diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index d7265c07d..a0c47f60a 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -302,13 +302,17 @@ jobs:
           role-to-assume: ${{ secrets.ECR_PUBLIC_UPLOAD_ROLE }}
           aws-region: us-east-1
 
-      - name: Generate tag
+      - name: Generate metadata
         run: |
           aws --version
           docker info
           TAG="$(cat ./VERSION)"
           echo "TAG: $TAG"
           echo "TAG=$TAG" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          BUILD_DATE=`date -u +%Y-%m-%d`
+          echo "BUILD_DATE=$BUILD_DATE" >> $GITHUB_ENV
+          BUILD_VERSION=${{ github.sha }}
+          echo "BUILD_VERSION=$BUILD_VERSION" >> $GITHUB_ENV
 
       - name: Login to Public Registry
         run: |
@@ -323,8 +327,13 @@ jobs:
         with:
           builder: ${{ steps.buildx.outputs.name }}
           context: .
-          file: ./Dockerfile.dev
+          file: Dockerfile
           platforms: linux/amd64
+          cache-from: type=gha
+          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max
+          build-args: |
+            BUILD_DATE=${{ env.BUILD_DATE }}
+            BUILD_VERSION=${{ env.BUILD_VERSION }}
           push: true
           tags: |
             public.ecr.aws/covalent/covalent:latest
@@ -341,8 +350,13 @@ jobs:
         with:
           builder: ${{ steps.buildx.outputs.name }}
           context: .
-          file: ./Dockerfile.dev
+          file: Dockerfile
           platforms: linux/amd64
+          cache-from: type=gha
+          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max
+          build-args: |
+            BUILD_DATE=${{ env.BUILD_DATE }}
+            BUILD_VERSION=${{ env.BUILD_VERSION }}
           push: true
           tags: |
             public.ecr.aws/covalent/covalent:${{ inputs.stable_version }}
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 9635caada..bc406e096 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@
 !.secrets.baseline
 !alembic.ini
 !codecov.yml
-!Dockerfile*
+!Dockerfile
 !MANIFEST.in
 !Makefile
 !README.md
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index e55e921e1..bfbd3ea50 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [UNRELEASED]
 
+### Changed
+
+- Enhanced the Dockerfile to include builds from various sources and a differentiation between SDK and Server builds
+
 ## [0.217.0-rc.0] - 2023-02-12
 
 ### Authors
@@ -65,7 +69,6 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 - Faiyaz Hasan <faiyaz@agnostiq.ai>
 - Alejandro Esquivel <ae@alejandro.ltd>
 
-
 ### Docs
 
 - Added IBMQ tutorial
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index e1315c0fa..cc7ba7b70 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -513,6 +513,78 @@ Some important commands to know about:
 This module can be used to mock module variables, environment variables etc. Check out the official [monkeypatch documentation](https://docs.pytest.org/en/6.2.x/monkeypatch.html).
 
 
+## Covalent with Docker
+
+This repository contains a Dockerfile that can be used in a variety of ways for development and deployment. Note that we use the Dockerfile 1.4 syntax which requires BuildKit. For most users, it is sufficient to set the environment variable `DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1` before attempting to build images. All of the examples below use build arguments and target stages referenced in the Dockerfile. For a full list of build arguments, run `grep ARG Dockerfile`.
+
+### Covalent Server
+
+The Covalent server can run inside a container. Build this container using the default options:
+
+```shell
+docker build --tag covalent-server:latest .
+```
+
+It is recommended a date and version are included using build arguments whenever an image is build. This can be done by including these options:
+
+```shell
+--build-arg COVALENT_BUILD_DATE=`date -u +%Y-%m-%d` --build-arg COVALENT_BUILD_VERSION=`cat ./VERSION` --tag covalent-server:`cat ./VERSION`
+```
+
+To run the server, use the command
+
+```shell
+docker run -d -p 48008:48008 covalent-server:latest
+```
+
+### Covalent SDK
+
+The Covalent SDK can also run inside a container. This is useful in scenarios where containerized tasks use Covalent, e.g., in executor plugins.  Build the container using these options:
+
+```shell
+docker build --build-arg COVALENT_INSTALL_TYPE=sdk --tag covalent-sdk:latest .
+```
+
+To run the SDK interactively against a server running somewhere else accessible by the host network, start the container using
+
+```shell
+docker run -it --rm --network=host covalent-sdk:latest
+```
+
+### Development Images
+
+By referencing an intermediate build target, we can also generate a build environment that can be used for developing Covalent:
+
+```shell
+# Does not include Covalent source
+docker build --tag covalent-build:latest --target build_server .
+
+# Includes Covalent source
+docker build --tag covalent-dev:latest --target covalent_install .
+```
+
+### Selecting a Covalent Source
+
+Different circumstances will require Covalent coming from different sources. The build arguments can be leveraged to specify either a local source, a PyPI release, or a commit SHA checked into GitHub. The default source is local, i.e., it uses the Covalent source code next to the Dockerfile.
+
+```shell
+# PyPI Release
+--build-arg COVALENT_SOURCE=pypi --build-arg COVALENT_RELEASE=0.202.0.post1
+
+# GitHub Commit
+--build-arg COVALENT_SOURCE=sha --build-arg COVALENT_COMMIT_SHA=abcdef
+```
+
+### Custom Base Image
+
+Finally, users can specify a custom base image, which can be useful when users are trying to incorporate Covalent SDK or Server into their existing tech stack:
+
+```shell
+--build-arg COVALENT_BASE_IMAGE=<my_registry.io>/<my_image>:<my_tag>
+```
+
+Note that the base image must include a compatible version of Python and must be based on either Ubuntu or Debian.
+
 Building Read the Docs (RTD) locally
 ====================================
 
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index e57857f87..5f6ae5ade 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+# syntax=docker/dockerfile:1.4
 # Copyright 2021 Agnostiq Inc.
 #
 # This file is part of Covalent.
@@ -18,49 +19,327 @@
 #
 # Relief from the License may be granted by purchasing a commercial license.
 
-# syntax=docker/dockerfile:1
-FROM python:3.8-slim-bullseye AS build
+#######################
+# Docker Build Options
+#######################
 
-RUN apt-get update \
-  && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends rsync wget \
-  && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+# Options are local,pypi,sha
+ARG COVALENT_SOURCE=local
+# Options are sdk,server
+ARG COVALENT_INSTALL_TYPE=server
+# Must include a compatible version of Python
+ARG COVALENT_BASE_IMAGE=docker.io/python:3.8-slim-bullseye
 
-RUN python -m venv --copies /covalent/.venv \
-  && . /covalent/.venv/bin/activate \
-  && pip install --upgrade pip \
-  && pip install covalent==0.177.0
+###################
+# Covalent Options
+###################
 
-FROM python:3.8-slim-bullseye AS prod
-LABEL org.label-schema.name="Covalent Server"
-LABEL org.label-schema.vendor="Agnostiq"
-LABEL org.label-schema.url="https://covalent.xyz"
-LABEL org.label-schema.vcs-url="https://github.com/AgnostiqHQ/covalent"
-LABEL org.label-schema.vcs-ref="f2e85397ea4609df274a38b03e6e17dcbae6bc52" # pragma: allowlist secret
-LABEL org.label-schema.version="0.177.0"
-LABEL org.label-schema.docker.cmd="docker run -it -p 8080:8080 -d covalent:latest"
-LABEL org.label-schema.schema-version=1.0
+# Installation path
+ARG COVALENT_ROOT=/var/lib/covalent
+# Configuration file path
+ARG COVALENT_CONFIG_DIR=/etc/covalent
+# Service port for dispatcher / UI
+ARG COVALENT_SVC_PORT=48008
+# Local plugins path
+ARG COVALENT_PLUGINS_DIR=/etc/covalent/plugins
+# SQLite database path (do not use in production)
+ARG COVALENT_DATABASE=/var/lib/covalent/dispatch.db
+# Remote database path (overrides SQLite database if defined)
+ARG COVALENT_DATABASE_URL=""
+# Local object storage path
+ARG COVALENT_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/covalent/data
+# Log file path
+ARG COVALENT_LOGDIR=/var/log/covalent
+# Cache path
+ARG COVALENT_CACHE_DIR=/var/cache/covalent
+# Debug mode
+ARG COVALENT_DEBUG_MODE=1
 
-COPY --from=build /usr/bin/rsync /usr/bin/rsync
-COPY --from=build /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpopt.so.0 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpopt.so.0
+########################
+# Covalent Dask Options
+########################
 
-COPY --from=build /usr/bin/wget /usr/bin/wget
-COPY --from=build /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpcre2-8.so.0 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpcre2-8.so.0
-COPY --from=build /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpsl.so.5 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpsl.so.5
+# Disable Dask inside the container
+ARG COVALENT_DISABLE_DASK=1
+# Number of Dask workers used by dispatcher
+ARG COVALENT_NUM_WORKERS=1
+# Number of threads per Dask worker
+ARG COVALENT_THREADS_PER_WORKER=1
+# Memory per worker (in GB)
+ARG COVALENT_MEM_PER_WORKER=1GB
 
-COPY --from=build /covalent/.venv/ /covalent/.venv
+##################
+# Global Settings
+##################
 
-RUN useradd -ms /bin/bash ubuntu \
-  && chown ubuntu:users /covalent
+FROM ${COVALENT_BASE_IMAGE} as base
 
-WORKDIR /covalent
-USER ubuntu
+ARG COVALENT_ROOT
+ARG COVALENT_CONFIG_DIR
+ARG COVALENT_PLUGINS_DIR
+ARG COVALENT_LOGDIR
+ARG COVALENT_CACHE_DIR
 
-ENV COVALENT_SERVER_IFACE_ANY=1
-ENV PATH=/covalent/.venv/bin:$PATH
-EXPOSE 8080
-HEALTHCHECK CMD wget --no-verbose --tries=1 --spider http://localhost:8080 || exit 1
+ENV PYTHONHASHSEED=random \
+    PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1 \
+    DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive \
+    BUILDROOT=/build \
+    INSTALLROOT=${COVALENT_ROOT} \
+    USER=covalent \
+    COVALENT_ROOT=${COVALENT_ROOT} \
+    COVALENT_CONFIG_DIR=${COVALENT_CONFIG_DIR} \
+    COVALENT_PLUGINS_DIR=${COVALENT_PLUGINS_DIR} \
+    COVALENT_LOGDIR=${COVALENT_LOGDIR} \
+    COVALENT_CACHE_DIR=${COVALENT_CACHE_DIR}
 
-RUN covalent config \
-  && sed -i 's|^results_dir.*$|results_dir = "/covalent/results"|' /home/ubuntu/.config/covalent/covalent.conf
+USER root
 
-CMD covalent start --ignore-migrations --port 8080 && bash
+RUN <<EOL
+  mkdir -p \
+    ${COVALENT_CONFIG_DIR} \
+    ${COVALENT_PLUGINS_DIR} \
+    ${COVALENT_LOGDIR} \
+    ${COVALENT_CACHE_DIR} \
+    ${INSTALLROOT}
+EOL
+
+WORKDIR ${BUILDROOT}
+
+#########################
+# Base Build Environment
+#########################
+
+FROM base AS build_base
+
+RUN <<EOL
+  apt-get update
+  apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+    git \
+    rsync \
+    unzip \
+    vim \
+    wget
+  rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+  python -m venv --copies $INSTALLROOT/.venv
+  python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+EOL
+
+ENV PATH=$INSTALLROOT/.venv/bin:$PATH
+
+ENTRYPOINT [ "/bin/bash" ]
+
+########################
+# SDK Build Environment
+########################
+
+FROM build_base as build_sdk
+
+ENV COVALENT_SDK_ONLY=1
+
+###########################
+# Server Build Environment
+###########################
+
+FROM build_base as build_server
+
+RUN <<EOL
+  apt-get update
+  apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends \
+    curl \
+    gcc
+  curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_16.x | bash -
+  apt-get install -y nodejs
+  npm install --global yarn
+  rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+EOL
+
+################################
+# Obtain Local Copy of Covalent
+################################
+
+FROM build_base as covalent_local_src
+
+COPY . $BUILDROOT
+
+###########################
+# Fetch Covalent from PyPI
+###########################
+
+FROM build_base as covalent_pypi_src
+
+ARG COVALENT_RELEASE
+
+RUN python -m pip download --no-deps -d $BUILDROOT/dist covalent==${COVALENT_RELEASE}
+
+#################################
+# Fetch Covalent from GitHub SHA
+#################################
+
+FROM build_base as covalent_sha_src
+
+ARG COVALENT_COMMIT_SHA
+
+RUN <<EOL
+  wget https://github.com/AgnostiqHQ/covalent/archive/${COVALENT_COMMIT_SHA}.zip
+  unzip -d $BUILDROOT ${COVALENT_COMMIT_SHA}.zip
+  mv $BUILDROOT/covalent-${COVALENT_COMMIT_SHA}/* $BUILDROOT/
+EOL
+
+############################
+# Alias the Covalent Source
+############################
+
+FROM covalent_${COVALENT_SOURCE}_src as covalent_src
+
+#####################
+# Build Covalent SDK
+#####################
+
+FROM build_sdk as covalent_sdk
+
+COPY --from=covalent_src $BUILDROOT/ $BUILDROOT
+
+RUN <<EOL
+  if [ ! -d $BUILDROOT/dist ] ; then
+    python setup.py sdist
+  fi
+  python -m pip install dist/covalent-*.tar.gz
+  # The following line can be removed once covalent#1489 is merged
+  python -m pip install dask[distributed]==2022.9.0
+EOL
+
+########################
+# Build Covalent Server
+########################
+
+FROM build_server as covalent_server
+
+ARG COVALENT_BASE_IMAGE
+
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.title="Covalent Build Environment"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.vendor="Agnostiq"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.url="https://covalent.xyz"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.documentation="https://covalent.readthedocs.io"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.licenses="GNU AGPL v3"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.base.name="${COVALENT_BASE_IMAGE}"
+
+COPY --from=covalent_src $BUILDROOT/ $BUILDROOT
+
+RUN <<EOL
+  if [ ! -d $BUILDROOT/dist ] ; then
+    cd $BUILDROOT/covalent_ui/webapp
+    yarn install --network-timeout 100000
+    yarn build --network-timeout 100000
+    cd $BUILDROOT
+    python setup.py sdist
+  fi
+  python -m pip install dist/covalent-*.tar.gz
+EOL
+
+##############################
+# Alias Covalent Installation
+##############################
+
+FROM covalent_${COVALENT_INSTALL_TYPE} as covalent_install
+
+#############################
+# Production SDK Environment
+#############################
+
+FROM base AS prod_sdk
+
+ARG COVALENT_DISABLE_DASK
+ARG COVALENT_COMMIT_SHA
+ARG COVALENT_BASE_IMAGE
+ARG COVALENT_BUILD_DATE=""
+ARG COVALENT_BUILD_VERSION=""
+
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.title="Covalent SDK"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.vendor="Agnostiq"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.url="https://covalent.xyz"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.documentation="https://covalent.readthedocs.io"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.source="https://github.com/AgnostiqHQ/covalent"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.licenses="GNU AGPL v3"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.created="${COVALENT_BUILD_DATE}"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.version="${COVALENT_BUILD_VERSION}"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.revision="${COVALENT_COMMIT_SHA}"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.base.name="${COVALENT_BASE_IMAGE}"
+
+COPY --from=build_base /usr/bin/rsync /usr/bin/rsync
+COPY --from=build_base /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpopt.so.0 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpopt.so.0
+
+COPY --from=covalent_install $INSTALLROOT/.venv/ $INSTALLROOT/.venv
+
+RUN <<EOL
+  /usr/sbin/adduser --shell /bin/bash --disabled-password --gecos "" ${USER}
+  chown -R $USER:$USER $INSTALLROOT
+  chown -R ${USER}:${USER} \
+    ${COVALENT_CONFIG_DIR} \
+    ${COVALENT_PLUGINS_DIR} \
+    ${COVALENT_LOGDIR} \
+    ${COVALENT_CACHE_DIR} \
+    ${INSTALLROOT}
+EOL
+
+WORKDIR $INSTALLROOT
+USER $USER
+ENV PATH=$INSTALLROOT/.venv/bin:$PATH \
+    COVALENT_DISABLE_DASK=${COVALENT_DISABLE_DASK}
+
+ENTRYPOINT [ "python" ]
+
+################################
+# Production Server Environment
+################################
+
+FROM prod_sdk as prod_server
+
+ARG COVALENT_SVC_PORT
+ARG COVALENT_DATABASE_DIR
+ARG COVALENT_DATABASE_URL
+ARG COVALENT_DATA_DIR
+ARG COVALENT_DEBUG_MODE
+ARG COVALENT_DISABLE_DASK
+ARG COVALENT_NUM_WORKERS
+ARG COVALENT_THREADS_PER_WORKER
+ARG COVALENT_MEM_PER_WORKER
+
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.title="Covalent Server"
+
+COPY --from=build_base /usr/bin/wget /usr/bin/wget
+COPY --from=build_base /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpcre2-8.so.0 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpcre2-8.so.0
+COPY --from=build_base /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpsl.so.5 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libpsl.so.5
+
+USER root
+
+RUN <<EOL
+  mkdir -p ${COVALENT_DATA_DIR}
+  chown -R ${USER}:${USER} ${COVALENT_DATA_DIR}
+EOL
+
+USER $USER
+
+ENV COVALENT_SVC_PORT=${COVALENT_SVC_PORT} \
+    COVALENT_DATABASE_DIR=${COVALENT_DATABASE_DIR} \
+    COVALENT_DATABASE_URL=${COVALENT_DATABASE_URL} \
+    COVALENT_DATA_DIR=${COVALENT_DATA_DIR} \
+    COVALENT_DEBUG_MODE=${COVALENT_DEBUG_MODE} \
+    COVALENT_NUM_WORKERS=${COVALENT_NUM_WORKERS} \
+    COVALENT_THREADS_PER_WORKER=${COVALENT_THREADS_PER_WORKER} \
+    COVALENT_MEM_PER_WORKER=${COVALENT_MEM_PER_WORKER} \
+    COVALENT_DISABLE_DASK=${COVALENT_DISABLE_DASK} \
+    COVALENT_SERVER_IFACE_ANY=1
+
+EXPOSE ${COVALENT_SVC_PORT}
+
+HEALTHCHECK CMD wget --no-verbose --tries=1 --spider http://localhost:${COVALENT_SVC_PORT} || exit 1
+
+ENTRYPOINT [ "/bin/bash" ]
+
+CMD [ "-c", "covalent start --workers ${COVALENT_NUM_WORKERS} --threads-per-worker ${COVALENT_THREADS_PER_WORKER} --mem-per-worker ${COVALENT_MEM_PER_WORKER} --port ${COVALENT_SVC_PORT} && tail -f ${COVALENT_LOGDIR}/covalent_ui.log" ]
+
+#########################
+# Alias Production Image
+#########################
+
+FROM prod_${COVALENT_INSTALL_TYPE} as prod
diff --git a/Dockerfile.dev b/Dockerfile.dev
deleted file mode 100644
index 06b5603d0..000000000
--- a/Dockerfile.dev
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,59 +0,0 @@
-# Copyright 2021 Agnostiq Inc.
-#
-# This file is part of Covalent.
-#
-# Licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License 3.0 (the "License").
-# A copy of the License may be obtained with this software package or at
-#
-#      https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.en.html
-#
-# Use of this file is prohibited except in compliance with the License. Any
-# modifications or derivative works of this file must retain this copyright
-# notice, and modified files must contain a notice indicating that they have
-# been altered from the originals.
-#
-# Covalent is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
-# ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
-# FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the License for more details.
-#
-# Relief from the License may be granted by purchasing a commercial license.
-
-# syntax=docker/dockerfile:1
-FROM python:3.8-slim-bullseye AS build
-
-RUN apt-get update \
-  && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends curl gcc \
-  && curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_16.x | bash - \
-  && apt-get install -y nodejs \
-  && npm install --global yarn \
-  && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
-
-COPY . /app/
-RUN cd /app \
-  && python -m venv --copies /app/.venv \
-  && . /app/.venv/bin/activate \
-  && pip install --upgrade pip \
-  && pip install --no-cache-dir -r /app/requirements.txt \
-  && cd /app/covalent_ui/webapp \
-  && yarn install --network-timeout 100000 \
-  && yarn build --network-timeout 100000 \
-  && cd ../../ \
-  && python setup.py sdist \
-  && pip install dist/covalent*.tar.gz
-
-FROM python:3.8-slim-bullseye AS prod
-
-RUN apt-get update \
-  && apt-get install -y --no-install-recommends rsync \
-  && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
-
-COPY --from=build /app/.venv/ /app/.venv
-
-ENV COVALENT_SERVER_IFACE_ANY=1
-EXPOSE 8080
-ENTRYPOINT [ \
-  "/app/.venv/bin/python", \
-  "/app/.venv/lib/python3.8/site-packages/covalent_ui/app.py", \
-  "--port", \
-  "8080" \
-]
diff --git a/covalent/_shared_files/defaults.py b/covalent/_shared_files/defaults.py
index bbe733c0c..fcb5af7e4 100644
--- a/covalent/_shared_files/defaults.py
+++ b/covalent/_shared_files/defaults.py
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ def get_default_sdk_config():
             (os.environ.get("XDG_CONFIG_DIR") or (os.environ["HOME"] + "/.config"))
             + "/covalent/executor_plugins"
         ),
-        "no_cluster": "false",
+        "no_cluster": "true" if os.environ.get("COVALENT_DISABLE_DASK") == "1" else "false",
     }
 
 
@@ -126,7 +126,11 @@ def get_default_executor() -> dict:
     """
     from .config import get_config
 
-    return "local" if get_config("sdk.no_cluster") == "true" else "dask"
+    return (
+        "local"
+        if os.environ.get("COVALENT_DISABLE_DASK") == "1" or get_config("sdk.no_cluster") == "true"
+        else "dask"
+    )
 
 
 # Default configuration settings
diff --git a/covalent_dispatcher/_cli/service.py b/covalent_dispatcher/_cli/service.py
index 2e5d937d9..66ea4fb2a 100644
--- a/covalent_dispatcher/_cli/service.py
+++ b/covalent_dispatcher/_cli/service.py
@@ -315,6 +315,13 @@ def start(
     """
     Start the Covalent server.
     """
+
+    if os.environ.get("COVALENT_DEBUG_MODE") == "1":
+        develop = True
+
+    if os.environ.get("COVALENT_DISABLE_DASK") == "1":
+        no_cluster = True
+
     if develop:
         set_config({"sdk.log_level": "debug"})