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+# Development Setup
+
+This document describes how to set up and run the Markov Economics application in a development environment.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- Docker
+- Docker Compose
+
+## Development Environment
+
+For development purposes, we provide a separate Docker Compose configuration that runs the application without Caddy:
+
+```bash
+# Start the development environment
+docker-compose -f docker-compose-dev.yml up -d
+
+# Stop the development environment
+docker-compose -f docker-compose-dev.yml down
+```
+
+The application will be available at http://localhost:5000
+
+## Differences from Production
+
+The development setup differs from the production setup in the following ways:
+
+1. Direct access to the application on port 5000 (no Caddy reverse proxy)
+2. Development mode enabled (FLASK_ENV=development)
+3. Source code mounted as a volume for live reloading during development
+4. No SSL/TLS encryption (HTTP only)
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+If you encounter port conflicts:
+
+1. Check what's running on port 5000:
+   ```bash
+   lsof -i :5000
+   ```
+
+2. Stop any conflicting processes:
+   ```bash
+   pkill -f "python.*run.py"
+   ```
+
+3. Stop any conflicting Docker containers:
+   ```bash
+   docker-compose down
+   ```
+
+## Testing the Wealth Distribution Fix
+
+The recent fix for the wealth distribution histogram ensures that:
+
+1. The backend correctly calculates agent wealth using the proper accessor methods
+2. The frontend properly handles and displays distribution data
+3. Debug logging is available to troubleshoot data flow issues
+
+To test the fix:
+
+1. Start the development environment
+2. Navigate to http://localhost:5000
+3. Start a simulation with default parameters
+4. Observe the wealth distribution histogram populating with data
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+services:
+  markov-economics-dev:
+    build: .
+    ports:
+      - "5000:5000"
+    environment:
+      - FLASK_ENV=development
+      - FLASK_APP=run.py
+      - PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
+    volumes:
+      # Mount source code for development
+      - .:/app
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "python", "-c", "import requests; requests.get('http://localhost:5000/health', timeout=2)"]
+      interval: 30s
+      timeout: 10s
+      retries: 3
+      start_period: 40s
+    networks:
+      - markov-network
+
+networks:
+  markov-network:
+    driver: bridge
+
+volumes:
+  markov-data:
+    driver: local
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