diff --git a/.devcontainer/Dockerfile b/.devcontainer/Dockerfile
index 95efa14a..8cbdca97 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/Dockerfile
+++ b/.devcontainer/Dockerfile
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
-FROM eligibility_server:latest
-
-# install python tooling
-COPY .devcontainer/requirements.txt .devcontainer/requirements.txt
-RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r .devcontainer/requirements.txt
-
-# install docs tooling
-COPY docs/requirements.txt docs/requirements.txt
-RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r docs/requirements.txt
-
-# install test tooling
-COPY tests/requirements.txt tests/requirements.txt
-RUN pip install -r tests/requirements.txt
+FROM eligibility_server:latest
+
+# install python tooling
+COPY .devcontainer/requirements.txt .devcontainer/requirements.txt
+RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r .devcontainer/requirements.txt
+
+# install docs tooling
+COPY docs/requirements.txt docs/requirements.txt
+RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r docs/requirements.txt
+
+# install test tooling
+COPY tests/requirements.txt tests/requirements.txt
+RUN pip install -r tests/requirements.txt
diff --git a/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json b/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
index 1d4f55aa..d1572d95 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
+++ b/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
@@ -1,28 +1,30 @@
 // For format details, see https://aka.ms/vscode-remote/devcontainer.json
 {
   "name": "cal-itp/eligibility-server",
-  "dockerComposeFile": ["compose.yml"],
+  "dockerComposeFile": ["../compose.yml"],
   "service": "dev",
   "runServices": ["dev", "docs"],
   "workspaceFolder": "/home/calitp/app",
-  "postAttachCommand": ["/bin/bash", ".devcontainer/pre-commit.sh"],
+  "postStartCommand": ["/bin/bash", "bin/init.sh"],
+  "postAttachCommand": ["/bin/bash", ".devcontainer/postAttach.sh"],
 
   // Set *default* container specific settings.json values on container create.
   "settings": {
-      "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.linux": "bash",
-      "terminal.integrated.profiles.linux": {
-          "bash": {
-              "path": "/bin/bash"
-          }
+    "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.linux": "bash",
+    "terminal.integrated.profiles.linux": {
+      "bash": {
+        "path": "/bin/bash"
       }
+    }
   },
 
   // Add the IDs of extensions you want installed when the container is created.
   "extensions": [
-      "batisteo.vscode-django",
-      "ms-python.python",
-      "ms-python.vscode-pylance",
-      "eamodio.gitlens",
-      "mhutchie.git-graph"
+    "bpruitt-goddard.mermaid-markdown-syntax-highlighting",
+    "eamodio.gitlens",
+    "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
+    "mhutchie.git-graph",
+    "ms-python.python",
+    "ms-python.vscode-pylance"
   ]
 }
diff --git a/.devcontainer/pre-commit.sh b/.devcontainer/postAttach.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
similarity index 56%
rename from .devcontainer/pre-commit.sh
rename to .devcontainer/postAttach.sh
index b576c2df..15ee70ca
--- a/.devcontainer/pre-commit.sh
+++ b/.devcontainer/postAttach.sh
@@ -1,8 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-set -eu
+set -eux
 
 # initialize hook environments
 pre-commit install --install-hooks --overwrite
-
-# manage commit-msg hooks
-pre-commit install --hook-type commit-msg
diff --git a/.devcontainer/requirements.txt b/.devcontainer/requirements.txt
index de63c055..0164b67a 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/requirements.txt
+++ b/.devcontainer/requirements.txt
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
+black
 flake8
 pre-commit
diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0866a5b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+.git/
+.github/
+.vscode/
+.flake8
+.*ignore
diff --git a/.devcontainer/.env.sample b/.env.sample
similarity index 100%
rename from .devcontainer/.env.sample
rename to .env.sample
diff --git a/.github/workflows/run-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/run-tests.yml
index 945b6bea..5efd57f5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/run-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/run-tests.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ name: Run pytests
 
 on:
   pull_request:
-    branches: [ "*" ]
+    branches: ["*"]
 
 jobs:
   tests:
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ jobs:
       - name: Load environment variables
         uses: cardinalby/export-env-action@v1
         with:
-          envFile: .devcontainer/.env.sample
+          envFile: .env.sample
 
       - name: Test with pytest
         run: |
diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index e912b0bd..e98ea507 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+default_install_hook_types:
+  - pre-commit
+  - commit-msg
+
 repos:
   - repo: https://github.com/compilerla/conventional-pre-commit
     rev: v2.0.0
diff --git a/.vscode/settings.json b/.vscode/settings.json
index 82128960..86c82d8e 100644
--- a/.vscode/settings.json
+++ b/.vscode/settings.json
@@ -1,11 +1,20 @@
 {
+  "editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
+  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
+  "files.encoding": "utf8",
+  "files.eol": "\n",
+  "files.insertFinalNewline": true,
+  "files.trimFinalNewlines": true,
+  "files.trimTrailingWhitespace": true,
+  "[python]": {
+    "editor.defaultFormatter": "ms-python.python"
+  },
+  "python.defaultInterpreterPath": "/usr/local/bin/python",
+  "python.formatting.provider": "black",
+  "python.languageServer": "Pylance",
   "python.linting.flake8Enabled": true,
   "python.linting.enabled": true,
-  "python.languageServer": "Pylance",
-  "python.testing.pytestArgs": [
-    "tests"
-  ],
+  "python.testing.pytestArgs": ["tests"],
   "python.testing.unittestEnabled": false,
-  "python.testing.pytestEnabled": true,
-  "python.defaultInterpreterPath": "/usr/local/bin/python",
+  "python.testing.pytestEnabled": true
 }
diff --git a/bin/init.sh b/bin/init.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..55be042d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/init.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+#! usr/bin/env bash
+set -eux
+
+# run database migrations
+
+python setup.py
diff --git a/bin/start.sh b/bin/start.sh
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index f7169d2e..9be866d0
--- a/bin/start.sh
+++ b/bin/start.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 #! usr/bin/env bash
 set -eux
 
-python setup.py
+# initialize Flask
+
+bin/init.sh
+
+# start the web server
 
 flask run -h 0.0.0.0
diff --git a/.devcontainer/compose.yml b/compose.yml
similarity index 76%
rename from .devcontainer/compose.yml
rename to compose.yml
index 134198da..73cee41b 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/compose.yml
+++ b/compose.yml
@@ -1,17 +1,19 @@
+name: eligibility-server
 version: "3.8"
 
 services:
   server:
-    build: ..
+    build: .
     env_file: .env
     image: eligibility_server:latest
     ports:
       - "5000"
     volumes:
-      - ../:/home/calitp/app/
+      - .:/home/calitp/app/
+
   dev:
     build:
-      context: ..
+      context: .
       dockerfile: .devcontainer/Dockerfile
     entrypoint: sleep infinity
     env_file: .env
@@ -19,7 +21,8 @@ services:
     ports:
       - "5000"
     volumes:
-      - ../:/home/calitp/app/
+      - .:/home/calitp/app/
+
   docs:
     image: eligibility_server:dev
     entrypoint: mkdocs
@@ -27,4 +30,4 @@ services:
     ports:
       - "8000"
     volumes:
-      - ../:/home/calitp/app:cached
+      - .:/home/calitp/app
diff --git a/docs/README.md b/docs/README.md
index a66a2e16..5fb43b2d 100644
--- a/docs/README.md
+++ b/docs/README.md
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ Running the application locally is possible with [Docker and Docker Compose](htt
 ### Build the Docker container for local development
 
 ```bash
-cd .devcontainer
 cp .env.sample .env
 docker compose build server
 ```
diff --git a/docs/getting-started.md b/docs/getting-started.md
index 381196fa..9621e37e 100644
--- a/docs/getting-started.md
+++ b/docs/getting-started.md
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ cd eligibility-server
 Use the sample as the template.
 
 ```bash
-cd .devcontainer
 cp .env.sample .env
 ```
 
@@ -50,7 +49,6 @@ Asterisk * indicates required
 ### Build image using Docker Compose
 
 ```bash
-cd .devcontainer
 docker compose build --no-cache server
 ```
 
@@ -86,7 +84,8 @@ Once you clone the repository locally, open it within VS Code, which will prompt
  2. Start the `eligibility-server` Flask app and database with `F5`
  3. Now you can run tests from the container.
 
-Starting the Dev Container will run `bin/start.sh`, which runs `setup.py` and starts the Flask app. The `setup.py` script creates a table, imports and saves users from a JSON or CSV file specified in the .env file from the `IMPORT_FILE_PATH` key. CSV files will require
+Starting the Dev Container will run `bin/init.sh`, which runs `setup.py` and starts the Flask app. The `setup.py` script creates the database and imports and saves users
+based on the configured settings.
 
 ## Run tests