diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fa5d797
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+.git
+.github
+.gitignore
+.circleci
+.env
+*.env
+**/*.md
+LICENSE
+Dockerfile
+docker-compose.yml
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index b1a435e..3757016 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -15,11 +15,11 @@ WORKDIR /go/src/github.com/datatogether/coverage
 # Run tests
 RUN go test
 
-# Build the static api binary
+# Build the static coverage api binary for production
 RUN CGO_ENABLED=0 GOOS=linux go install -a -installsuffix cgo
 
-# Let gin watch and build by default in development environment
-CMD ["gin", "-i"]
+# Set the coverage binary as the default command
+CMD ["coverage"]
 
 # Start over from an Alpine Linux image as a base
 # to create a minumal production image
@@ -35,5 +35,5 @@ EXPOSE 8080
 # Copy the binary from the dev stage into a location that is in PATH
 COPY --from=dev /go/bin/coverage /usr/local/bin/
 
-# Set binary as the default command
+# Set the coverage binary as the default command
 CMD ["coverage"]
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d3c3fef..63da018 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -79,8 +79,8 @@ For people comfortable with Docker, or who are excited to learn about it, it can
 
 Running this project via Docker requires:
 
-  * [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/engine/installation/)
-  * [`docker-compose`](https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/)
+  * [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/engine/installation/) (17.06.0+)
+  * [Docker Compose](https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/) (1.6.0+)
 
 Running the project in a Docker container should be as simple as:
 
@@ -93,6 +93,8 @@ If you get an error about a port "address already in use", you can change the `P
 
 Barring any changes, you may now visit a JSON endpoint at: `http://localhost:8080/repositories`
 
+**Note:** Provided `docker-compose.yml` file is optimized for the development environment. Necessary changes should be made in it for production.
+
 ### Local System Install
 
 Running this project directly on your system requires:
@@ -121,4 +123,8 @@ Barring any changes, you may now visit a JSON endpoint at: `http://localhost:808
 
 Please follow the install instructions above! Inclusion of tests are appreciated!
 
-For a list of all availabe helper commands, just type `make`.
+For a list of all available helper commands, just type `make`.
+
+For easier development workflow, the application runs behind [gin](https://github.com/codegangsta/gin) on port `55555`.
+This allows live building and reloading of the server when Go files are modified.
+If for any reason this is an undesired behavior, simply comment out `- "55555:55555"` and `command: gin -i -p 55555 -a $PORT` lines from the `docker-compose.yml` file.
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 5fe0b8f..d0c1e94 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -1,22 +1,21 @@
-version: '2'
+version: '2.3'
 services:
   coverage:
-    build: .
+    build:
+      context: .
+      target: dev
+    env_file: .env
     volumes:
       - .:/go/src/github.com/datatogether/coverage
       - ./sql:/sql
     ports:
-      - $PORT:$PORT
+      - "$PORT:$PORT"
+      - "55555:55555"
     networks:
       - back-tier
     depends_on:
       - postgres
-    environment:
-      - PORT=$PORT
-      - TLS=false
-      - GOLANG_ENV=develop
-      - POSTGRES_DB_URL=postgres://postgres@postgres/postgres?sslmode=disable
-      - RPC_PORT=4400
+    command: gin -i -p 55555 -a $PORT
   postgres:
     image: "postgres:9.6-alpine"
     networks:
diff --git a/sample.env b/sample.env
index 25241b7..0ef61f6 100644
--- a/sample.env
+++ b/sample.env
@@ -1 +1,5 @@
 PORT=8080
+RPC_PORT=4400
+TLS=false
+GOLANG_ENV=develop
+POSTGRES_DB_URL=postgres://postgres@postgres/postgres?sslmode=disable