diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index ceeb18a4..0c931dc2 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# ENVIRONMENT="development"  # or "debug", "debugwait", "production"
+
 DATABASE_USER=postgres
 DATABASE_PASSWORD=secret
 DATABASE_NAME=civil_society_vote
diff --git a/__vscode__launch.json b/__vscode__launch.json
index 67baaa9f..0119ab54 100644
--- a/__vscode__launch.json
+++ b/__vscode__launch.json
@@ -1,19 +1,34 @@
 {
-    "configurations": [
-        {
-            "name": "Attach (remote debug)",
-            "type": "debugpy",
-            "request": "attach",
-            "pathMappings": [
-              {
-                "localRoot": "${workspaceFolder}",
-                "remoteRoot": "/var/www/votong/"
-              }
-            ],
-            "connect": {
-              "port": 5678,
-              "host": "127.0.0.1"
+  "configurations": [
+      {
+          "name": "Attach to runserver in Docker",
+          "type": "debugpy",
+          "request": "attach",
+          "pathMappings": [
+            {
+              "localRoot": "${workspaceFolder}",
+              "remoteRoot": "/var/www/votong/"
             }
+          ],
+          "connect": {
+            "port": 5678,
+            "host": "127.0.0.1"
+          }
+      },
+      {
+        "name": "Attach to qcluster in Docker",
+        "type": "debugpy",
+        "request": "attach",
+        "pathMappings": [
+          {
+            "localRoot": "${workspaceFolder}",
+            "remoteRoot": "/var/www/votong/"
+          }
+        ],
+        "connect": {
+          "port": 5677,
+          "host": "127.0.0.1"
         }
-    ]
+    }
+  ]
 }
diff --git a/docker-compose.base.yml b/docker-compose.base.yml
index ab70da0e..105682cb 100644
--- a/docker-compose.base.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.base.yml
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ services:
     env_file:
       - .env
     environment:
-      ENVIRONMENT: "debug"
       DATABASE_ENGINE: "postgresql"
       DATABASE_HOST: "votong_db_dev"
       DATABASE_PORT: "5432"
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index fc17bfae..6c10ddc6 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ services:
       - db
     ports:
       - "5678:5678"
+      - "5677:5677"
 
 volumes:
   votong_psql:
diff --git a/docker/dockerfiles/Dockerfile.backend.dev b/docker/dockerfiles/Dockerfile.backend.dev
index 46b1c111..b38697ec 100644
--- a/docker/dockerfiles/Dockerfile.backend.dev
+++ b/docker/dockerfiles/Dockerfile.backend.dev
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ FROM python:${PYTHON_VERSION}-slim-bookworm
 
 ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
 
-ENV ENVIRONMENT ${ENVIRONMENT:-production}
+ENV ENVIRONMENT ${ENVIRONMENT:-development}
 ENV DEBUG ${DEBUG:-True}
 
 ENV RUN_MIGRATIONS=True
diff --git a/docker/s6-rc.d/backend/run b/docker/s6-rc.d/backend/run
index fac4cf43..8a4d541b 100644
--- a/docker/s6-rc.d/backend/run
+++ b/docker/s6-rc.d/backend/run
@@ -19,13 +19,21 @@ if [ "${ENVIRONMENT}" = "production" ]; then
     --workers "${WORKERS}" \
     --timeout 60
 else
-  if [ "${ENVIRONMENT}" = "development" ]; then
-    echo "Running in development mode"
-    python3 manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000
+  if [ "${ENVIRONMENT}" = "debug" ]; then
+    echo "**********************************************"
+    echo "***  Web server in development DEBUG mode  ***"
+    echo "**********************************************"
+    python3 -Xfrozen_modules=off -m debugpy --listen 0.0.0.0:5678 manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000
+  elif [ "${ENVIRONMENT}" = "debugwait" ]; then
+    echo "***********************************************"
+    echo "***  Web server in development DEBUG mode   ***"
+    echo "***   Waiting for debugger connection...    ***"
+    echo "***********************************************"
+    python3 -Xfrozen_modules=off -m debugpy --wait-for-client --listen 0.0.0.0:5678 manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000
   else
-    echo "*********************************************"
-    echo "****  Running in development DEBUG mode  ****"
-    echo "*********************************************"
-    python -Xfrozen_modules=off -m debugpy --wait-for-client --listen 0.0.0.0:5678 manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000
+    echo "****************************************"
+    echo "***  Web server in development mode  ***"
+    echo "****************************************"
+    python3 manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000
   fi
 fi
diff --git a/docker/s6-rc.d/qcluster/run b/docker/s6-rc.d/qcluster/run
index 3b21410c..3de12477 100644
--- a/docker/s6-rc.d/qcluster/run
+++ b/docker/s6-rc.d/qcluster/run
@@ -1,4 +1,21 @@
 #!/command/with-contenv sh
 cd /var/www/votong/backend/ || exit 1
 
-python3 manage.py qcluster
+if [ "${ENVIRONMENT}" = "debug" ]; then
+  echo "*********************************************"
+  echo "***  Starting the qcluster in DEBUG mode  ***"
+  echo "*********************************************"
+  python3 -Xfrozen_modules=off -m debugpy --listen 0.0.0.0:5677 manage.py qcluster
+elif [ "${ENVIRONMENT}" = "debugwait" ]; then
+  echo "*********************************************"
+  echo "***  Starting the qcluster in DEBUG mode  ***"
+  echo "***   Waiting for debugger connection...  ***"
+  echo "*********************************************"
+  python3 -Xfrozen_modules=off -m debugpy --wait-for-client --listen 0.0.0.0:5677 manage.py qcluster
+else
+  echo "*******************************"
+  echo "***  Starting the qcluster  ***"
+  echo "*******************************"
+  python3 manage.py qcluster
+fi
+