diff --git a/.env.sample b/.env.sample
index 86e32dd9..9d6e8dfe 100644
--- a/.env.sample
+++ b/.env.sample
@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@
 #
 # Please use `openssl rand -hex 32` to create SECRET_KEY
 
-DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:pass@postgres:5432/outline
-DATABASE_URL_TEST=postgres://user:pass@postgres:5432/outline-test
-SECRET_KEY=F0E5AD933D7F6FD8F4DBB3E038C501C052DC0593C686D21ACB30AE205D2F634B
+DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/outline
+DATABASE_URL_TEST=postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/outline-test
+SECRET_KEY=generate_a_new_key
 PORT=3000
-REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379
+REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
 URL=http://localhost:3000
 DEPLOYMENT=self
 ENABLE_UPDATES=true
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ WEBSOCKETS_ENABLED=true
 DEBUG=sql,cache,presenters,events
 
 # Third party signin credentials (at least one is required)
-SLACK_KEY=71315967491.XXXXXXXXXX
-SLACK_SECRET=d2dc414f9953226bad0a356cXXXXYYYY
+SLACK_KEY=get_a_key_from_slack
+SLACK_SECRET=get_the_secret_of_above_key
 
 GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=
 GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=
@@ -35,11 +35,11 @@ BUGSNAG_KEY=
 GITHUB_ACCESS_TOKEN=
 
 # AWS credentials (optional in dev)
-AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=notcheckedindev
-AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=notcheckedindev
+AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=get_a_key_from_aws
+AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=get_the_secret_of_above_key
 AWS_REGION=ap-xxxxx-1
 AWS_S3_UPLOAD_BUCKET_URL=http://s3:4569
-AWS_S3_UPLOAD_BUCKET_NAME=outline-dev
+AWS_S3_UPLOAD_BUCKET_NAME=bucket_name_here
 AWS_S3_UPLOAD_MAX_SIZE=26214400
 
 # Emails configuration (optional)
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 631a849c..c24207d6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -21,8 +21,10 @@ If you'd like to run your own copy of Outline or contribute to development then
 
 Outline requires the following dependencies:
 
+- Node.js >= 8.11
 - Postgres >=9.5
 - Redis
+- AWS S3 storage bucket for media and other attachments
 - Slack or Google developer application for OAuth
 
 In development you can quickly get an environment running using Docker by following these steps:
@@ -33,6 +35,28 @@ In development you can quickly get an environment running using Docker by follow
    else should work well for development.
 1. Run `make up`. This will download dependencies, build and launch a development version of Outline.
 
+For production deployment by building from scratch, you can follow these steps:
+
+1. Clone this repo and install dependencies with `yarn` or `npm install`
+
+   > Requires [Node.js, npm](https://nodejs.org/) and [yarn](https://yarnpkg.com) installed
+
+2. Build the web app with `yarn build:webpack` or `npm run build:webpack`
+
+3. Migrate database schema with `yarn sequelize:migrate` or `npm run sequelize:migrate `
+
+4. Copy the file `.env.sample` to `.env` and fill out the essential fields:
+
+   Database, Change secret key, Redis, URL if you have your own domain name, Slack key or Google client ID or both, AWS credentials
+
+5. Start the service with any daemon tools you prefer. Take PM2 for example, `NODE_ENV=production pm2 start index.js --name outline `
+
+6. Visit http://you_server_ip:3000 and you should be able to see Outline page
+
+   > Port number can be changed in the `.env` file
+
+7. (Optional) You can add an `nginx` reverse proxy to serve your instance of Outline for a clean URL without the port number, support SSL, etc.
+
 ## Development
 
 ### Server