diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index cdf937200..de9364aef 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ services:
 install:
   - pip install -r requirements.txt
 
+env:
+  - SECRET_KEY="i1bn=oly)w*2yl-5yc&f!vvgt)p)fh3_2$r#spa!*sw36f5ov7"
+
 before_script:
   - pycodestyle --exclude=migrations,settings.py,lib,tests --max-line-length=100 .
   - psql -c "CREATE DATABASE vulnerablecode;" -U postgres
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 733fda04d..fde92ef3e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,9 +2,7 @@
 
 [![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/nexB/vulnerablecode.svg?branch=develop)](https://travis-ci.org/nexB/vulnerablecode)
 
-Setup
------
-VulnerableCode requires Python 3.6+, get the latest version at https://www.python.org/
+## Setup
 
 Clone the source code:
 
@@ -12,53 +10,62 @@ Clone the source code:
 git clone https://github.com/nexB/vulnerablecode.git && cd vulnerablecode
 ```
 
-System requirements
+### System requirements
 
-- Get Python 3.6+ installed first and pip (pip is included in the
-  Python.org downloads since Python 2.7.9)
+- Python 3.6+
 
-- Install PostgreSQL 9 of later. (11.2 preferred)
-  On Debian distros use: `sudo apt-get install postgresql`
+- PostgreSQL 9+ or [Docker](https://hub.docker.com/search/?type=edition&offering=community)
 
-- Install extra utilities if needed: `sudo apt-get install wget build-essential redis-server`
+- Compiler toolchain and development files for Python and PostgreSQL
 
+On Debian-based distros, these can be installed with `sudo apt install python3-venv python3-dev postgresql libpq-dev build-essential`. Leave out `postgresql` if you want to run it in Docker.
 
-Configure a local test database
+### Database configuration
 
-- Create a local test `vulnerablecode` database user. Use `vulnerablecode` as password when prompted
-  (otherwise use any password and update your settings locally).
+Either run PostgreSQL in Docker:
+`docker run --name pg-vulnerablecode -e POSTGRES_USER=vulnerablecode -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=vulnerablecode -e POSTGRES_DB=vulnerablecode -p 5432:5432 postgres`
+
+Or without:
+
+- Create a user named `vulnerablecode`. Use `vulnerablecode` as password when prompted:
   `sudo -u postgres createuser --no-createrole --no-superuser --login --inherit --createdb --pwprompt vulnerablecode`
 
-- Create a local test `vulnerablecode` database.
+- Create a databased named `vulnerablecode`:
   `createdb --encoding=utf-8 --owner=vulnerablecode  --user=vulnerablecode --password --host=localhost --port=5432 vulnerablecode`
 
+### Application dependencies
+
 Activate a virtualenv, install dependencies, and run the database migrations:
 
 ```
-python3 -m venv .
-source bin/activate
+python3 -m venv venv
+source venv/bin/activate
 pip install -r requirements.txt
-python manage.py migrate
+DJANGO_DEV=1 python manage.py migrate
 ```
 
-Tests
------
+The environment variable `DJANGO_DEV` is used to load settings suitable for development, defined in `vulnerablecode/dev.py`. If you don't want to type
+it every time use `export DJANGO_DEV=1` instead.
+
+When not running in development mode, an environment variable named `SECRET_KEY` needs to be set. The recommended way to generate this key is to use
+the code Django includes for this purpose: `SECRET_KEY=$(python -c "from django.core.management import utils; print(utils.get_random_secret_key())")`.
+
+## Tests
 
 ```
-pycodestyle --exclude=migrations,settings.py,lib,tests --max-line-length=100 .
-python3.6 -m pytest -v vulnerabilities/tests/test_scrapers.py vulnerabilities/tests/test_api_data.py
+pycodestyle --exclude=migrations,settings.py,venv,tests --max-line-length=100 .
+python -m pytest -v vulnerabilities/tests/test_scrapers.py vulnerabilities/tests/test_api_data.py
 ```
 
 For Django based tests
 ```
-python manage.py test vulnerabilities/tests
+DJANGO_DEV=1 python manage.py test vulnerabilities/tests
 ```
 
-Scrape and save to the database
--------------------------------
+## Data import
 
 ```
-python manage.py shell
+DJANGO_DEV=1 python manage.py shell
 ```
 
 ```
@@ -78,22 +85,22 @@ archlinux_vulnerabilities = archlinux.scrape_vulnerabilities()
 archlinux_dump(archlinux_vulnerabilities)
 ```
 
-API
-----
+## API
+
 Start the webserver
 
 ```
-python manage.py runserver
+DJANGO_DEV=1 python manage.py runserver
 ```
 
 In your browser access:
+
 ```
 http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/
 http://127.0.0.1:8000/api/packages/?name=<package_name>
 ```
 
-Deployment on Heroku
---------------------
+## Deployment on Heroku
 
 See https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/django-app-configuration#creating-a-new-django-project
 https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/deploying-python#how-to-keep-build-artifacts-out-of-git
@@ -108,10 +115,12 @@ https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/deploying-python#how-to-keep-build-artifac
 
 5. Create Heroku app: `heroku create`
 
-6. Deploy: `git push heroku <branch>:master`
+6. Generate a secret key and pass it as an environment variable: `heroku config:set SECRET_KEY=$(python -c "from django.core.management import utils; print(utils.get_random_secret_key())")`
+
+7. Deploy: `git push heroku <branch>:master`
 
-7. Migrate the database: `heroku run python manage.py migrate`
+8. Migrate the database: `heroku run python manage.py migrate`
 
-8. Load the data referring to chapter "Scrape and save to the database" above.
+9. Load the data referring to chapter "Data import" above.
 
-9. To check the logs: `heroku logs --tail`
+10. To check the logs: `heroku logs --tail`
diff --git a/vulnerablecode/dev.py b/vulnerablecode/dev.py
index 15f8a2874..f957c4340 100644
--- a/vulnerablecode/dev.py
+++ b/vulnerablecode/dev.py
@@ -1,14 +1,7 @@
 import os
 
-BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
-
 DEBUG = True
 
 ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['localhost', '127.0.0.1', '::1']
 
-DATABASES = {
-    'default': {
-        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
-        'NAME': os.path.join(BASE_DIR, 'db.sqlite3'),
-    }
-}
+SECRET_KEY = 'hhismo6l@1uj)nr6@o7$b2u68w5*_o^liji+=uzq=954-f$8_1'
diff --git a/vulnerablecode/settings.py b/vulnerablecode/settings.py
index 970744e75..220925f52 100644
--- a/vulnerablecode/settings.py
+++ b/vulnerablecode/settings.py
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@
 
 import os
 
+DEV_MODE = os.environ.get('DJANGO_DEV', False)
+
 # Build paths inside the project like this: os.path.join(BASE_DIR, ...)
 BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
 
@@ -19,7 +21,8 @@
 # See https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.11/howto/deployment/checklist/
 
 # SECURITY WARNING: keep the secret key used in production secret!
-SECRET_KEY = 'hhismo6l@1uj)nr6@o7$b2u68w5*_o^liji+=uzq=954-f$8_1'
+if not DEV_MODE:
+    SECRET_KEY = os.environ['SECRET_KEY']
 
 # SECURITY WARNING: don't run with debug turned on in production!
 DEBUG = False
@@ -28,7 +31,6 @@
     '.herokuapp.com',
 ]
 
-
 # Application definition
 
 INSTALLED_APPS = [
@@ -159,5 +161,5 @@
 
 
 # Set `DJANGO_DEV=1` in env to enable dev mode
-if os.environ.get('DJANGO_DEV', False):
+if DEV_MODE:
     from vulnerablecode.dev import *