff --git a/cmd/cc-backend/main.go b/cmd/cc-backend/main.go
index d89109e..c3e3387 100644
--- a/cmd/cc-backend/main.go
+++ b/cmd/cc-backend/main.go
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-backend/internal/tagger"
 	"github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-backend/internal/taskmanager"
 	"github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-backend/pkg/archive"
+	"github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-backend/pkg/nats"
 	"github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-backend/web"
 	ccconf "github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-lib/ccConfig"
 	cclog "github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-lib/ccLogger"
@@ -267,6 +268,13 @@ func generateJWT(authHandle *auth.Authentication, username string) error {
 }
 
 func initSubsystems() error {
+	// Initialize nats client
+	natsConfig := ccconf.GetPackageConfig("nats")
+	if err := nats.Init(natsConfig); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("initializing nats client: %w", err)
+	}
+	nats.Connect()
+
 	// Initialize job archive
 	archiveCfg := ccconf.GetPackageConfig("archive")
 	if archiveCfg == nil {
diff --git a/cmd/cc-backend/server.go b/cmd/cc-backend/server.go
index 975d38a..2c5ce8b 100644
--- a/cmd/cc-backend/server.go
+++ b/cmd/cc-backend/server.go
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-backend/internal/graph/generated"
 	"github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-backend/internal/memorystore"
 	"github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-backend/internal/routerConfig"
+	"github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-backend/pkg/nats"
 	"github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-backend/web"
 	cclog "github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-lib/ccLogger"
 	"github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-lib/runtimeEnv"
@@ -363,6 +364,11 @@ func (s *Server) Shutdown(ctx context.Context) {
 	shutdownCtx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 30*time.Second)
 	defer cancel()
 
+	nc := nats.GetClient()
+	if nc != nil {
+		nc.Close()
+	}
+
 	// First shut down the server gracefully (waiting for all ongoing requests)
 	if err := s.server.Shutdown(shutdownCtx); err != nil {
 		cclog.Errorf("Server shutdown error: %v", err)
diff --git a/pkg/nats/client.go b/pkg/nats/client.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e61d060
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/nats/client.go
@@ -0,0 +1,246 @@
+// Copyright (C) NHR@FAU, University Erlangen-Nuremberg.
+// All rights reserved. This file is part of cc-backend.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a MIT-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+// Package nats provides a generic NATS messaging client for publish/subscribe communication.
+//
+// The package wraps the nats.go library with connection management, automatic reconnection
+// handling, and subscription tracking. It supports multiple authentication methods including
+// username/password and credential files.
+//
+// # Configuration
+//
+// Configure the client via JSON in the application config:
+//
+//	{
+//	  "nats": {
+//	    "address": "nats://localhost:4222",
+//	    "username": "user",
+//	    "password": "secret"
+//	  }
+//	}
+//
+// Or using a credentials file:
+//
+//	{
+//	  "nats": {
+//	    "address": "nats://localhost:4222",
+//	    "creds-file-path": "/path/to/creds.json"
+//	  }
+//	}
+//
+// # Usage
+//
+// The package provides a singleton client initialized once and retrieved globally:
+//
+//	nats.Init(rawConfig)
+//	nats.Connect()
+//
+//	client := nats.GetClient()
+//	client.Subscribe("events", func(subject string, data []byte) {
+//	    fmt.Printf("Received: %s\n", data)
+//	})
+//
+//	client.Publish("events", []byte("hello"))
+//
+// # Thread Safety
+//
+// All Client methods are safe for concurrent use.
+package nats
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"sync"
+
+	cclog "github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-lib/ccLogger"
+	"github.com/nats-io/nats.go"
+)
+
+var (
+	clientOnce     sync.Once
+	clientInstance *Client
+)
+
+// Client wraps a NATS connection with subscription management.
+type Client struct {
+	conn          *nats.Conn
+	subscriptions []*nats.Subscription
+	mu            sync.Mutex
+}
+
+// MessageHandler is a callback function for processing received messages.
+type MessageHandler func(subject string, data []byte)
+
+// Connect initializes the singleton NATS client using the global Keys config.
+func Connect() {
+	clientOnce.Do(func() {
+		if Keys.Address == "" {
+			cclog.Warn("NATS: no address configured, skipping connection")
+			return
+		}
+
+		client, err := NewClient(nil)
+		if err != nil {
+			cclog.Errorf("NATS connection failed: %v", err)
+			return
+		}
+
+		clientInstance = client
+	})
+}
+
+// GetClient returns the singleton NATS client instance.
+func GetClient() *Client {
+	if clientInstance == nil {
+		cclog.Warn("NATS client not initialized")
+	}
+	return clientInstance
+}
+
+// NewClient creates a new NATS client. If cfg is nil, uses the global Keys config.
+func NewClient(cfg *NatsConfig) (*Client, error) {
+	if cfg == nil {
+		cfg = &Keys
+	}
+
+	if cfg.Address == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("NATS address is required")
+	}
+
+	var opts []nats.Option
+
+	if cfg.Username != "" && cfg.Password != "" {
+		opts = append(opts, nats.UserInfo(cfg.Username, cfg.Password))
+	}
+
+	if cfg.CredsFilePath != "" {
+		opts = append(opts, nats.UserCredentials(cfg.CredsFilePath))
+	}
+
+	opts = append(opts, nats.DisconnectErrHandler(func(_ *nats.Conn, err error) {
+		if err != nil {
+			cclog.Warnf("NATS disconnected: %v", err)
+		}
+	}))
+
+	opts = append(opts, nats.ReconnectHandler(func(nc *nats.Conn) {
+		cclog.Infof("NATS reconnected to %s", nc.ConnectedUrl())
+	}))
+
+	opts = append(opts, nats.ErrorHandler(func(_ *nats.Conn, _ *nats.Subscription, err error) {
+		cclog.Errorf("NATS error: %v", err)
+	}))
+
+	nc, err := nats.Connect(cfg.Address, opts...)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("NATS connect failed: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	cclog.Infof("NATS connected to %s", cfg.Address)
+
+	return &Client{
+		conn:          nc,
+		subscriptions: make([]*nats.Subscription, 0),
+	}, nil
+}
+
+// Subscribe registers a handler for messages on the given subject.
+func (c *Client) Subscribe(subject string, handler MessageHandler) error {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	defer c.mu.Unlock()
+
+	sub, err := c.conn.Subscribe(subject, func(msg *nats.Msg) {
+		handler(msg.Subject, msg.Data)
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("NATS subscribe to '%s' failed: %w", subject, err)
+	}
+
+	c.subscriptions = append(c.subscriptions, sub)
+	cclog.Infof("NATS subscribed to '%s'", subject)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// SubscribeQueue registers a handler with queue group for load-balanced message processing.
+func (c *Client) SubscribeQueue(subject, queue string, handler MessageHandler) error {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	defer c.mu.Unlock()
+
+	sub, err := c.conn.QueueSubscribe(subject, queue, func(msg *nats.Msg) {
+		handler(msg.Subject, msg.Data)
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("NATS queue subscribe to '%s' (queue: %s) failed: %w", subject, queue, err)
+	}
+
+	c.subscriptions = append(c.subscriptions, sub)
+	cclog.Infof("NATS queue subscribed to '%s' (queue: %s)", subject, queue)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// SubscribeChan subscribes to a subject and delivers messages to the provided channel.
+func (c *Client) SubscribeChan(subject string, ch chan *nats.Msg) error {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	defer c.mu.Unlock()
+
+	sub, err := c.conn.ChanSubscribe(subject, ch)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("NATS chan subscribe to '%s' failed: %w", subject, err)
+	}
+
+	c.subscriptions = append(c.subscriptions, sub)
+	cclog.Infof("NATS chan subscribed to '%s'", subject)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Publish sends data to the specified subject.
+func (c *Client) Publish(subject string, data []byte) error {
+	if err := c.conn.Publish(subject, data); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("NATS publish to '%s' failed: %w", subject, err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Request sends a request and waits for a response with the given context timeout.
+func (c *Client) Request(subject string, data []byte, timeout context.Context) ([]byte, error) {
+	msg, err := c.conn.RequestWithContext(timeout, subject, data)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("NATS request to '%s' failed: %w", subject, err)
+	}
+	return msg.Data, nil
+}
+
+// Flush flushes the connection buffer to ensure all published messages are sent.
+func (c *Client) Flush() error {
+	return c.conn.Flush()
+}
+
+// Close unsubscribes all subscriptions and closes the NATS connection.
+func (c *Client) Close() {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	defer c.mu.Unlock()
+
+	for _, sub := range c.subscriptions {
+		if err := sub.Unsubscribe(); err != nil {
+			cclog.Warnf("NATS unsubscribe failed: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+	c.subscriptions = nil
+
+	if c.conn != nil {
+		c.conn.Close()
+		cclog.Info("NATS connection closed")
+	}
+}
+
+// IsConnected returns true if the client has an active connection.
+func (c *Client) IsConnected() bool {
+	return c.conn != nil && c.conn.IsConnected()
+}
+
+// Connection returns the underlying NATS connection for advanced usage.
+func (c *Client) Connection() *nats.Conn {
+	return c.conn
+}
diff --git a/pkg/nats/config.go b/pkg/nats/config.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..32a0bbd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/nats/config.go
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+// Copyright (C) NHR@FAU, University Erlangen-Nuremberg.
+// All rights reserved. This file is part of cc-backend.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a MIT-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package nats
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/json"
+
+	cclog "github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-lib/ccLogger"
+)
+
+// NatsConfig holds the configuration for connecting to a NATS server.
+type NatsConfig struct {
+	Address       string `json:"address"`         // NATS server address (e.g., "nats://localhost:4222")
+	Username      string `json:"username"`        // Username for authentication (optional)
+	Password      string `json:"password"`        // Password for authentication (optional)
+	CredsFilePath string `json:"creds-file-path"` // Path to credentials file (optional)
+}
+
+// Keys holds the global NATS configuration loaded via Init.
+var Keys NatsConfig
+
+const ConfigSchema = `{
+    "type": "object",
+    "description": "Configuration for NATS messaging client.",
+    "properties": {
+        "address": {
+            "description": "Address of the NATS server (e.g., 'nats://localhost:4222').",
+            "type": "string"
+        },
+        "username": {
+            "description": "Username for NATS authentication (optional).",
+            "type": "string"
+        },
+        "password": {
+            "description": "Password for NATS authentication (optional).",
+            "type": "string"
+        },
+        "creds-file-path": {
+            "description": "Path to NATS credentials file for authentication (optional).",
+            "type": "string"
+        }
+    },
+    "required": ["address"]
+}`
+
+// Init initializes the global Keys configuration from JSON.
+func Init(rawConfig json.RawMessage) error {
+	var err error
+
+	if rawConfig != nil {
+		dec := json.NewDecoder(bytes.NewReader(rawConfig))
+		dec.DisallowUnknownFields()
+		if err = dec.Decode(&Keys); err != nil {
+			cclog.Errorf("Error while initializing nats client: %s", err.Error())
+		}
+	}
+
+	return err
+}