diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..85e7c1d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+/.idea/
diff --git a/Dockerfile.dev b/Dockerfile.dev
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c1c20d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile.dev
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+# Development Dockerfile with FrankenPHP
+FROM dunglas/frankenphp:latest-php8.3-alpine
+
+# Install system dependencies
+RUN apk add --no-cache \
+    git \
+    postgresql-client \
+    vim \
+    bash \
+    nano \
+    curl
+
+# Install Node.js 20.19.0+ from unofficial builds (for Vite 7 compatibility)
+RUN curl -fsSL https://unofficial-builds.nodejs.org/download/release/v20.19.0/node-v20.19.0-linux-x64-musl.tar.xz | tar -xJ -C /usr/local --strip-components=1
+
+# Install PHP extensions including xdebug for development
+RUN install-php-extensions \
+    pdo_pgsql \
+    opcache \
+    zip \
+    gd \
+    intl \
+    redis \
+    xdebug
+
+# Install Composer
+COPY --from=composer:2 /usr/bin/composer /usr/bin/composer
+
+# Set working directory
+WORKDIR /app
+
+# Configure PHP for development
+RUN mv "$PHP_INI_DIR/php.ini-development" "$PHP_INI_DIR/php.ini"
+
+# Configure Xdebug (disabled by default to reduce noise)
+RUN echo "xdebug.mode=off" >> /usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-php-ext-xdebug.ini \
+    && echo ";xdebug.mode=debug" >> /usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-php-ext-xdebug.ini \
+    && echo ";xdebug.client_host=host.docker.internal" >> /usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-php-ext-xdebug.ini \
+    && echo ";xdebug.start_with_request=yes" >> /usr/local/etc/php/conf.d/docker-php-ext-xdebug.ini
+
+# Configure Caddy for development
+RUN cat > /etc/caddy/Caddyfile <<EOF
+{
+    frankenphp
+    order php_server before file_server
+}
+
+:8000 {
+    root * /app/public
+
+    php_server {
+        index index.php
+    }
+
+    encode gzip
+
+    file_server
+
+    # Less strict headers for development
+    header {
+        X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN"
+    }
+}
+EOF
+
+# Create startup script for development
+RUN cat > /start.sh <<'EOF'
+#!/bin/sh
+set -e
+
+# Create .env file if it doesn't exist
+if [ ! -f ".env" ]; then
+    echo "Creating .env file from .env.example..."
+    cp .env.example .env
+fi
+
+# Install composer dependencies if vendor is empty
+if [ ! -f "vendor/autoload.php" ]; then
+    echo "Installing Composer dependencies..."
+    composer install --no-interaction
+fi
+
+# Install npm dependencies if node_modules is empty
+if [ ! -d "node_modules" ] && [ -f "package.json" ]; then
+    echo "Installing npm dependencies..."
+    npm install
+fi
+
+# Clear Laravel caches
+php artisan config:clear || true
+php artisan cache:clear || true
+
+# Wait for database
+echo "Waiting for database..."
+until pg_isready -h db -U trove -q; do
+    echo "Database not ready, retrying..."
+    sleep 2
+done
+echo "Database is ready!"
+
+# Generate app key if not set
+if grep -q "^APP_KEY=$" .env 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo "Generating application key..."
+    php artisan key:generate
+fi
+
+# Run migrations
+php artisan migrate --force
+
+# Start Vite dev server in background (if package.json exists)
+if [ -f "package.json" ]; then
+    npm run dev &
+fi
+
+# Start FrankenPHP
+exec frankenphp run --config /etc/caddy/Caddyfile
+EOF
+
+RUN chmod +x /start.sh
+
+# Expose ports
+EXPOSE 8000 5173
+
+# Use the startup script
+CMD ["/start.sh"]
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 95dca18..d7db23f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 # trove
 
+A small web search engine.
diff --git a/docker/dev/docker-compose.yml b/docker/dev/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..927213b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/dev/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+# ===================
+# Trove Development Services
+# ===================
+# Port allocation:
+#   App:   8200 (frankenphp), 5175 (vite)
+#   DB:    5433 (postgresql)
+#   Redis: 6380
+
+services:
+  app:
+    build:
+      context: ../..
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile.dev
+    container_name: trove_dev_app
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    ports:
+      - "8200:8000"
+      - "5175:5173"
+    volumes:
+      - ../..:/app
+      - app_vendor:/app/vendor
+      - app_node_modules:/app/node_modules
+    environment:
+      APP_NAME: "${APP_NAME:-Trove}"
+      APP_ENV: "${APP_ENV:-local}"
+      APP_DEBUG: "${APP_DEBUG:-true}"
+      APP_URL: "${APP_URL:-http://localhost:8200}"
+      DB_CONNECTION: pgsql
+      DB_HOST: db
+      DB_PORT: 5432
+      DB_DATABASE: "${DB_DATABASE:-trove}"
+      DB_USERNAME: "${DB_USERNAME:-trove}"
+      DB_PASSWORD: "${DB_PASSWORD:-trove}"
+      REDIS_HOST: redis
+      REDIS_PORT: 6379
+      SESSION_DRIVER: "${SESSION_DRIVER:-database}"
+      CACHE_STORE: "${CACHE_STORE:-redis}"
+      QUEUE_CONNECTION: "${QUEUE_CONNECTION:-redis}"
+      MAIL_MAILER: "${MAIL_MAILER:-log}"
+    depends_on:
+      db:
+        condition: service_healthy
+      redis:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    networks:
+      - trove-network
+
+  db:
+    image: postgres:17-alpine
+    container_name: trove_dev_db
+    hostname: db
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    ports:
+      - "5433:5432"
+    environment:
+      POSTGRES_DB: "${DB_DATABASE:-trove}"
+      POSTGRES_USER: "${DB_USERNAME:-trove}"
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: "${DB_PASSWORD:-trove}"
+    volumes:
+      - db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U ${POSTGRES_USER:-trove}"]
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+      start_period: 10s
+    networks:
+      - trove-network
+
+  redis:
+    image: redis:7-alpine
+    container_name: trove_dev_redis
+    hostname: redis
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    ports:
+      - "6380:6379"
+    volumes:
+      - redis_data:/data
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "redis-cli", "ping"]
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+      start_period: 5s
+    networks:
+      - trove-network
+
+networks:
+  trove-network:
+    driver: bridge
+
+volumes:
+  db_data:
+  redis_data:
+  app_vendor:
+  app_node_modules:
diff --git a/shell.nix b/shell.nix
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b07745c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/shell.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+{ pkgs ? import <nixpkgs> {} }:
+
+pkgs.mkShell {
+  buildInputs = with pkgs; [
+    # PHP and tools
+    php83
+    php83Packages.composer
+
+    # Node.js (needed for Tailwind CSS / Vite)
+    nodejs_22
+
+    # Container tools
+    podman
+    podman-compose
+
+    # Database client
+    postgresql
+
+    # Utilities
+    git
+    curl
+    gnumake
+  ];
+
+  shellHook = ''
+    export USER_ID=$(id -u)
+    export GROUP_ID=$(id -g)
+    export PODMAN_USERNS=keep-id
+
+    # Compose file location
+    COMPOSE_FILE="$PWD/docker/dev/docker-compose.yml"
+
+    # ===================
+    # ALIASES
+    # ===================
+    alias pc='podman-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE'
+
+    # ===================
+    # DEV COMMANDS
+    # ===================
+    dev-up() {
+      echo "Starting services..."
+      PODMAN_USERNS=keep-id podman-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE up -d "$@"
+      echo ""
+      podman-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE ps
+      echo ""
+      echo "App available at: http://localhost:8200"
+    }
+
+    dev-down() {
+      if [[ "$1" == "-v" ]]; then
+        echo "Stopping services and removing volumes..."
+        podman-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE down -v
+      else
+        echo "Stopping services..."
+        podman-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE down
+      fi
+    }
+
+    dev-restart() {
+      echo "Restarting services..."
+      podman-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE restart "$@"
+    }
+
+    dev-rebuild() {
+      echo "Rebuilding services (down -v + up)..."
+      podman-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE down -v
+      PODMAN_USERNS=keep-id podman-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE up -d "$@"
+      echo ""
+      podman-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE ps
+      echo ""
+      echo "App available at: http://localhost:8200"
+    }
+
+    dev-logs() {
+      podman-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE logs -f app "$@"
+    }
+
+    dev-logs-db() {
+      podman-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE logs -f db "$@"
+    }
+
+    dev-logs-redis() {
+      podman-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE logs -f redis "$@"
+    }
+
+    dev-shell() {
+      podman-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE exec app bash
+    }
+
+    dev-artisan() {
+      podman-compose -f $COMPOSE_FILE exec app php artisan "$@"
+    }
+
+    # ===================
+    # BUILD COMMANDS
+    # ===================
+    base-build() {
+      local image="forge.lvl0.xyz/lvl0/trove:latest"
+
+      # Check if logged in, prompt if not
+      if ! podman login --get-login forge.lvl0.xyz &>/dev/null; then
+        echo "Not logged in to forge.lvl0.xyz"
+        podman login forge.lvl0.xyz || return 1
+      fi
+
+      echo "Building image: $image"
+      if ! podman build -t "$image" -f Dockerfile .; then
+        echo "Build failed!"
+        return 1
+      fi
+
+      echo ""
+      echo "Pushing to registry..."
+      if ! podman push "$image"; then
+        echo "Push failed!"
+        return 1
+      fi
+
+      echo ""
+      echo "Done! Image pushed: $image"
+    }
+
+    # ===================
+    # WELCOME MESSAGE
+    # ===================
+    echo ""
+    echo "================================================="
+    echo "             Trove Dev Environment                "
+    echo "================================================="
+    echo ""
+    echo "  Podman:  $(podman --version | cut -d' ' -f3)"
+    echo ""
+    echo "Commands:"
+    echo "  dev-up [services]   Start all or specific services"
+    echo "  dev-down [-v]       Stop services (-v removes volumes)"
+    echo "  dev-rebuild         Fresh start (down -v + up)"
+    echo "  dev-restart         Restart services"
+    echo "  dev-logs            Tail app logs"
+    echo "  dev-logs-db         Tail database logs"
+    echo "  dev-logs-redis      Tail Redis logs"
+    echo "  dev-shell           Shell into app container"
+    echo "  dev-artisan <cmd>   Run artisan command"
+    echo "  base-build          Build and push image"
+    echo ""
+    echo "Services:"
+    echo "  app      Laravel           http://localhost:8200"
+    echo "  vite     HMR               http://localhost:5175"
+    echo "  db       PostgreSQL        localhost:5433"
+    echo "  redis    Redis             localhost:6380"
+    echo ""
+  '';
+}