diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 020d4c9e9..c87acedbc 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -307,9 +307,15 @@ The sceond step is simply:
 ```
 
 The script `build-and-deploy-webapp.sh` puts it altogether and will eventually launch a Tomcat container with a running
-dev instance of Single Cell Expression Atlas.
+dev instance of Single Cell Expression Atlas. The script before launching the web application can build only the back-end or front-end component or both.
 
+Here is the usage of this script:
 
+  - -f      Use this flag if you would like to build the front-end javascript packages.
+  - -b      Use this flag if you would like to build the back-end of the web application.
+  - -h      Displaying the help file of this script.
+
+If you don't give any flags, or you add both then the script is going to build both front and back-end part of the web application.
 
 ### Gradle shell
  It
diff --git a/build-and-deploy-webapp.sh b/build-and-deploy-webapp.sh
index d117d883d..16e36f13a 100755
--- a/build-and-deploy-webapp.sh
+++ b/build-and-deploy-webapp.sh
@@ -5,13 +5,57 @@ SCRIPT_DIR=$( cd -- "$( dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" &> /dev/null && pwd )
 ENV_FILE=${SCRIPT_DIR}/docker/dev.env
 source ${ENV_FILE}
 
+function show_usage {
+  echo "Usage: build-and-deploy-webapp.sh [OPTION]..."
+  echo "It is building and deploying our web application."
+  echo ""
+  echo "All options are disabled if omitted."
+  echo -e "-f\tUse this flag if you would like to build the front-end javascript packages."
+  echo -e "-b\tUse this flag if you would like to build the back-end of the web application."
+  echo -e "-h\tDisplaying this help file."
+  echo -e "\nIf you don't give any flags or you add both then the script is going to build both front and back-end part of the web application."
+}
+
+function get_build_type() {
+  if [[ $BUILD_FRONTEND == "true" && $BUILD_BACKEND != "true" ]]; then
+    echo "-ui-only"
+  elif [[ $BUILD_FRONTEND != "true" && $BUILD_BACKEND == "true" ]]; then
+    echo "-war-only"
+  elif [[ $BUILD_FRONTEND == "true" && $BUILD_BACKEND == "true" ]] || [[ -z $BUILD_FRONTEND && -z $BUILD_BACKEND ]]; then
+    echo "-all"
+  fi
+}
+
+while getopts ":fbh" opt; do
+  case $opt in
+    f)
+      BUILD_FRONTEND=true
+      ;;
+    b)
+      BUILD_BACKEND=true
+      ;;
+    h)
+      show_usage
+      exit 1
+      ;;
+    \?)
+      echo "Invalid option: -$OPTARG" >&2
+      echo ""
+      show_usage
+      exit 1
+      ;;
+  esac
+done
+
+BUILD_POSTFIX=$(get_build_type)
+
 DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND="docker compose \
 --project-name ${PROJECT_NAME} \
 --env-file=${ENV_FILE} \
 -f ./docker/docker-compose-solrcloud.yml \
 -f ./docker/docker-compose-postgres.yml \
 -f ./docker/docker-compose-tomcat.yml \
--f ./docker/docker-compose-build.yml"
+-f ./docker/docker-compose-build${BUILD_POSTFIX}.yml"
 
 DOCKER_COMPOSE_COMMAND_VARS="SCHEMA_VERSION=latest"
 
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose-build.yml b/docker/docker-compose-build-all.yml
similarity index 100%
rename from docker/docker-compose-build.yml
rename to docker/docker-compose-build-all.yml
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose-build-ui-only.yml b/docker/docker-compose-build-ui-only.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7e9e4c97e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/docker-compose-build-ui-only.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+version: "3.6"
+
+services:
+  node-webpack:
+    image: node:16
+    volumes:
+      - ..:/root/project
+    working_dir: /root/project
+    command: ["sh", "-c", "export CPPFLAGS=-DPNG_ARM_NEON_OPT=0 && npm install -g npm-check-updates && ./compile-front-end-packages.sh -ui" ]
+
+  gradle-build:
+    depends_on:
+      node-webpack:
+        condition: service_completed_successfully
+    extends:
+      service: gradle
+      file: docker-compose-gradle.yml
+
+  gradle-shell:
+    extends:
+      service: gradle
+      file: docker-compose-gradle.yml
+    tty: true
+    stdin_open: true
+    command: [ "sh", "-c", "gradle && /bin/bash" ]
+    depends_on:
+      gradle-build:
+        condition: service_completed_successfully
+
+  tomcat:
+    extends:
+      service: tomcat
+      file: docker-compose-tomcat.yml
+    depends_on:
+      gradle-build:
+        condition: service_completed_successfully
+      postgres:
+        condition: service_started
+      solrcloud-0:
+        condition: service_started
+      solrcloud-1:
+        condition: service_started
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose-build-war-only.yml b/docker/docker-compose-build-war-only.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4749ce6fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/docker-compose-build-war-only.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+version: "3.6"
+
+services:
+  gradle-build:
+    extends:
+      service: gradle
+      file: docker-compose-gradle.yml
+    command: ["sh", "-c", "gradle clean :app:war"]
+
+  gradle-shell:
+    extends:
+      service: gradle
+      file: docker-compose-gradle.yml
+    tty: true
+    stdin_open: true
+    command: [ "sh", "-c", "gradle && /bin/bash" ]
+    depends_on:
+      gradle-build:
+        condition: service_completed_successfully
+
+  tomcat:
+    extends:
+      service: tomcat
+      file: docker-compose-tomcat.yml
+    depends_on:
+      gradle-build:
+        condition: service_completed_successfully
+      postgres:
+        condition: service_started
+      solrcloud-0:
+        condition: service_started
+      solrcloud-1:
+        condition: service_started