diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1b3ed9b7cb..a9f2b0861b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -131,6 +131,11 @@ yarn run clean:prod
 yarn run clean:dist
 ```
 
+Running the application with Docker
+-----------------------------------
+See [Docker Runtime Options](docker/README.md)
+
+
 Testing
 -------
 
diff --git a/docker/README.md b/docker/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..645784e0fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+# Docker Compose files
+
+## root directory
+- docker-compose.yml
+  - Starts DSpace Angular with Docker Compose from the current branch.  This file assumes that a DSpace 7 REST instance will also be started in Docker.
+
+## docker directory
+- docker-compose-rest.yml
+  - Runs a published instance of the DSpace 7 REST API - persists data in Docker volumes
+- docker-compose-travis.yml
+  - Runs a published instance of the DSpace 7 REST API for CI testing.  The database is re-populated from a SQL dump on each startup.
+- cli.yml
+  - Docker compose file that provides a DSpace CLI container to work with a running DSpace REST container.
+- cli.assetstore.yml
+  - Docker compose file that will download and install data into a DSpace REST assetstore.  This script points to a default dataset that will be utilized for CI testing.
+- environment.dev.js
+  - Environment file for running DSpace Angular in Docker
+- local.cfg
+  - Environment file for running the DSpace 7 REST API in Docker.
+
+
+  ## To start DSpace from your branch using a published images for DSpace REST and DSpace Angular.
+  ```
+  docker-compose -p d7 -f docker-compose.yml -f docker/docker-compose-rest.yml up -d
+  ```
+
+  ## To build DSpace Angular from your branch using a published image for DSpace REST.
+  ```
+  docker-compose -p d7 -f docker-compose.yml -f docker/docker-compose-rest.yml up --build -d
+  ```
+
+  ## To build DSpace REST and DSpace Angular.
+  _The system will be started in 2 steps. Each step shares the same docker network._
+
+  From DSpace/DSpace
+  ```
+  docker-compose -p d7 up --build -d
+  ```
+
+
+  From DSpace/DSpace-angular
+  ```
+  docker-compose -p d7 up --build -d
+  ```
+
+  ## End to end testing of the rest api (runs in travis).
+  _In this instance, only the REST api runs in Docker.  Travis will perform CI testing of Angular using Node to drive the tests._
+
+
+  ```
+  docker-compose -p d7ci -f docker/docker-compose-travis.yml up -d
+  ```