diff --git a/.gitpod.yml b/.gitpod.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8add1bf12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitpod.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+image:
+  file: ./devops/gitpod.dockerfile
+tasks:
+  - init: npm install && RScript -e "blogdown::install_hugo()"
+  - command: "echo 'run: \"npm start\" or \"npm run start:blog\"'"
+ports:
+  - port: 1313
+vscode:
+  extensions:
+    - ikuyadeu.r@1.6.3:SrD06skfmg05hLAerl2aKQ==
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f6c41eb43..84fade82b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 # Delphi Website
 
+[![Open in Gitpod](https://gitpod.io/button/open-in-gitpod.svg)](https://gitpod.io/#https://github.com/cmu-delpih/www-main)
+
+
 Delphi's homepage at https://cmu-delphi-main.netlify.app/
 
 This site is based on [Hugo](https://gohugo.io) and uses [Prettier](https://prettier.io) for formatting.
@@ -38,9 +41,9 @@ In RMarkdown things are slightly more different since the R Markdown parser is u
 **Examples**
 
 ```
-[Facebook](`r blogdown::shortcode_html("ref", "2020-08-26-fb-survey")`)
-[previous exploratory investigations](`r blogdown::shortcode_html("ref", "2020-08-26-fb-survey#some-interesting-examples")`)
-[public API](`r blogdown::shortcode_html("apiref", "api/covidcast.html")`)
+`r blogdown::shortcode_html("reflink", "2020-08-26-fb-survey", "Facebook")`
+`r blogdown::shortcode_html("reflink", "2020-08-26-fb-survey#some-interesting-examples", "previous exploratory investigations")`
+`r blogdown::shortcode_html("apireflink", "api/covidcast.html", "public API")`
 
 ```
 
@@ -53,6 +56,8 @@ In addition, there in the `/data` directory there are the following listings in
 
 ## Development Environment
 
+One click: [![Open in Gitpod](https://gitpod.io/button/open-in-gitpod.svg)](https://gitpod.io/#https://github.com/cmu-delpih/www-main)
+
 ### Web Editor Only
 
 1. Install Node: https://nodejs.org/en/download/
diff --git a/devops/gitpod.dockerfile b/devops/gitpod.dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f66107836
--- /dev/null
+++ b/devops/gitpod.dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+# docker image for setting up an R environment
+FROM gitpod/workspace-full
+
+# install miniconda
+ENV PATH /opt/conda/bin:$PATH
+RUN wget --quiet https://repo.anaconda.com/miniconda/Miniconda2-4.7.12-Linux-x86_64.sh -O ~/miniconda.sh && \
+    sudo /bin/bash ~/miniconda.sh -b -p /opt/conda && \
+    rm ~/miniconda.sh && \
+    sudo ln -s /opt/conda/etc/profile.d/conda.sh /etc/profile.d/conda.sh && \
+    echo ". /opt/conda/etc/profile.d/conda.sh" >> ~/.bashrc && \
+    echo "conda activate base" >> ~/.bashrc && \
+    sudo /opt/conda/bin/conda install --name base --channel conda-forge mamba=* && \
+    sudo find /opt/conda/ -follow -type f -name '*.a' -delete && \
+    sudo find /opt/conda/ -follow -type f -name '*.js.map' -delete && \
+    sudo /opt/conda/bin/conda clean -afy && \
+    conda config --prepend envs_dirs $HOME/.conda/envs && \
+    conda config --prepend pkgs_dirs $HOME/.conda/pkgs
+
+ADD ./environment.yml .
+RUN mamba env create -f environment.yml
+
+ADD ./dependencies.R .
+
+RUN conda run -n www-main Rscript ./dependencies.R
+
+RUN echo "conda activate www-main" >> ~/.bashrc
+ENV PATH /home/gitpod/.conda/envs/www-main/bin:$PATH
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 6fd0e5cd9..3664f86d1 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
     "build:blog": "Rscript -e \"blogdown::build_site(local=FALSE, run_hugo=FALSE, build_rmd='md5sum')\"",
     "build": "hugo --gc --minify",
     "start": "hugo server -D",
-    "start:blog": "Rscript -e \"blogdown::serve_site()\"",
+    "start:blog": "Rscript -e \"blogdown::serve_site(port=1313, browser=FALSE)\"",
     "format": "prettier *.* \"(.vscode|content|data|themes)/**\" --write",
     "lint": "prettier *.* \"(.vscode|content|data|themes)/**\" --check",
     "image": "docker build -t www-main:latest --file ./devops/Dockerfile ."