diff --git a/.gitpod.yml b/.gitpod.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d78a404f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitpod.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+ports:
+- port: 1880
+  onOpen: open-preview
+tasks:
+- init: npm install && npm run build
+  command: npm start
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a0afbdc70..32411272c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -48,6 +48,10 @@ If you want to run the latest code from git, here's how to get started:
 
         node red.js
 
+Alternatively, you can open the code base in a ready-to-code dev environment:
+
+[![Open in Gitpod](https://gitpod.io/button/open-in-gitpod.svg)](https://gitpod.io/#https://github.com/node-red/node-red)
+
 ## Contributing
 
 Before raising a pull-request, please read our