diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 1167bb80..c7b635a4 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-# Default path setup
-COMPOSE_FILES := -f ./docker/docker-compose.yml -f ./docker/docker-compose.dev.yml
+COMPOSE_FILES := -f ./docker/docker-compose.yml
 
 # Function to add service files
 define add_service
@@ -8,7 +7,7 @@ define add_service
     ifneq ($(wildcard ./docker/docker-compose.$(1).prod.yml),)
       COMPOSE_FILES += -f ./docker/docker-compose.$(1).prod.yml
     endif
-  else
+  else ifeq ($(DEV_MODE), true)
     COMPOSE_FILES += -f ./docker/docker-compose.$(1).yml
 	ifneq ($(wildcard ./docker/docker-compose.$(1).dev.yml),)
       COMPOSE_FILES += -f ./docker/docker-compose.$(1).dev.yml
@@ -17,18 +16,20 @@ define add_service
 endef
 
 
-# Check if services are specified and add corresponding compose files
-ifneq ($(NGINX),)
-  $(eval $(call add_service,nginx))
-endif
-
-ifneq ($(NLU),)
-  $(eval $(call add_service,nlu))
-endif
-
-ifneq ($(SMTP4DEV),)
-  $(eval $(call add_service,smtp4dev))
-endif
+# Function to set up COMPOSE_FILES
+define compose_files
+	ifeq ($(1), true)
+		ifneq ($(wildcard ./docker/docker-compose.dev.yml),)
+			COMPOSE_FILES += -f ./docker/docker-compose.dev.yml
+		endif
+	endif
+	ifneq ($(NGINX),)
+		$(eval $(call add_service,nginx))
+	endif
+	ifneq ($(NLU),)
+		$(eval $(call add_service,nlu))
+	endif
+endef
 
 # Ensure .env file exists and matches .env.example
 check-env:
@@ -43,16 +44,21 @@ init:
 	cp ./docker/.env.example ./docker/.env
 
 dev: check-env
+	$(eval $(call compose_files,true))
 	docker compose $(COMPOSE_FILES) up -d
 
 start: check-env
-	docker compose $(COMPOSE_FILES) up -d --build
+	$(eval $(call compose_files,false))
+	docker compose $(COMPOSE_FILES) up -d
 
 stop: check-env
+	$(eval $(call compose_files,true))
 	docker compose $(COMPOSE_FILES) down
 
 destroy: check-env
+	$(eval $(call compose_files,true))
 	docker compose $(COMPOSE_FILES) down -v
 
 migrate-up:
+	$(eval $(call compose_files,false))
 	docker-compose $(COMPOSE_FILES) up --no-deps -d database-init
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f44af489..48681c05 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 # Hexabot
+
 ![App Screenshot](https://www.hexabot.ai/assets/images/screencast.gif)
 
 ## Description
@@ -20,6 +21,7 @@
 - **Inbox & Handover:** Provides a real-time chat window where conversations can be monitored and handed over to human agents when necessary.
 
 ## Directory Structure
+
 - **frontend:** The admin panel built with React/Next.js for managing chatbot configurations and flows.
 - **api:** The backend API built with NestJS and connected to MongoDB for data storage and management.
 - **widget:** A React-based live chat widget that can be embedded into any website to provide real-time interaction.
@@ -27,6 +29,7 @@
 - **docker:** A set of Docker Compose files for deploying the entire solution, making it easy to run Hexabot in any environment.
 
 ## Prerequisites
+
 To ensure Hexabot runs smoothly, you'll need the following:
 
 - **Docker:** We recommend using Docker to start the app since multiple services are required (MongoDB, Redis, Prometheus, etc.). All the necessary Docker Compose files are located in the docker folder.
@@ -35,28 +38,37 @@ To ensure Hexabot runs smoothly, you'll need the following:
 ## Installation
 
 1. **Clone the Repository:**
+
 ```bash
 $ git clone https://github.com/hexastack/hexabot.git
 ```
+
 2. **Environment Setup:** To configure the environment variables, use the Makefile at the root folder for initialization:
+
 ```bash
 $ make init
 ```
+
 This will copy the `.env.example` file to `.env` in the `./docker` directory if the file does not already exist.
 
 3. **Running the Application:** Once your environment is set up, you can start the app. Use either of the following commands:
+
 ```bash
 $ make start
 ```
+
 or for development mode:
+
 ```bash
 $ make dev
 ```
+
 **Note:** The first time you run the app, Docker will take some time to download all the required images.
 
 ## Usage
 
-UI Admin Panel is accessible via http://localhost:8080, the default credentials are : 
+UI Admin Panel is accessible via http://localhost:8080, the default credentials are :
+
 - **Username:** admin@admin.admin
 - **Password:** adminadmin
 
@@ -65,18 +77,20 @@ Live Chat Widget is accessible via http://localhost:5173
 ## Commands
 
 - `make init` : Copies the .env.example file to .env in the ./docker directory if .env does not exist. This is usually used for initial setup.
-- `make dev` : Starts all configured Docker services in development mode. It first checks the .env file for completeness against .env.example.
-- `make start` : Similar to dev, but explicitly builds the Docker images before starting the services. This target also checks the .env file for required variables.
+- `make dev` : Starts all configured Docker services in development mode. It first checks the .env file for completeness against .env.example and builds the docker images locally.
+- `make start` : Starts all configured Docker services by loading all images from Docker Hub. This target also checks the .env file for required variables.
 - `make stop` : Stops all running Docker services defined in the compose files.
 - `make destroy` : Stops all services and removes all volumes associated with the Docker compose setup, ensuring a clean state.
 - `make check-env` : Checks if the ./docker/.env file exists and contains all the necessary environment variables as defined in ./docker/.env.example. If the file does not exist, it is created from the example. It also lists missing variables if any.
 
-Example on how to start the stack by adding the Nginx service : 
+Example on how to start the stack by adding the Nginx service :
+
 ```sh
 make start NGINX=1
 ```
 
 ## Documentation
+
 For detailed information on how to get started, as well as in-depth user and developer guides, please refer to our full documentation available in the docs folder or visit the [Documentation](https://docs.hexabot.ai).
 
 You can also find specific documentation for different components of the project in the following locations:
@@ -86,16 +100,17 @@ You can also find specific documentation for different components of the project
 - [Live Chat Widget Documentation](widget/README.md)
 - [NLU Engine Documentation](nlu/README.md)
 
-## Contributing 
+## Contributing
+
 We welcome contributions from the community! Whether you want to report a bug, suggest new features, or submit a pull request, your input is valuable to us.
 
 Please refer to our contribution policy first : [How to contribute to Hexabot](./CONTRIBUTING.md)
 [![Contributor Covenant](https://img.shields.io/badge/Contributor%20Covenant-2.1-4baaaa.svg)](./CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md)
 
-
 Feel free to join us on [Discord](https://discord.gg/rNb9t2MFkG)
 
 ## License
+
 This software is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPLv3) with the following additional terms:
 
 1. The name "Hexabot" is a trademark of Hexastack. You may not use this name in derivative works without express written permission.
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.dev.yml b/docker/docker-compose.dev.yml
index b4171110..6b2a7e33 100644
--- a/docker/docker-compose.dev.yml
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.dev.yml
@@ -2,12 +2,16 @@ version: "3.8"
 
 services:
   database-init:
+    build:
+      context: ../api
     volumes:
       - ../api/src:/app/src
       - ../api/migrations:/app/migrations
       # - ../api/node_modules:/app/node_modules
 
   api:
+    build:
+      context: ../api
     ports:
       - ${API_PORT}:3000
       - 9229:9229 # vscode debug port
@@ -35,8 +39,15 @@ services:
       ME_CONFIG_MONGODB_ADMINPASSWORD: ${MONGO_PASSWORD}
       ME_CONFIG_MONGODB_URL: ${MONGO_URI}
 
+  hexabot-frontend:
+    container_name: frontend
+    build:
+      context: ../
+      dockerfile: ./frontend/Dockerfile
+
   widget:
     build:
+      context: ../widget
       target: development
     volumes:
       - ../widget/src:/app/src
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.nlu.dev.yml b/docker/docker-compose.nlu.dev.yml
index 8ea3a79c..b828f4a6 100644
--- a/docker/docker-compose.nlu.dev.yml
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.nlu.dev.yml
@@ -2,5 +2,8 @@ version: "3.9"
 
 services:
   nlu-api:
+    build:
+      context: ../nlu
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
     ports:
-      - ${NLP_PORT}:5000
\ No newline at end of file
+      - ${NLP_PORT}:5000
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.nlu.yml b/docker/docker-compose.nlu.yml
index 7bc96732..be46953d 100644
--- a/docker/docker-compose.nlu.yml
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.nlu.yml
@@ -10,9 +10,7 @@ services:
 
   nlu-api:
     container_name: nlu-api
-    build:
-      context: ../nlu
-      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    image: hexabot-nlu:latest
     env_file: .env
     networks:
       - nlp-network
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.yml b/docker/docker-compose.yml
index 5549acf3..6fabf648 100644
--- a/docker/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.yml
@@ -3,8 +3,7 @@ version: "3.9"
 services:
   database-init:
     container_name: database-init
-    build:
-      context: ../api
+    image: hexabot-api:latest
     command: sh -c "npm run cache:init && npm run migrate prune && npm run migrate up"
     env_file: .env
     networks:
@@ -15,8 +14,7 @@ services:
 
   api:
     container_name: api
-    build:
-      context: ../api
+    image: hexabot-api:latest
     env_file: .env
     ports:
       - ${API_PORT}:3000
@@ -69,12 +67,7 @@ services:
 
   widget:
     container_name: widget
-    build:
-      context: ../widget
-      args:
-        REACT_APP_WIDGET_API_URL: ${REACT_APP_WIDGET_API_URL}
-        REACT_APP_WIDGET_CHANNEL: ${REACT_APP_WIDGET_CHANNEL}
-        REACT_APP_WIDGET_TOKEN: ${REACT_APP_WIDGET_TOKEN}
+    image: hexabot-widget:latest
     networks:
       - app-network
     depends_on: