diff --git a/docker/Dockerfile b/docker/Dockerfile
index 2ceaee30..1e5b1711 100644
--- a/docker/Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/Dockerfile
@@ -1,32 +1,43 @@
-FROM node:lts-buster-slim
+FROM node:12-buster-slim
 
 LABEL maintainer="dave@force9.org"
 
 ENV NVM_DIR /root/.nvm
 ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND noninteractive
-
 COPY . /enigma-bbs
 
-# Do some installing!
-RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
+# Do some installing! (and alot of cleaning up) keeping it in one step for less docker layers
+# - if you need to debug i recommend to break the steps with individual RUNs)
+RUN apt-get update \
+    && apt-get install -y \
     git \
     curl \
     build-essential \
     python \
+    python3 \
     libssl-dev \
     lrzsz \
     arj \
     lhasa \
     unrar-free \
     p7zip-full \
-  && npm install -g pm2 \
-  && cd /enigma-bbs && npm install --only=production \
-  && apt-get remove build-essential python libssl-dev git curl -y && apt-get autoremove -y \
-  && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* /tmp/* /var/tmp/* \
-  && apt-get clean
+    && npm install -g pm2 \
+    && cd /enigma-bbs && npm install --only=production \
+    && pm2 start main.js \
+    && mkdir -p /enigma-bbs-pre/art \
+    && mkdir /enigma-bbs-pre/mods \
+    && mkdir /enigma-bbs-pre/config \
+    && cp -rp art/* ../enigma-bbs-pre/art/ \
+    && cp -rp mods/* ../enigma-bbs-pre/mods/ \
+    && cp -rp config/* ../enigma-bbs-pre/config/ \
+    && apt-get remove build-essential python python3 libssl-dev git curl -y \
+    && apt-get autoremove -y \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* /tmp/* /var/tmp/* \
+    && apt-get clean
 
 # sexyz
 COPY docker/bin/sexyz /usr/local/bin
+RUN chmod +x /enigma-bbs/docker/bin/docker-entrypoint.sh
 
 # enigma storage mounts
 VOLUME /enigma-bbs/art
@@ -42,4 +53,4 @@ EXPOSE 8888
 
 WORKDIR /enigma-bbs
 
-CMD ["pm2-runtime", "main.js"]
+ENTRYPOINT ["/enigma-bbs/docker/bin/docker-entrypoint.sh"]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docker/bin/docker-entrypoint.sh b/docker/bin/docker-entrypoint.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e96eeed9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/bin/docker-entrypoint.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+
+# Set some vars
+PRE_POPULATED_VOLUMES=("config" "mods" "art") # These are folders which contain runtime needed files, and need to be represented in the host
+BBS_ROOT_DIR=/enigma-bbs # Install location
+BBS_STAGING_PATH=/enigma-bbs-pre # Staging location for pre populated volumes (PRE_POPULATED_VOLUMES)
+CONFIG_NAME=config.hjson # This is the default name, this script is intended for easy get-go - make changes as needed
+
+# Setup happens when there is no existing config file
+if [[ ! -f $BBS_ROOT_DIR/config/$CONFIG_NAME ]]; then
+    for VOLUME in "${PRE_POPULATED_VOLUMES[@]}"
+    do
+        if [ -n "$(find "$BBS_ROOT_DIR/$VOLUME" -maxdepth 0 -type d -empty 2>/dev/null)" ]; then
+            cp -rp $BBS_STAGING_PATH/$VOLUME/* $BBS_ROOT_DIR/$VOLUME/
+        else
+            printf "WARN: skipped $BBS_ROOT_DIR/$VOLUME: Volume not empty or not a new setup; Files required to run ENiGMA 1/2 may be missing.\n Possible bad state\n"
+            printf "INFO: You have mounted folders with existing data - but no existing config json.\n\nPossible solutions:\n1. Make sure all volumes are set correctly specifically config volume... \n2. Check your configuration name if non-default\n\n\n" 
+        fi
+    done
+    ./oputil.js config new
+fi
+if [[ ! -f $BBS_ROOT_DIR/config/$CONFIG_NAME ]]; then # Make sure once more, otherwise pm2-runtime will loop if missing the config
+  printf "ERROR: Missing configuration - ENiGMA 1/2 will not work. please run config\n"
+  
+  exit 1
+else
+   exec pm2-runtime main.js 
+fi
diff --git a/docs/installation/docker.md b/docs/installation/docker.md
index 5510bc6c..0acd5d85 100644
--- a/docs/installation/docker.md
+++ b/docs/installation/docker.md
@@ -6,20 +6,43 @@ title: Docker
 for every operating system on the [Docker website](https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/).**
 
 ## Quick Start
+prepare a folder where you are going to save your bbs files.
+- Generate some config for your BBS: \
+you can perform this step from anywhere - but make sure to consistently run it from the same place to retain your config inside the docker guest
+```
+docker run -it -p 8888:8888 \
+--name " ENiGMABBS" \
+-v "$(pwd)/config:/enigma-bbs/config" \
+-v "$(pwd)/db:/enigma-bbs/db" \
+-v "$(pwd)/logs:/enigma-bbs/logs" \
+-v "$(pwd)/filebase:/enigma-bbs/filebase" \
+-v "$(pwd)/art:/enigma-bbs/art" \
+-v "$(pwd)/mods:/enigma-bbs/mods" \
+-v "$(pwd)/mail:/mail" \
+enigmabbs/enigmabbs:latest
+```
+- Run it: \
+you can use the same command as above, just daemonize and drop interactiveness (we needed it for config but most of the time docker will run in the background)
+````
+docker run -d -p 8888:8888 \
+--name "ENiGMABBS" \
+-v "$(pwd)/config:/enigma-bbs/config" \
+-v "$(pwd)/db:/enigma-bbs/db" \
+-v "$(pwd)/logs:/enigma-bbs/logs" \
+-v "$(pwd)/filebase:/enigma-bbs/filebase" \
+-v "$(pwd)/art:/enigma-bbs/art" \
+-v "$(pwd)/mods:/enigma-bbs/mods" \
+-v "$(pwd)/mail:/mail" \
+enigmabbs/enigmabbs:latest
+````
+- Restarting and Making changes\
+if you make any changes to your host config folder they will persist, and you can just restart ENiGMABBS container to load any changes you've made.
 
-- Generate some config for your BBS:
-  ```
-  docker run -it -v "${HOME}/enigma-bbs/config:/enigma-bbs/config" enigmabbs/enigma-bbs:latest oputil.js config new
-  ```
+```docker restart ENiGMABBS```
 
-- Run it:
-  ```
-  docker run -p 8888:8888 -v "${HOME}/enigma-bbs/config:/enigma-bbs/config" enigmabbs/enigma-bbs:latest
-  ```
+:bulb: Configuration will be stored in `$(pwd)/enigma-bbs/config`.
 
-:bulb: Configuration will be stored in `${HOME}/enigma-bbs/config`.
-
-:bulb: Windows users - you'll need to switch out `${HOME}/enigma-bbs/config` for a Windows-style path.
+:bulb: Windows users - you'll need to switch out `$(pwd)/enigma-bbs/config` for a Windows-style path.
 
 ## Volumes