diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fbcc81a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+dev:
+	docker compose --profile hot-reload up --build --watch
+
+no-reload:
+	docker compose --profile without-hot-reload up --build
+
+.PHONY: dev no-reload
+.DEFAULT_GOAL := dev
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f09d921..e668445 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -50,8 +50,16 @@ Directory `scripts` contains some helpful scripts which automate some parts of w
 
 ## Development
 
-The application is started using the following command:
+The application is started using the following command (with hot-reload feature):
+```bash
+make
+```
+or with the hot-reload feature:
+```bash
+make no-reload
+```
 
+If you want to run the application manually you can use the following command:
 ```bash
 docker compose --profile hot-reload up --build --watch
 ```