diff --git a/app/settings.py b/app/settings.py
index b05fe71..7298483 100644
--- a/app/settings.py
+++ b/app/settings.py
@@ -21,14 +21,12 @@
 # See https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/3.1/howto/deployment/checklist/
 
 # SECURITY WARNING: keep the secret key used in production secret!
-SECRET_KEY = '^ar@p4e$sdqoa*=gd)*(e*(+&k3rv#x_*v5w*wb9+ef@097-fd'
+SECRET_KEY = os.environ.get('SECRET_KEY', "a-not-so-secret-key")
 
 # SECURITY WARNING: don't run with debug turned on in production!
-DEBUG = True
-
+DEBUG = os.environ.get('DEBUG', False)
 ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['*', ]
 
-
 # Application definition
 
 INSTALLED_APPS = [
@@ -48,6 +46,7 @@
 
 MIDDLEWARE = [
     'django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware',
+    'whitenoise.middleware.WhiteNoiseMiddleware',
     'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
     'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
     'django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware',
@@ -74,9 +73,6 @@
     },
 ]
 
-WSGI_APPLICATION = 'app.wsgi.application'
-
-
 # Database
 # https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/3.1/ref/settings/#databases
 
@@ -115,9 +111,7 @@
 TIME_ZONE = 'UTC'
 
 USE_I18N = True
-
 USE_L10N = True
-
 USE_TZ = True
 
 
@@ -126,13 +120,13 @@
 
 STATIC_URL = '/static/'
 STATIC_ROOT = os.path.join(BASE_DIR, "static")
+STATICFILES_STORAGE = 'whitenoise.storage.CompressedStaticFilesStorage'
 
 CHANNEL_LAYERS = {
-        "default": {
-                    "BACKEND": "channels.layers.InMemoryChannelLayer"
-                }
+    "default": {
+        # IMPORTANT, do not ever use this in a production environment
+        "BACKEND": "channels.layers.InMemoryChannelLayer"
+    }
 }
-
-
 ASGI_APPLICATION = 'sockpuppet.routing.application'
-
+WSGI_APPLICATION = 'app.wsgi.application'
diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7934446
--- /dev/null
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+# Django sockpuppet expo
+
+## Running locally
+
+```
+pip install -r requirements.in
+yarn install
+yarn run watch
+
+python manage.py migrate
+python manage.py runserver
+```
+
+
diff --git a/requirements.in b/requirements.in
index 5b1de52..20a4828 100644
--- a/requirements.in
+++ b/requirements.in
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ django-sockpuppet
 requests
 django-pygments-renderer
 django-widget-tweaks
+whitenoise
 
 # deployment
 fabric