diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..522dfa2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+# Dependencies
+node_modules
+**/node_modules
+.pnp
+.pnp.js
+
+# Testing
+coverage
+**/coverage
+
+# Production builds
+dist
+**/dist
+build
+**/build
+
+# Cache directories
+.cache
+**/.cache
+.npm
+.eslintcache
+.vite
+.nx
+**/.parcel-cache
+
+# Environment files
+.env.*
+!.env.example
+
+# IDE specific files
+.idea
+.vscode
+*.swp
+*.swo
+
+# OS specific files
+.DS_Store
+Thumbs.db
+
+# Logs
+logs
+*.log
+npm-debug.log*
+yarn-debug.log*
+yarn-error.log*
+
+# Temporary files
+*.tmp
+*.temp
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/checks.yml b/.github/workflows/checks.yml
index 4e4d2ee..b4577c4 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/checks.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/checks.yml
@@ -103,6 +103,10 @@ jobs:
   build:
     needs: prep
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # Just testing purposes
+    env:
+      REACT_APP_STAC_API: https://stac.eoapi.dev
+      PUBLIC_URL: http://stac-manager.ds.io
 
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
@@ -123,5 +127,8 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install
         run: npm install
 
+      - name: Create .env file
+        run: mv packages/client/.env.example packages/client/.env
+
       - name: Test
         run: npm run all:build
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy-gh.yml b/.github/workflows/deploy-gh.yml
index 25c35b1..e09b99b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/deploy-gh.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/deploy-gh.yml
@@ -47,6 +47,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install
         run: npm install
 
+      - name: Create .env file
+        run: mv packages/client/.env.example packages/client/.env
+
       - name: Setup SPA on Github Pages
         run: node packages/client/tasks/setup-gh-pages.mjs
 
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 2023cdf..7c2896a 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -58,4 +58,4 @@ tmp
 .tmp
 dist
 parcel-bundle-reports
-.nx
+.nx
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6098f22
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# Use an official Node.js runtime as a parent image
+FROM node:slim
+
+# Set the working directory
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Copy the rest of the application code
+COPY . .
+
+# Install dependencies
+RUN npm i
+RUN npm i -g http-server
+
+RUN npm run all:build
+
+EXPOSE 80
+
+ENTRYPOINT ["http-server", "-p", "80", "packages/client/dist"]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 648c7b0..cd028f0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -20,4 +20,20 @@ All the packages are located in the `packages` directory structured as follows:
 To set up the project for development, follow the instructions in the [development documentation](./DEVELOPMENT.md) and get familiar with the app architecture and the plugin system by reading the [technical documentation](./docs/README.md).
 
 ## License
-This project is licensed under the MIT license - see the LICENSE.md file for details.
\ No newline at end of file
+This project is licensed under the MIT license - see the LICENSE.md file for details.
+
+## Docker
+To run the STAC-Manager in a Docker container, you can use the provided Dockerfile.
+
+**Build the Docker image**
+```bash
+docker build -t stac-manager .
+```
+
+**Run the Docker container**
+```bash
+docker run --rm -p 8080:80 --name stac-manager -e 'PUBLIC_URL=http://your-url.com' stac-manager
+```
+
+> [!NOTE]
+> The application performs a complete build during container startup to ensure environment variables are properly integrated. This process may take a couple minutes to complete.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/client/.env b/packages/client/.env
deleted file mode 100644
index 88af1cf..0000000
--- a/packages/client/.env
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,18 +0,0 @@
-# App metadata
-APP_TITLE=STAC Manager
-APP_DESCRIPTION=Plugin based STAC editor
-## Don't set the public url here. Check the README.md file for more information
-# PUBLIC_URL= Do not set here
-
-# Api variables
-REACT_APP_STAC_BROWSER=
-REACT_APP_STAC_API=
-
-## Keycloak auth variables
-REACT_APP_KEYCLOAK_URL=
-REACT_APP_KEYCLOAK_CLIENT_ID=
-REACT_APP_KEYCLOAK_REALM=
-
-## Theming
-# REACT_APP_THEME_PRIMARY_COLOR='#6A5ACD'
-# REACT_APP_THEME_SECONDARY_COLOR='#048A81'
diff --git a/packages/client/.env.example b/packages/client/.env.example
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1d64453
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/client/.env.example
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+# =============================================
+# STAC Manager Environment Example File
+# =============================================
+# IMPORTANT: DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE!
+# Instead, create a copy named '.env' and modify that file.
+# This example file serves as a template and documentation.
+# =============================================
+
+# =================
+# App Configuration
+# =================
+
+# The title of the application shown in browser tab and headers
+APP_TITLE=STAC Manager
+
+# A brief description of the application for metadata purposes
+APP_DESCRIPTION=Plugin based STAC editor
+
+# The base URL where the app is being served from
+# DO NOT set this in the .env file. Set it as an environment variable before building.
+# See the README for instructions.
+# PUBLIC_URL= Do not set here
+
+# ===============
+# API Integration
+# ===============
+
+# URL of the STAC Browser instance (optional)
+# If not set, will default to Radiant Earth's STAC Browser
+REACT_APP_STAC_BROWSER=
+
+# URL of the STAC API endpoint (required)
+# This is the API the app will interact with for STAC operations
+REACT_APP_STAC_API=
+
+# ====================
+# Keycloak Auth Config
+# ====================
+# If not provided, authentication will be disabled.
+
+# Base URL of the Keycloak server
+REACT_APP_KEYCLOAK_URL=
+
+# Client ID registered in Keycloak
+REACT_APP_KEYCLOAK_CLIENT_ID=
+
+# Realm name in Keycloak
+REACT_APP_KEYCLOAK_REALM=
+
+# =================
+# Theme Customization
+# =================
+
+# Primary color for the application theme (hex color code)
+# Default: #6A5ACD (SlateBlue)
+# REACT_APP_THEME_PRIMARY_COLOR='#6A5ACD'
+
+# Secondary color for the application theme (hex color code)
+# Default: #048A81 (Teal)
+# REACT_APP_THEME_SECONDARY_COLOR='#048A81'
diff --git a/packages/client/.gitignore b/packages/client/.gitignore
index f232579..dfbed60 100644
--- a/packages/client/.gitignore
+++ b/packages/client/.gitignore
@@ -2,4 +2,5 @@
 # Environment
 ################################################
 
-.env.*
\ No newline at end of file
+.env*
+!.env.example
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/client/README.md b/packages/client/README.md
index 137023e..0245fe9 100644
--- a/packages/client/README.md
+++ b/packages/client/README.md
@@ -8,6 +8,15 @@ See root README.md for instructions on how to install and run the project.
 
 ## Client specific instructions
 
+### Environment Configuration
+
+The application uses environment variables for configuration. A template file `.env.example` is provided as a template.
+
+To configure the application:
+1. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`
+2. Modify the `.env` file with your specific configuration values
+3. Never modify `.env.example` directly as it serves as documentation
+
 Some client options are controlled by environment variables. These are:
 ```
 # App config
@@ -66,4 +75,4 @@ icon-512.png            512x512
 favicon.png             32x32
 apple-touch-icon.png    360x360
 meta-image.png          1920x1080
-```
+```
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/client/posthtml.config.js b/packages/client/posthtml.config.js
index c8c18dc..5213067 100644
--- a/packages/client/posthtml.config.js
+++ b/packages/client/posthtml.config.js
@@ -1,26 +1,5 @@
+/* global process, module */
 // https://github.com/parcel-bundler/parcel/issues/1209#issuecomment-942927265
-const dotenv = require('dotenv');
-
-const NODE_ENV = process.env.NODE_ENV;
-
-const dotenvFiles = [
-  '.env',
-  // Don't include `.env.local` for `test` environment
-  // since normally you expect tests to produce the same
-  // results for everyone
-  NODE_ENV === 'test' ? null : '.env.local',
-  `.env.${NODE_ENV}`,
-  `.env.${NODE_ENV}.local`
-].filter(Boolean);
-
-const env = {};
-
-for (let dotenvFile of dotenvFiles) {
-  const config = dotenv.config({ path: dotenvFile });
-  if (config.parsed) {
-    Object.assign(env, config.parsed);
-  }
-}
 
 module.exports = {
   plugins: {
diff --git a/packages/client/tasks/build.mjs b/packages/client/tasks/build.mjs
index fcea7ad..de5e3b3 100644
--- a/packages/client/tasks/build.mjs
+++ b/packages/client/tasks/build.mjs
@@ -5,9 +5,17 @@ import fs from 'fs-extra';
 import log from 'fancy-log';
 import { Parcel } from '@parcel/core';
 
+import {
+  checkRequiredEnvVars,
+  loadEnvironmentVariables
+} from './check-env-vars.mjs';
+
 const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
 const __dirname = path.dirname(__filename);
 
+loadEnvironmentVariables();
+checkRequiredEnvVars(['REACT_APP_STAC_API', 'PUBLIC_URL']);
+
 // /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 // --------------------------- Variables -------------------------------------//
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------//
diff --git a/packages/client/tasks/check-env-vars.mjs b/packages/client/tasks/check-env-vars.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac4be9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/client/tasks/check-env-vars.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+/* global process */
+import log from 'fancy-log';
+import dotenv from 'dotenv';
+
+/**
+ * Check if required environment variables are set
+ * @param {string[]} requiredVars - Array of required environment variable names
+ * @throws {Error} - If any required variables are missing
+ */
+export function checkRequiredEnvVars(requiredVars) {
+  const missingVars = requiredVars.filter((varName) => !process.env[varName]);
+
+  if (missingVars.length > 0) {
+    log.error('ERROR: Missing required environment variables:');
+    missingVars.forEach((v) => log.error(`  - ${v}`));
+    console.log(); // eslint-disable-line no-console
+    log.info('Make sure to:');
+    log.info('1. Copy .env.example to .env');
+    log.info('2. Fill in all required values in .env');
+    console.log(); // eslint-disable-line no-console
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Loads environment variables from `.env` files based on the current
+ * `NODE_ENV`.
+ *
+ * The function determines the appropriate `.env` files to load in the following
+ * order:
+ * 1. `.env` - Always included.
+ * 2. `.env.local` - Included unless the `NODE_ENV` is `test`.
+ * 3. `.env.<NODE_ENV>` - Included based on the current `NODE_ENV`.
+ * 4. `.env.<NODE_ENV>.local` - Included based on the current `NODE_ENV`.
+ *
+ * Files are loaded in the order specified above, and later files override
+ * variables from earlier ones. The `.env.local` file is skipped for the `test`
+ * environment to ensure consistent test results across different environments.
+ */
+export function loadEnvironmentVariables() {
+  const dotenvFiles = [
+    '.env',
+    // Don't include `.env.local` for `test` environment
+    // since normally you expect tests to produce the same
+    // results for everyone
+    process.env.NODE_ENV === 'test' ? null : '.env.local',
+    `.env.${process.env.NODE_ENV}`,
+    `.env.${process.env.NODE_ENV}.local`
+  ].filter(Boolean);
+
+  dotenvFiles.forEach((dotenvFile) => {
+    dotenv.config({ path: dotenvFile });
+  });
+}
diff --git a/packages/client/tasks/server.mjs b/packages/client/tasks/server.mjs
index 1ab59da..4c61459 100644
--- a/packages/client/tasks/server.mjs
+++ b/packages/client/tasks/server.mjs
@@ -7,10 +7,18 @@ import portscanner from 'portscanner';
 import log from 'fancy-log';
 import { Parcel } from '@parcel/core';
 
+import {
+  checkRequiredEnvVars,
+  loadEnvironmentVariables
+} from './check-env-vars.mjs';
+
 const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
 const __dirname = path.dirname(__filename);
 const __appRoot = path.join(__dirname, '..');
 
+loadEnvironmentVariables();
+checkRequiredEnvVars(['REACT_APP_STAC_API']);
+
 // /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 // --------------------------- Variables -------------------------------------//
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------//