diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 9740b139..6990c7ee 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -394,4 +394,7 @@ profiles
 # Environment files with potential secrets
 scripts/systemd/thrillwiki-automation***REMOVED***
 scripts/systemd/thrillwiki-deployment***REMOVED***
-scripts/systemd/****REMOVED***
\ No newline at end of file
+scripts/systemd/****REMOVED***
+logs/
+profiles/
+uv.lock
diff --git a/config/django/base.py b/config/django/base.py
index c5ab4e38..2f539409 100644
--- a/config/django/base.py
+++ b/config/django/base.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ env = environ.Env(
 BASE_DIR = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent.parent
 
 # Read environment file if it exists
-environ.Env.read_env(BASE_DIR / '***REMOVED***')
+environ.Env.read_env(BASE_DIR / '.env')
 
 # SECURITY WARNING: keep the secret key used in production secret!
 SECRET_KEY = env('SECRET_KEY')
diff --git a/config/django/local.py b/config/django/local.py
index b1f48f4c..3bd9a44b 100644
--- a/config/django/local.py
+++ b/config/django/local.py
@@ -94,11 +94,14 @@ for middleware in DEVELOPMENT_MIDDLEWARE:
 INTERNAL_IPS = ['127.0.0.1', '::1']
 
 # Silk configuration for development
-SILKY_PYTHON_PROFILER = True
-SILKY_PYTHON_PROFILER_BINARY = True
-SILKY_PYTHON_PROFILER_RESULT_PATH = BASE_DIR / 'profiles'
-SILKY_AUTHENTICATION = True
-SILKY_AUTHORISATION = True
+SILKY_PYTHON_PROFILER = False  # Disable profiler to avoid silk_profile installation issues
+SILKY_PYTHON_PROFILER_BINARY = False  # Disable binary profiler
+# SILKY_PYTHON_PROFILER_RESULT_PATH = BASE_DIR / 'profiles'  # Not needed when profiler is disabled
+SILKY_AUTHENTICATION = True  # Require login to access Silk
+SILKY_AUTHORISATION = True  # Enable authorization
+SILKY_MAX_REQUEST_BODY_SIZE = -1  # Don't limit request body size
+SILKY_MAX_RESPONSE_BODY_SIZE = 1024  # Limit response body size to 1KB for performance
+SILKY_META = True  # Record metadata about requests
 
 # NPlusOne configuration
 import logging
diff --git a/manage.py b/manage.py
index 6f6b92a9..63ab4ba8 100755
--- a/manage.py
+++ b/manage.py
@@ -7,11 +7,11 @@ import sys
 def main():
     """Run administrative tasks."""
     if 'test' in sys.argv and 'accounts' in sys.argv:
-        os***REMOVED***iron.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "config.django.test_accounts")
+        os.environ.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "config.django.test_accounts")
     elif 'test' in sys.argv:
-        os***REMOVED***iron.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "config.django.test")
+        os.environ.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "config.django.test")
     else:
-        os***REMOVED***iron.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "config.django.local")
+        os.environ.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "config.django.local")
     try:
         from django.core.management import execute_from_command_line
     except ImportError as exc:
diff --git a/scripts/README.md b/scripts/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ffb3abc3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+# ThrillWiki Development Scripts
+
+## Development Server Script
+
+The `dev_server.sh` script sets up all necessary environment variables and starts the Django development server with proper configuration.
+
+### Usage
+
+```bash
+# From the project root directory
+./scripts/dev_server.sh
+
+# Or from anywhere
+/path/to/thrillwiki_django_no_react/scripts/dev_server.sh
+```
+
+### What the script does
+
+1. **Environment Setup**: Sets all required environment variables for local development
+2. **Directory Creation**: Creates necessary directories (logs, profiles, media, etc.)
+3. **Database Migrations**: Runs pending migrations automatically
+4. **Superuser Creation**: Creates a development superuser (admin/admin) if none exists
+5. **Static Files**: Collects static files for the application
+6. **Tailwind CSS**: Builds Tailwind CSS if npm is available
+7. **System Checks**: Runs Django system checks
+8. **Server Start**: Starts the Django development server on `http://localhost:8000`
+
+### Environment Variables Set
+
+The script automatically sets these environment variables:
+
+- `DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=config.django.local`
+- `DEBUG=True`
+- `SECRET_KEY=<generated-dev-key>`
+- `ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1,0.0.0.0`
+- `DATABASE_URL=postgis://thrillwiki_user:thrillwiki_pass@localhost:5432/thrillwiki_db`
+- `CACHE_URL=locmemcache://`
+- `CORS_ALLOW_ALL_ORIGINS=True`
+- GeoDjango library paths for macOS
+- And many more...
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+1. **PostgreSQL with PostGIS**: Make sure PostgreSQL with PostGIS extension is running
+2. **Database**: Create the database `thrillwiki_db` with user `thrillwiki_user`
+3. **uv**: The script uses `uv` to run Django commands
+4. **Virtual Environment**: The script will activate `.venv` if it exists
+
+### Database Setup
+
+If you need to set up the database:
+
+```bash
+# Install PostgreSQL and PostGIS (macOS with Homebrew)
+brew install postgresql postgis
+
+# Start PostgreSQL
+brew services start postgresql
+
+# Create database and user
+psql postgres -c "CREATE USER thrillwiki_user WITH PASSWORD 'thrillwiki_pass';"
+psql postgres -c "CREATE DATABASE thrillwiki_db OWNER thrillwiki_user;"
+psql -d thrillwiki_db -c "CREATE EXTENSION postgis;"
+psql -d thrillwiki_db -c "GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE thrillwiki_db TO thrillwiki_user;"
+```
+
+### Access Points
+
+Once the server is running, you can access:
+
+- **Main Application**: http://localhost:8000
+- **Admin Interface**: http://localhost:8000/admin/ (admin/admin)
+- **Django Silk Profiler**: http://localhost:8000/silk/
+- **API Documentation**: http://localhost:8000/api/docs/
+- **API Redoc**: http://localhost:8000/api/redoc/
+
+### Stopping the Server
+
+Press `Ctrl+C` to stop the development server.
+
+### Troubleshooting
+
+1. **Database Connection Issues**: Ensure PostgreSQL is running and the database exists
+2. **GeoDjango Library Issues**: Adjust `GDAL_LIBRARY_PATH` and `GEOS_LIBRARY_PATH` if needed
+3. **Permission Issues**: Make sure the script is executable with `chmod +x scripts/dev_server.sh`
+4. **Virtual Environment**: Ensure your virtual environment is set up with all dependencies
+
+### Customization
+
+You can modify the script to:
+- Change default database credentials
+- Adjust library paths for your system
+- Add additional environment variables
+- Modify the development server port or host
diff --git a/scripts/dev_server.sh b/scripts/dev_server.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..265602a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/dev_server.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# ThrillWiki Development Server Script
+# This script sets up the proper environment variables and runs the Django development server
+
+set -e  # Exit on any error
+
+echo "🚀 Starting ThrillWiki Development Server..."
+
+# Change to the project directory (parent of scripts folder)
+cd "$(dirname "$0")/.."
+
+# Set Django environment to local development
+export DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE="config.django.local"
+
+# Core Django settings
+export DEBUG="True"
+export SECRET_KEY="django-insecure-dev-key-not-for-production-$(openssl rand -base64 32 | tr -d "=+/" | cut -c1-25)"
+
+# Allowed hosts for development
+export ALLOWED_HOSTS="localhost,127.0.0.1,0.0.0.0"
+
+# CSRF trusted origins for development
+export CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS="http://localhost:8000,http://127.0.0.1:8000,https://127.0.0.1:8000"
+
+# Database configuration (PostgreSQL with PostGIS)
+export DATABASE_URL="postgis://thrillwiki_user:thrillwiki_pass@localhost:5432/thrillwiki_db"
+
+# Cache configuration (use locmem for development if Redis not available)
+export CACHE_URL="locmemcache://"
+export REDIS_URL="redis://127.0.0.1:6379/1"
+
+# CORS settings for API development
+export CORS_ALLOW_ALL_ORIGINS="True"
+export CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS=""
+
+# Email configuration for development (console backend)
+export EMAIL_URL="consolemail://"
+
+# GeoDjango library paths for macOS (adjust if needed)
+export GDAL_LIBRARY_PATH="/opt/homebrew/lib/libgdal.dylib"
+export GEOS_LIBRARY_PATH="/opt/homebrew/lib/libgeos_c.dylib"
+
+# API rate limiting (generous for development)
+export API_RATE_LIMIT_PER_MINUTE="1000"
+export API_RATE_LIMIT_PER_HOUR="10000"
+
+# Cache settings
+export CACHE_MIDDLEWARE_SECONDS="1"  # Very short cache for development
+export CACHE_MIDDLEWARE_KEY_PREFIX="thrillwiki_dev"
+
+# Social auth settings (you can set these if you have them)
+# export GOOGLE_OAUTH2_CLIENT_ID=""
+# export GOOGLE_OAUTH2_CLIENT_SECRET=""
+# export DISCORD_CLIENT_ID=""
+# export DISCORD_CLIENT_SECRET=""
+
+# Create necessary directories
+echo "📁 Creating necessary directories..."
+mkdir -p logs
+mkdir -p profiles
+mkdir -p media
+mkdir -p staticfiles
+mkdir -p static/css
+
+# Check if virtual environment is activated
+if [[ -z "$VIRTUAL_ENV" ]] && [[ -d ".venv" ]]; then
+    echo "🔧 Activating virtual environment..."
+    source .venv/bin/activate
+fi
+
+# Run database migrations if needed
+echo "🗄️  Checking database migrations..."
+if uv run manage.py migrate --check 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo "✅ Database migrations are up to date"
+else
+    echo "🔄 Running database migrations..."
+    uv run manage.py migrate --noinput
+fi
+
+# Create superuser if it doesn't exist
+echo "👤 Checking for superuser..."
+if ! uv run manage.py shell -c "from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model; User = get_user_model(); exit(0 if User.objects.filter(is_superuser=True).exists() else 1)" 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo "👤 Creating development superuser (admin/admin)..."
+    uv run manage.py shell -c "
+from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
+User = get_user_model()
+if not User.objects.filter(username='admin').exists():
+    User.objects.create_superuser('admin', 'admin@example.com', 'admin')
+    print('Created superuser: admin/admin')
+else:
+    print('Superuser already exists')
+"
+fi
+
+# Collect static files for development
+echo "📦 Collecting static files..."
+uv run manage.py collectstatic --noinput --clear
+
+# Build Tailwind CSS
+if command -v npm &> /dev/null; then
+    echo "🎨 Building Tailwind CSS..."
+    uv run manage.py tailwindcss --build
+else
+    echo "⚠️  npm not found, skipping Tailwind CSS build"
+fi
+
+# Run system checks
+echo "🔍 Running system checks..."
+if uv run manage.py check; then
+    echo "✅ System checks passed"
+else
+    echo "❌ System checks failed, but continuing..."
+fi
+
+# Display environment info
+echo ""
+echo "🌍 Development Environment:"
+echo "  - Settings Module: $DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE"
+echo "  - Debug Mode: $DEBUG"
+echo "  - Database: PostgreSQL with PostGIS"
+echo "  - Cache: Local memory cache"
+echo "  - Admin URL: http://localhost:8000/admin/"
+echo "  - Admin User: admin / admin"
+echo "  - Silk Profiler: http://localhost:8000/silk/"
+echo "  - Debug Toolbar: Available on debug pages"
+echo "  - API Documentation: http://localhost:8000/api/docs/"
+echo ""
+
+# Start the development server
+echo "🌟 Starting Django development server on http://localhost:8000"
+echo "Press Ctrl+C to stop the server"
+echo ""
+
+# Use runserver_plus if django-extensions is available, otherwise use standard runserver
+if uv run python -c "import django_extensions" 2>/dev/null; then
+    exec uv run manage.py runserver_plus 0.0.0.0:8000
+else
+    exec uv run manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000
+fi
diff --git a/thrillwiki/urls.py b/thrillwiki/urls.py
index ab5033c2..34adadc3 100644
--- a/thrillwiki/urls.py
+++ b/thrillwiki/urls.py
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ urlpatterns = [
     path("moderation/", include("moderation.urls", namespace="moderation")),
     path(
         "env-settings/",
-        views***REMOVED***ironment_and_settings_view,
+        views.environment_and_settings_view,
         name="environment_and_settings",
     ),
 ]
diff --git a/thrillwiki/views.py b/thrillwiki/views.py
index 7096a516..1c4a8130 100644
--- a/thrillwiki/views.py
+++ b/thrillwiki/views.py
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ class SearchView(TemplateView):
 
 def environment_and_settings_view(request):
     # Get all environment variables
-    env_vars = dict(os***REMOVED***iron)
+    env_vars = dict(os.environ)
     
     # Get all Django settings as a dictionary
     settings_vars = {setting: getattr(settings, setting) for setting in dir(settings) if setting.isupper()}