diff --git a/cart-grain.go b/cart-grain.go
index 7f7dd99..8b39bde 100644
--- a/cart-grain.go
+++ b/cart-grain.go
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
 	"sync"
+	"time"
 
 	messages "git.tornberg.me/go-cart-actor/proto"
 )
@@ -89,6 +90,7 @@ type CartGrain struct {
 	mu                sync.RWMutex
 	lastItemId        int
 	lastDeliveryId    int
+	lastChange        int64           // unix seconds of last successful mutation (replay sets from event ts)
 	Id                CartId          `json:"id"`
 	Items             []*CartItem     `json:"items"`
 	TotalPrice        int64           `json:"totalPrice"`
@@ -112,8 +114,7 @@ func (c *CartGrain) GetId() CartId {
 }
 
 func (c *CartGrain) GetLastChange() int64 {
-	// Legacy event log removed; return 0 to indicate no persisted mutation history.
-	return 0
+	return c.lastChange
 }
 
 func (c *CartGrain) GetCurrentState() (*CartGrain, error) {
@@ -269,6 +270,13 @@ func (c *CartGrain) Apply(content interface{}, isReplay bool) (*CartGrain, error
 		}
 		return nil, err
 	}
+
+	// Sliding TTL: update lastChange only for non-replay successful mutations.
+	if updated != nil && !isReplay {
+		c.lastChange = time.Now().Unix()
+		_ = AppendCartEvent(c.Id, content)
+	}
+
 	return updated, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/deployment/deployment.yaml b/deployment/deployment.yaml
index bd232c2..a6bd2ec 100644
--- a/deployment/deployment.yaml
+++ b/deployment/deployment.yaml
@@ -228,10 +228,10 @@ metadata:
     name: cart-ingress
     annotations:
         cert-manager.io/cluster-issuer: letsencrypt-prod
-        # nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/affinity: "cookie"
-        # nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/session-cookie-name: "cart-affinity"
-        # nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/session-cookie-expires: "172800"
-        # nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/session-cookie-max-age: "172800"
+        nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/affinity: "cookie"
+        nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/session-cookie-name: "cart-affinity"
+        nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/session-cookie-expires: "172800"
+        nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/session-cookie-max-age: "172800"
         nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/proxy-body-size: 4m
 spec:
     ingressClassName: nginx
diff --git a/event_log.go b/event_log.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0481459
--- /dev/null
+++ b/event_log.go
@@ -0,0 +1,288 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"reflect"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	messages "git.tornberg.me/go-cart-actor/proto"
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
+	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus/promauto"
+)
+
+/*
+event_log.go
+
+Append-only cart event log (per cart id) with replay + metrics.
+
+Rationale:
+  - Enables recovery of in-memory cart state after process restarts or TTL eviction.
+  - Provides a chronological mutation trail for auditing / debugging.
+  - Avoids write amplification of full snapshots on every mutation.
+
+Format:
+  One JSON object per line:
+   {
+     "ts": 1700000000,
+     "type": "AddRequest",
+     "payload": { ... mutation fields ... }
+   }
+
+Concurrency:
+  - Appends: synchronized per-cart via an in-process mutex map to avoid partial writes.
+  - Replay: sequential read of entire file; mutations applied in order.
+
+Usage Integration (to be wired by caller):
+  1. After successful mutation application (non-replay), invoke:
+        AppendCartEvent(grain.GetId(), mutation)
+  2. During grain spawn, call:
+        ReplayCartEvents(grain, grain.GetId())
+     BEFORE serving requests, so state is reconstructed.
+
+Metrics:
+  - cart_event_log_appends_total
+  - cart_event_log_replay_total
+  - cart_event_log_replay_failures_total
+  - cart_event_log_bytes_written_total
+  - cart_event_log_files_existing (gauge)
+  - cart_event_log_last_append_unix (gauge)
+  - cart_event_log_replay_duration_seconds (histogram)
+
+Rotation / Compaction:
+  - Not implemented. If needed, implement size checks and snapshot+truncate later.
+
+Caveats:
+  - Mutation schema changes may break replay unless backward-compatible.
+  - Missing / unknown event types are skipped (metric incremented).
+  - If a mutation fails during replay, replay continues (logged + metric).
+
+*/
+
+var (
+	eventLogDir = "data"
+
+	eventAppendsTotal = promauto.NewCounter(prometheus.CounterOpts{
+		Name: "cart_event_log_appends_total",
+		Help: "Total number of cart mutation events appended to event logs.",
+	})
+	eventReplayTotal = promauto.NewCounter(prometheus.CounterOpts{
+		Name: "cart_event_log_replay_total",
+		Help: "Total number of successful event log replays (per cart).",
+	})
+	eventReplayFailuresTotal = promauto.NewCounter(prometheus.CounterOpts{
+		Name: "cart_event_log_replay_failures_total",
+		Help: "Total number of failed event log replay operations.",
+	})
+	eventBytesWrittenTotal = promauto.NewCounter(prometheus.CounterOpts{
+		Name: "cart_event_log_bytes_written_total",
+		Help: "Cumulative number of bytes written to all cart event logs.",
+	})
+	eventFilesExisting = promauto.NewGauge(prometheus.GaugeOpts{
+		Name: "cart_event_log_files_existing",
+		Help: "Number of cart event log files currently existing on disk.",
+	})
+	eventLastAppendUnix = promauto.NewGauge(prometheus.GaugeOpts{
+		Name: "cart_event_log_last_append_unix",
+		Help: "Unix timestamp of the last append to any cart event log.",
+	})
+	eventReplayDuration = promauto.NewHistogram(prometheus.HistogramOpts{
+		Name:    "cart_event_log_replay_duration_seconds",
+		Help:    "Duration of replay operations per cart in seconds.",
+		Buckets: prometheus.DefBuckets,
+	})
+	eventUnknownTypesTotal = promauto.NewCounter(prometheus.CounterOpts{
+		Name: "cart_event_log_unknown_types_total",
+		Help: "Total number of unknown event types encountered during replay (skipped).",
+	})
+	eventMutationErrorsTotal = promauto.NewCounter(prometheus.CounterOpts{
+		Name: "cart_event_log_mutation_errors_total",
+		Help: "Total number of errors applying mutation events during replay.",
+	})
+)
+
+type cartEventRecord struct {
+	Timestamp int64       `json:"ts"`
+	Type      string      `json:"type"`
+	Payload   interface{} `json:"payload"`
+}
+
+// registry of supported mutation payload type constructors
+var eventTypeFactories = map[string]func() interface{}{
+	"AddRequest":         func() interface{} { return &messages.AddRequest{} },
+	"AddItem":            func() interface{} { return &messages.AddItem{} },
+	"RemoveItem":         func() interface{} { return &messages.RemoveItem{} },
+	"RemoveDelivery":     func() interface{} { return &messages.RemoveDelivery{} },
+	"ChangeQuantity":     func() interface{} { return &messages.ChangeQuantity{} },
+	"SetDelivery":        func() interface{} { return &messages.SetDelivery{} },
+	"SetPickupPoint":     func() interface{} { return &messages.SetPickupPoint{} },
+	"SetCartRequest":     func() interface{} { return &messages.SetCartRequest{} },
+	"OrderCreated":       func() interface{} { return &messages.OrderCreated{} },
+	"InitializeCheckout": func() interface{} { return &messages.InitializeCheckout{} },
+}
+
+// Per-cart mutexes to serialize append operations (avoid partial overlapping writes)
+var (
+	eventLogMu sync.Map // map[string]*sync.Mutex
+)
+
+// getCartEventMutex returns a mutex for a specific cart id string.
+func getCartEventMutex(id string) *sync.Mutex {
+	if v, ok := eventLogMu.Load(id); ok {
+		return v.(*sync.Mutex)
+	}
+	m := &sync.Mutex{}
+	actual, _ := eventLogMu.LoadOrStore(id, m)
+	return actual.(*sync.Mutex)
+}
+
+// EventLogPath returns the path to the cart's event log file.
+func EventLogPath(id CartId) string {
+	return filepath.Join(eventLogDir, fmt.Sprintf("%s.events.log", id.String()))
+}
+
+// EnsureEventLogDirectory ensures base directory exists and updates gauge.
+func EnsureEventLogDirectory() error {
+	if _, err := os.Stat(eventLogDir); errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
+		if err2 := os.MkdirAll(eventLogDir, 0755); err2 != nil {
+			return err2
+		}
+	}
+	// Update files existing gauge (approximate; counts matching *.events.log)
+	pattern := filepath.Join(eventLogDir, "*.events.log")
+	matches, _ := filepath.Glob(pattern)
+	eventFilesExisting.Set(float64(len(matches)))
+	return nil
+}
+
+// AppendCartEvent appends a mutation event to the cart's log (JSON line).
+func AppendCartEvent(id CartId, mutation interface{}) error {
+	if mutation == nil {
+		return errors.New("nil mutation cannot be logged")
+	}
+	if err := EnsureEventLogDirectory(); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	typ := mutationTypeName(mutation)
+	rec := cartEventRecord{
+		Timestamp: time.Now().Unix(),
+		Type:      typ,
+		Payload:   mutation,
+	}
+	lineBytes, err := json.Marshal(rec)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("marshal event: %w", err)
+	}
+	lineBytes = append(lineBytes, '\n')
+
+	path := EventLogPath(id)
+	mtx := getCartEventMutex(id.String())
+	mtx.Lock()
+	defer mtx.Unlock()
+
+	fh, err := os.OpenFile(path, os.O_CREATE|os.O_APPEND|os.O_WRONLY, 0644)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("open event log: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer fh.Close()
+
+	n, werr := fh.Write(lineBytes)
+	if werr != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("write event log: %w", werr)
+	}
+
+	eventAppendsTotal.Inc()
+	eventBytesWrittenTotal.Add(float64(n))
+	eventLastAppendUnix.Set(float64(rec.Timestamp))
+	return nil
+}
+
+// ReplayCartEvents replays an existing cart's event log into the provided grain.
+// It applies mutation payloads in order, skipping unknown types.
+func ReplayCartEvents(grain *CartGrain, id CartId) error {
+	start := time.Now()
+	path := EventLogPath(id)
+	if _, err := os.Stat(path); errors.Is(err, os.ErrNotExist) {
+		// No log -> nothing to replay
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	fh, err := os.Open(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		eventReplayFailuresTotal.Inc()
+		return fmt.Errorf("open replay file: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer fh.Close()
+
+	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(fh)
+	// Increase buffer in case of large payloads
+	const maxLine = 256 * 1024
+	buf := make([]byte, 0, 64*1024)
+	scanner.Buffer(buf, maxLine)
+
+	for scanner.Scan() {
+		line := scanner.Bytes()
+		var raw struct {
+			Timestamp int64           `json:"ts"`
+			Type      string          `json:"type"`
+			Payload   json.RawMessage `json:"payload"`
+		}
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(line, &raw); err != nil {
+			eventReplayFailuresTotal.Inc()
+			continue // skip malformed line
+		}
+		factory, ok := eventTypeFactories[raw.Type]
+		if !ok {
+			eventUnknownTypesTotal.Inc()
+			continue // skip unknown mutation type
+		}
+		instance := factory()
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(raw.Payload, instance); err != nil {
+			eventMutationErrorsTotal.Inc()
+			continue
+		}
+		// Apply mutation directly using internal registration (bypass AppendCartEvent recursion).
+		if _, applyErr := ApplyRegistered(grain, instance); applyErr != nil {
+			eventMutationErrorsTotal.Inc()
+			continue
+		} else {
+			// Update lastChange to the timestamp of this event (sliding inactivity window support).
+			grain.lastChange = raw.Timestamp
+		}
+	}
+	if serr := scanner.Err(); serr != nil {
+		eventReplayFailuresTotal.Inc()
+		return fmt.Errorf("scanner error: %w", serr)
+	}
+
+	eventReplayTotal.Inc()
+	eventReplayDuration.Observe(time.Since(start).Seconds())
+	return nil
+}
+
+// mutationTypeName returns the short struct name for a mutation (pointer aware).
+func mutationTypeName(v interface{}) string {
+	if v == nil {
+		return "nil"
+	}
+	t := reflect.TypeOf(v)
+	if t.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
+		t = t.Elem()
+	}
+	return t.Name()
+}
+
+/*
+Future enhancements:
+  - Compression: gzip large (> N events) logs to reduce disk usage.
+  - Compaction: periodic snapshot + truncate old events to bound replay latency.
+  - Checkpoint events: inject cart state snapshots every M mutations.
+  - Integrity: add checksum per line for corruption detection.
+  - Multi-writer safety across processes (currently only safe within one process).
+*/
diff --git a/grain-pool.go b/grain-pool.go
index 55b4806..4009a17 100644
--- a/grain-pool.go
+++ b/grain-pool.go
@@ -157,6 +157,20 @@ func (p *GrainLocalPool) Purge() {
 	}
 }
 
+// RefreshExpiry resets the expiry timestamp for a living grain to now + TTL.
+// Called after successful mutations to implement a sliding inactivity window.
+func (p *GrainLocalPool) RefreshExpiry(id CartId) {
+	p.mu.Lock()
+	defer p.mu.Unlock()
+	for i := range p.expiry {
+		g := p.expiry[i].Grain
+		if g != nil && g.Id == id {
+			p.expiry[i].Expires = time.Now().Add(p.Ttl)
+			break
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // GetGrains returns a legacy view of grains (copy) for compatibility.
 func (p *GrainLocalPool) GetGrains() map[CartId]*CartGrain {
 	p.mu.RLock()
@@ -225,7 +239,12 @@ func (p *GrainLocalPool) Apply(id CartId, mutation interface{}) (*CartGrain, err
 	if err != nil || grain == nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
-	return grain.Apply(mutation, false)
+	result, applyErr := grain.Apply(mutation, false)
+	// Sliding TTL: refresh expiry on successful non-replay mutation (Apply always non-replay here)
+	if applyErr == nil && result != nil {
+		p.RefreshExpiry(id)
+	}
+	return result, applyErr
 }
 
 // Get returns current state (legacy wrapper).
diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index f7b6a36..0517fc9 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -43,11 +43,16 @@ func spawn(id CartId) (*CartGrain, error) {
 		Deliveries:     []*CartDelivery{},
 		Id:             id,
 		Items:          []*CartItem{},
-		// storageMessages removed (legacy event log deprecated)
-		TotalPrice: 0,
+		TotalPrice:     0,
 	}
-	err := loadMessages(ret, id)
-	return ret, err
+	// Set baseline lastChange at spawn; replay may update it to last event timestamp.
+	ret.lastChange = time.Now().Unix()
+
+	// Legacy loadMessages (no-op) retained; then replay append-only event log
+	_ = loadMessages(ret, id)
+	_ = ReplayCartEvents(ret, id)
+
+	return ret, nil
 }
 
 func init() {
@@ -160,7 +165,7 @@ func main() {
 		log.Printf("Error loading state: %v\n", err)
 	}
 	app := &App{
-		pool:    NewGrainLocalPool(65535, 5*time.Minute, spawn),
+		pool:    NewGrainLocalPool(65535, 2*time.Hour, spawn),
 		storage: storage,
 	}
 
@@ -384,11 +389,15 @@ func main() {
 }
 
 func triggerOrderCompleted(err error, syncedServer *PoolServer, order *CheckoutOrder) error {
-	_, err = syncedServer.pool.Apply(ToCartId(order.MerchantReference1), &messages.OrderCreated{
+	mutation := &messages.OrderCreated{
 		OrderId: order.ID,
 		Status:  order.Status,
-	})
-	return err
+	}
+	_, applyErr := syncedServer.pool.Apply(ToCartId(order.MerchantReference1), mutation)
+	if applyErr == nil {
+		_ = AppendCartEvent(ToCartId(order.MerchantReference1), mutation)
+	}
+	return applyErr
 }
 
 func confirmOrder(order *CheckoutOrder, orderHandler *AmqpOrderHandler) error {