diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7c54534
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+# https://hub.docker.com/_/ruby
+FROM ruby:3.0
+
+# throw errors if Gemfile has been modified since Gemfile.lock
+RUN bundle config --global frozen 1
+
+WORKDIR /usr/src/app
+
+# copy gems first to cache bundle install
+COPY Gemfile Gemfile.lock ./
+RUN bundle install
+
+# copy whole repo into the image
+COPY . .
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e0760d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+version: '3'
+services:
+  jekyll:
+    container_name: jekyll-server
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile
+    image: merl-center:v1
+    # host flag allows Jekyll server to be accessed from outside the container
+    command: bundle exec jekyll serve --livereload --host=0.0.0.0
+    # volume allows changes to be seen on localhost immediately instead of having to delete and rebuild image
+    volumes:
+      - .:/usr/src/app
+    ports:
+      - 4000:4000
+      - 35729:35729 # port for livereload