diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
index d4d8f0e..047eb2c 100644
--- a/.dockerignore
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -23,4 +23,4 @@
 **/dist
 LICENSE
 README.md
-**/public/__env.js
\ No newline at end of file
+**/public/__env.js
diff --git a/CODEOWNERS b/CODEOWNERS
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b25239
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CODEOWNERS
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# These owners will be the default owners for everything in the repo.
+* @muriukialex @effiecancode
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..35c1043
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+## Contributing Guide
+
+- Fork the application, add your changes and make a [PR/MR](https://docs.github.com/en/pull-requests/collaborating-with-pull-requests/proposing-changes-to-your-work-with-pull-requests/about-pull-requests)
+
+Contributions are highly welcome!
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 8644b9a..57ce3a2 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,7 +1,5 @@
 FROM node:18-alpine as base
 
-RUN apk add --no-cache g++ make py3-pip libc6-compat
-
 WORKDIR /app
 
 COPY package*.json ./
@@ -22,10 +20,7 @@ WORKDIR /app
 ENV NODE_ENV=production
 
 # Install only production dependencies
-RUN npm ci --only=production
-
-# Install pm2 process manager
-RUN npm install pm2@latest -g
+RUN npm ci --omit=dev
 
 RUN addgroup -g 1001 -S nodejs
 RUN adduser -S nextjs -u 1001
@@ -38,7 +33,8 @@ COPY --from=builder --chown=nextjs:nodejs /app/next.config.mjs ./
 COPY --from=builder /app/node_modules ./node_modules
 COPY --from=builder /app/package.json ./package.json
 COPY --from=builder /app/public ./public
-COPY --from=builder /app/.env.production ./.env
+COPY --from=builder /app/.env.local ./.env
+COPY --from=builder /app/entrypoint.sh ./entrypoint.sh
 
 EXPOSE 3000
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 669e4c0..ad05635 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
-SERVICE_NAME = aws-rstart-labs
-
 start-app:
 	docker-compose up
 
 tear-app: 
-	docker-compose down --rmi $(SERVICE_NAME)
+	docker-compose down --rmi all
 
 # Phony targets to avoid conflicts with file names
-.PHONY: start-app tear-app
\ No newline at end of file
+.PHONY: start-app tear-app
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c04f6b0..5c0db35 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,8 +1,36 @@
-This is a [Next.js](https://nextjs.org/) project bootstrapped with [`create-next-app`](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/tree/canary/packages/create-next-app).
+# Keep Track of AWS r/Start Labs
+
+- This application is designed to help AWS r/Start students to keep track of their AWS r/Start Labs.
+
+## Overview
+
+### Sign In
+- Sign In with Google
+
+### Track Labs as Completed
+
+### Update Lab Completed Status
+
 
 ## Getting Started
 
-First, run the development server:
+1. Clone the project
+ ```bash
+ git clone https://github.com/muriukialex/aws-rstart-labs.git
+```
+
+2. Install dependencies
+```bash
+npm install
+```
+
+3. Update your `.env.local` file with your enviroment variables which also includes a [MONGODB_URI](https://www.mongodb.com/basics/mongodb-connection-string#:~:text=How%20to%20get%20your%20MongoDB,connection%20string%20for%20your%20cluster.)
+```bash
+cp .env.example .env.local
+```
+NB: Ensure you update your environent variables before starting the server
+
+3. Run the development server:
 
 ```bash
 npm run dev
@@ -14,31 +42,21 @@ pnpm dev
 bun dev
 ```
 
+Open [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000) with your browser to see the result.
+
 If you are using Docker:
+Ensure you have [make](https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/make.html) installed `make --version`
 
+- Build and run the Docker container
 ```bash
-docker build -t <image-name> .
-
-docker run --name <container-name> -p 3000:3000 -d <image-name>
+make start-app
 ```
 
-Open [http://localhost:3000](http://localhost:3000) with your browser to see the result.
-
-You can start editing the page by modifying `app/page.tsx`. The page auto-updates as you edit the file.
-
-This project uses [`next/font`](https://nextjs.org/docs/basic-features/font-optimization) to automatically optimize and load Inter, a custom Google Font.
-
-## Learn More
-
-To learn more about Next.js, take a look at the following resources:
-
-- [Next.js Documentation](https://nextjs.org/docs) - learn about Next.js features and API.
-- [Learn Next.js](https://nextjs.org/learn) - an interactive Next.js tutorial.
-
-You can check out [the Next.js GitHub repository](https://github.com/vercel/next.js/) - your feedback and contributions are welcome!
-
-## Deploy on Vercel
+- Tear down the Docker container
+```bash
+make tear-app
+```
 
-The easiest way to deploy your Next.js app is to use the [Vercel Platform](https://vercel.com/new?utm_medium=default-template&filter=next.js&utm_source=create-next-app&utm_campaign=create-next-app-readme) from the creators of Next.js.
+## Contributing 
+- See [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/muriukialex/aws-rstart-labs/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) instructions on how to contribute.
 
-Check out our [Next.js deployment documentation](https://nextjs.org/docs/deployment) for more details.
diff --git a/entrypoint.sh b/entrypoint.sh
index 555270e..598d887 100755
--- a/entrypoint.sh
+++ b/entrypoint.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
-# run npm run dev through pm2
-pm2 start npm -- run dev
+# run npm run start through pm2
+pm2 start npm -- run start
 
 # show logs
-pm2 logs
\ No newline at end of file
+pm2 logs