diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index f715c62eb..ba5177cf1 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -29,7 +29,29 @@ In case you are using Eclipse:
 - import the Java Google style
 formatter (available [here][formatter]) to format your code.
 
-Visual Studio Code has a similar extension that needs to be installed.
+In case you are using Visual Studio Code:
+
+- install `Spring Boot Extension Pack`
+- set `java.format.settings.url` to this url: [formatter] (or download the file and set the url to its local path)
+- set `java.format.settings.profile` to `GoogleStyle (CNAF)`
+- create a launch configuration in `.vscode/launch.json` like:
+```json
+{
+    "configurations": [
+        {
+            "type": "java",
+            "name": "IamLoginService",
+            "request": "launch",
+            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
+            "mainClass": "it.infn.mw.iam.IamLoginService",
+            "projectName": "iam-login-service",
+            "args": "--spring.profiles.active=h2-test,dev",
+            "envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/.env"
+        }
+    ]
+}
+```
+- use the Spring Boot Dashboard to run and debug the applications
 
 ### Run the app
 
@@ -42,6 +64,12 @@ The main package is __iam-login-service__, listening by default on http://localh
   - Password: <empty>
 - the main class to be run is `it.infn.mw.iam.IamLoginService`.
 
+From the command line iam-login-service can be run with:
+
+```
+mvn -pl iam-login-service -am spring-boot:run -Dspring-boot.run.profiles=h2-test,dev
+```
+
 The __iam-test-client__ package is a simple web application used to showcase an authorization code flow where `iam-login-service` is the OAuth Authorization Server. It listens by default on http://localhost:9090/iam-test-client. The main class to be run is `it.infn.mw.tc.IamTestClientApplication`.
 
 The __voms-aa__ package is a micro-service which provides backward-compatible VOMS support for a Virtual Organization managed by `iam-login-service`. It listens by default on http://localhost:15000. The main class to be run is `it.infn.mw.voms.VomsService`.
diff --git a/iam-login-service/pom.xml b/iam-login-service/pom.xml
index 4e45ea08c..3d438fe6a 100644
--- a/iam-login-service/pom.xml
+++ b/iam-login-service/pom.xml
@@ -504,12 +504,15 @@
               <BPL_SPRING_CLOUD_BINDINGS_ENABLED>false</BPL_SPRING_CLOUD_BINDINGS_ENABLED>
             </env>
           </image>
+          <fork>true</fork>
+          <skip>false</skip>
         </configuration>
 
         <executions>
           <execution>
             <goals>
               <goal>build-info</goal>
+              <goal>repackage</goal>
             </goals>
           </execution>
         </executions>
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 755656453..ff4b3aff9 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -423,6 +423,13 @@
 					</execution>
 				</executions>
 			</plugin>
+			<plugin>
+                <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
+				<artifactId>spring-boot-maven-plugin</artifactId>
+				<configuration>
+					<skip>true</skip>
+				</configuration>
+            </plugin>
 		</plugins>
 	</build>
 </project>