diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-deploy.yml b/.github/workflows/build-deploy.yml
index d760eeb..b21326a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-deploy.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-deploy.yml
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Generate HTML
         run: |
-          system/bin/generate_html.sh
+          system/bin/generate-html.sh
 
       - name: Upload artifact
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v2
diff --git a/.htaccess b/.htaccess
deleted file mode 100644
index e46befc..0000000
--- a/.htaccess
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,21 +0,0 @@
-# Turn on the rewrite engine
-RewriteEngine On
-
-RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
-RewriteRule (.*) https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
-
-RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\. [NC]
-RewriteRule (.*) https://www.%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]
-
-# For /page to /page.php?page=page
-RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
-RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
-RewriteRule ^([a-zA-Z0-9-]+)$ /page.php?page=$1 [L]
-
-# Rewrite /p/something to /post.php?slug=something
-RewriteRule ^p/(.*)$ /post.php?slug=$1 [L]
-
-# For extensionless PHP files
-RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
-RewriteCond %{DOCUMENT_ROOT}%{REQUEST_URI}.php -f
-RewriteRule ^(.*?)/?$ $1.php [L]
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 1acc73d..8d94e66 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -8,7 +8,11 @@ build-local-image:
 	docker build system/workflow-image -t atas-ssg-builder:latest
 
 run-local-image:
-	docker run --rm -it -v $(shell pwd):/github/workspace atas-ssg-builder:latest
+	docker run --rm -it -v $(shell pwd):/workspace atas-ssg-builder:latest
+
+dev-server:
+	docker run --rm -it --entrypoint /workspace/system/bin/dev-server-entrypoint.sh -p 8001:80 \
+	-v $(shell pwd):/workspace atas-ssg-builder:latest
 
 # Updates the GHCR:latest image
 update-workflow-image:
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index cba478a..a22e51b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -56,8 +56,8 @@ You can create any .php page at root directory or project or any subdirectory. `
 `./my-custom.php` will be `yoursite.com/my-custom`  
 `./my-custom-dir/my-custom.php` will be `yoursite.com/my-custom-dir/my-custom`
 
-Nginx and Apache `.htaccess` configurations are included to remove `.php` extension from URLs in your local dev 
-environment.
+Nginx configuration includes extensionless-php directives to remove `.php` extension from URLs in your local dev 
+environment. Don't put `.php` extensions in the URLs and links, just put in files.
 
 ## Enabling GitHub Pages
 
@@ -95,24 +95,25 @@ AAAA 2606:50c0:8000::153
     you can also add `your-github-username.github.io` as a CNAME record to your DNS records instead and still have a 
     custom domain, instead of the IP addresses above.
 
-## Local Development Environment in a PHP server (Nginx or Apache)
-You can use either apache with php or nginx with php-fpm locally to run your site. When run locally, there is no 
-build process, it's just PHP working server side. I won't dive into setting those up here.
+## Local Development Environment
 
-Do `composer update` locally to install dependencies before running locally. Build process does this automatically 
-but you need to do manually for local development.
+You can spin up the docker container and let it serve the PHP site locally, without a build process. You need to 
+have `docker` installed on your machine.
 
-### For Local Nginx
-use the config file in dir `./system/workflow-image/nginx.conf` and follow the comments.
+`cd` into the project directory
 
-### For Local Apache
-For local Apache, the .htaccess should be enough but also need to configure your virtual host in apache 
-configuration for the `local_hostname` domain name set in `config.json`.
+run:
+```
+make dev-server
+```
 
-Ensure local hostname matches the `local_hostname` in `config.json` file. Add it to hosts file at `/etc/hosts` if 
-necessary with IP `127.0.0.1`
+Alternatively, you don't have `make` installed, you can run below, and adjust the port `8001` to your liking:
+```
+docker run --rm -it --entrypoint /workspace/system/bin/dev-server-entrypoint.sh -p 8001:80 \
+    -v $(shell pwd):/workspace ghcr.io/atas/ssg-builder::latest
+```
 
-Locally, http works fine, https is used in build process with self-signed cert to generate URLs correctly.
+Your local php site will be running at `http://localhost:8001` with instant updates on page refresh, as PHP does.
 
 
 ## Architectural Considerations
diff --git a/config.json b/config.json
index 622db67..48d6a96 100644
--- a/config.json
+++ b/config.json
@@ -2,8 +2,6 @@
   "site_top_h1": "ata's ssg",
   "site_top_about_line1": "Simple PHP-based Static Site generator",
   "site_top_about_line2": "Supports Markdown and deployed to GitHub Pages by GitHub Actions",
-  "hostname": "ssg-test.atasasmaz.com",
-  "local_hostname": "ssg-local.atasasmaz.com",
   "email": "local-address@your-domain.com",
   "full_title": "Ata's SSG - a Simple PHP-based SSG for GitHub Pages",
   "appended_title": " - Ata's SSG",
diff --git a/layout/footer.php b/layout/footer.php
index 3fd8901..e15af51 100644
--- a/layout/footer.php
+++ b/layout/footer.php
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 </div>
 
 <footer>
-    <p>Copyright &copy; 2023 <?= $config->hostname ?></p>
+    <p>Copyright &copy; 2023
     <div class="gdprInfo">
         <!-- TODO: Add GDPR info or a GDPR banner if using advanced analytics -->
         This site respects your privacy with GDPR-compliant, self-hosted and anonymised analytics without using cookies and sharing data.
diff --git a/layout/header.php b/layout/header.php
index 4e00306..8c1006e 100644
--- a/layout/header.php
+++ b/layout/header.php
@@ -30,15 +30,15 @@
     <meta property="og:image:height" content="685"/>
     <title><?= $title ?></title>
     <?php
-    if (isLocalHost()) {
+    if (isBuildRunning()) {
+        ?> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/assets/styles/style.css"> <?php
+    }
+    else {
         ?>
         <link rel="stylesheet/less" type="text/css" href="/assets/styles/style.less">
         <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/less" ></script>
         <?php
     }
-    else {
-        ?> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/assets/styles/style.css"> <?php
-    }
     ?>
     <link rel="icon" type="image/jpeg" href="/assets/images/favicon-96.jpg">
     <script>
diff --git a/system/bin/dev-server-entrypoint.sh b/system/bin/dev-server-entrypoint.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..19a6490
--- /dev/null
+++ b/system/bin/dev-server-entrypoint.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# Check if php-fpm is running
+if ! pgrep "php-fpm" > /dev/null; then
+    php-fpm -D
+fi
+
+# Check if nginx is running
+if ! pgrep "nginx" > /dev/null; then
+    service nginx start
+fi
+
+echo "Dev server should be running at http://localhost:8001 or any other port if you changed the default."
+
+tail -f /dev/null
diff --git a/system/bin/generate_html.sh b/system/bin/generate-html.sh
similarity index 89%
rename from system/bin/generate_html.sh
rename to system/bin/generate-html.sh
index 902fb55..4696dd7 100755
--- a/system/bin/generate_html.sh
+++ b/system/bin/generate-html.sh
@@ -17,18 +17,10 @@ if ! pgrep "nginx" > /dev/null; then
     service nginx start
 fi
 
-hostname=$(jq -r '.hostname' config.json)
-
-if ! grep -qF "$hostname" "/etc/hosts"; then
-    echo "$hostname" >> "/etc/hosts"
-fi
-
-echo 127.0.0.1 "$hostname" >> /etc/hosts
-
 # Curl the URL $1 and save it to $2
 function curl_and_save() {
-  echo "curl_and_save https://$hostname$1 > $2"
-  curl -ks --fail "https://$hostname$1" > "$2"
+  echo "curl_and_save https://localhost$1 > $2"
+  curl -ks --fail "https://localhost$1" > "$2"
 
   # Check if the file exists and is not zero bytes
   if [[ ! -s $2 ]]; then
@@ -53,6 +45,9 @@ function curl_and_save() {
 rm -rf html
 mkdir -p html
 
+touch build.lock # we are running the build process.
+trap "rm -rf build.lock" EXIT
+
 # pages/*.md HTML BUilding
 for file in pages/*.md; do
   filename=$(basename "$file" .md)
diff --git a/system/bootstrap.php b/system/bootstrap.php
index 5cff8e6..9a40cb0 100644
--- a/system/bootstrap.php
+++ b/system/bootstrap.php
@@ -62,4 +62,40 @@ function get_all_posts(): array
     header('HTTP/1.0 404 Not Found');
     include_once '404.php';
     exit;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}
+
+/**
+ * Gets the current full hostname with protocol
+ * @return string
+ */
+function getCurrentHostname(): string
+{
+    // Check if HTTPS or HTTP is being used
+    $protocol = (isset($_SERVER['HTTPS']) && $_SERVER['HTTPS'] === 'on') ? "https" : "http";
+
+    // Get the server port
+    $port = $_SERVER['SERVER_PORT'];
+
+    // Depending on whether the port is standard for the protocol, include it in the URL
+    if (($protocol === 'http' && $port == 80) || ($protocol === 'https' && $port == 443)) {
+        // Standard ports for HTTP and HTTPS, respectively. No need to include the port in the URL.
+        $currentUrl = "{$_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']}";
+    } else {
+        // Non-standard port, include it in the URL.
+        $currentUrl = "{$_SERVER['HTTP_HOST']}:{$port}";
+    }
+
+    return $currentUrl;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Gets the current full hostname with protocol
+ * @return string
+ */
+function getCurrentHostnameWithProtocol(): string
+{
+    // Check if HTTPS or HTTP is being used
+    $protocol = (isset($_SERVER['HTTPS']) && $_SERVER['HTTPS'] === 'on') ? "https" : "http";
+
+    return "{$protocol}://" . getCurrentHostname();
+}
diff --git a/system/layoutUtils.php b/system/layoutUtils.php
index 51b1504..a21b0d6 100644
--- a/system/layoutUtils.php
+++ b/system/layoutUtils.php
@@ -15,13 +15,12 @@ function selectedTabCss(string $tab): string
 }
 
 /**
- * Update config.json's local_hostname, in local host we use less.js in-browser compilation.
+ * Are we running like a PHP site or if the build pipeline running this?
  * @return bool
  */
-function isLocalHost(): bool
+function isBuildRunning(): bool
 {
-    global $config;
-    return $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] == $config->local_hostname;
+    return file_exists(__DIR__ . "/../build.lock");
 }
 
 /**
@@ -38,17 +37,3 @@ function getCurrentFullUrl(): string
 
     return $currentUrl;
 }
-
-/**
- * Gets the current full hostname with protocol
- * @return string
- */
-function getCurrentHostnameWithProtocol(): string
-{
-    // Check if HTTPS or HTTP is being used
-    $protocol = (isset($_SERVER['HTTPS']) && $_SERVER['HTTPS'] === 'on') ? "https" : "http";
-
-    // Construct the full URL
-    $currentUrl = $protocol . "://" . $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'];
-    return $currentUrl;
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/system/markdown.php b/system/markdown.php
index f3fd176..b5d0fdc 100644
--- a/system/markdown.php
+++ b/system/markdown.php
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ function get_md_config(): array
     return [
         'allow_unsafe_links' => false,
         'external_link' => [
-            'internal_hosts' => [$config->hostname, $config->local_hostname],
+            'internal_hosts' => [getCurrentHostname()],
             'open_in_new_window' => true,
             'html_class' => 'external-link',
             'nofollow' => '',
diff --git a/system/workflow-image/nginx.conf b/system/workflow-image/nginx.conf
index 6f8452f..f126995 100644
--- a/system/workflow-image/nginx.conf
+++ b/system/workflow-image/nginx.conf
@@ -1,17 +1,10 @@
 server {
-    # You can use 80 localhost.
     # We want ssl during build process to mitigate GitHub Pages so links are correct.
     listen 443 ssl;
 
-    # for localhost make your local domain match to local_hostname
-    # in config.json in top level.
-    # server_name local.atasasmaz.com;
-
-    # Comment out for local development
     ssl_certificate /etc/nginx/nginx-selfsigned.crt;
     ssl_certificate_key /etc/nginx/nginx-selfsigned.key;
 
-    # Update your project path for local development
     root /workspace;
     index index.php index.html;
 
@@ -46,3 +39,40 @@ server {
     }
 
 }
+
+server {
+    listen 80;
+
+    root /workspace;
+    index index.php index.html;
+
+    error_page 404 /404.php;
+
+    location ~ ^/p/(.+)$ {
+        rewrite ^/p/(.+)$ /post.php?slug=$1 last;
+    }
+
+    location / {
+        # If matching .php file found, rewrite to that, e.g. custom-page.php for /custom-page
+        if (-f $request_filename.php) {
+            rewrite ^(.*)$ $1.php last;
+        }
+
+        try_files $uri $uri.html $uri/ @try-render-page;
+        index index.html index.htm index.php;
+    }
+
+    location @try-render-page {
+        rewrite ^/([a-zA-Z0-9-]+)$ /page.php?page=$1 last;
+    }
+
+    location ~ \.php$ {
+       try_files $uri =404;
+       fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
+       fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9000; # assuming PHP-FPM is running on this address
+       fastcgi_index index.php;
+       include fastcgi_params;
+       fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
+       fastcgi_param SCRIPT_NAME $fastcgi_script_name;
+    }
+}