diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
index 8f62ede6eb..c75f282c3f 100644
--- a/.dockerignore
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -3,4 +3,5 @@ README.md
 CHANGES
 .gitignore
 .cache
-prow/
\ No newline at end of file
+prow/
+.env
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/version-branch-update.yaml b/.github/workflows/version-branch-update.yaml
index 456e85151e..d01f38b3e7 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/version-branch-update.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/version-branch-update.yaml
@@ -62,11 +62,6 @@ jobs:
       run: |
         netlify build --context deploy-preview
 
-    - name: compile
-      run: |
-        make build
-
-
     - name: Deploy to Netlify
       id: netlify
       uses: nwtgck/actions-netlify@v2.1.0
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 58fb2d4814..943538d053 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ RUN apk add util-linux && \
 chmod +x /entry.sh && \
 mkdir .cache && \
 npm ci && \
-chown -R node:node /librarium
+chown -R node:node /librarium && \
+echo -e "ALGOLIA_APP_ID=1234567890\nALGOLIA_SEARCH_KEY=1234567890" > .env
 
 EXPOSE 9000
 USER node
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 1fd168fc4a..db552749e2 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ help: ## Display this help
 initialize: ## Initialize the repository dependencies
 	@echo "initializing npm dependencies"
 	npm ci
+	touch .env
 	npx husky-init
 
 clean: ## Clean build artifacts
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index fc2a92cc04..13bcd0e020 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -25,6 +25,12 @@ To contribute, we recommend having the following software installed locally on y
 
 To get started with the Docker based local development approach ensure you are in the root context of this repository. 
 
+Initailize the repository by issuing the following command:
+
+```shell
+make init
+```
+
 Next, issue the following command to build the Docker image.
 
 **Note**: The first time issuing the command may take several minutes.
@@ -35,15 +41,13 @@ make docker-image
 
 To start the Dockererized local development server, issue the command:
 
-```
+```shell
 make docker-start
 ```
 
 The local development server is ready when the following output is displayed in your terminal. 
 
 ```shell
-npm run start
-
 > spectro-cloud-docs@4.0.0 start
 > docusaurus start --host 0.0.0.0 --port 9000
 
@@ -62,12 +66,6 @@ To exit from the local development Docker container. Press `Ctrl + Z`.
 
 ## Local Development Setup (Non-Docker)
 
-Make a folder somewhere you can easily find
-
-```sh
-mkdir ~/Work
-```
-
 Clone the repository and run the initialization script
 
 ```sh
@@ -77,6 +75,13 @@ cd librarium
 make init
 ```
 
+Next, populate the `.env` file with the following content. The local development server will not start without the required environment variables. The values are not important for local development.
+
+```shell
+ALGOLIA_APP_ID=1234567890
+ALGOLIA_SEARCH_KEY=1234567890
+```
+
 ## Documentation Content
 
 Create a branch to keep track of all your changes.