diff --git a/copier.yml b/copier.yml
index 9369caa..fa53e42 100644
--- a/copier.yml
+++ b/copier.yml
@@ -73,8 +73,8 @@ copier__auth:
 
 copier__dynamo_db:
   type: bool
-  help: "Do you want to enable DynamoDB for your project? (y/n) [default: No]"
-  default: false
+  help: "Do you want to enable DynamoDB for your project? (y/n) [default: Yes]"
+  default: true
 
 copier__aws_region:
   type: str
diff --git a/tasks.py b/tasks.py
index 9025a0b..2e52bd7 100644
--- a/tasks.py
+++ b/tasks.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ def run_setup():
         print("Error: AWS SAM CLI is not installed. Please install it and try again.")
         exit(1)
 
-    print("Running AWS SAM build and validate...")
+    print("Running AWS SAM validate and build...")
     subprocess.run(shlex.split("make validate"))
     subprocess.run(shlex.split("make build"))
     print("AWS Lambda template build and setup complete.")
@@ -52,10 +52,11 @@ def log_next_steps():
         HINT
         + "Next steps:"
         + "\n1. Run 'cd {{ copier__project_name }}' to enter the project directory"
-        + "\n2. Update the .envrc file with your AWS credentials"
-        + "\n3. Run 'make setup' to run dynamodb locally and create the database"
-        + "\n4. Then run 'make build' to build the lambda function"
-        + "\n5. Then run 'make deploy' to deploy the lambda function"
+        + "\n2. Run 'make setup' to run dynamodb locally and create the database"
+        + "\n3. Then run 'make build' to build the lambda function"
+        + "\n4. To run lambda function locally, run 'make local' to invoke the lambda function"
+        + "\n5. To deploy, run 'make deploy' to deploy the lambda function"
+        + "\n6. To remove the local setup, run 'make down'"
         + "\nRefer to README.md for more details."
         + TERMINATOR
     )
diff --git a/{{copier__project_name}}/.envrc b/{{copier__project_name}}/.envrc
deleted file mode 100644
index 5b607f6..0000000
--- a/{{copier__project_name}}/.envrc
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=dummyAccessKeyId
-export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=dummySecretAccessKey
-export AWS_REGION={{copier__aws_region}}
diff --git a/{{copier__project_name}}/Makefile b/{{copier__project_name}}/Makefile
index 4e5a403..3d4d068 100644
--- a/{{copier__project_name}}/Makefile
+++ b/{{copier__project_name}}/Makefile
@@ -1,60 +1,61 @@
-.PHONY: build deploy local clean test setup{% if copier__dynamo_db %} dynamo-up dynamo-down create-table{% endif %}
+.PHONY: build deploy local clean test setup{% if copier__dynamo_db %} dynamo-up dynamo-down wait-for-dynamodb create-table{% endif %}
 
 # Configuration
 STACK_NAME ?= {{ copier__stack_name }}
 REGION ?= {{copier__aws_region}}
 TEMPLATE_FILE ?= template.yaml
 BUILD_DIR ?= .aws-sam/build
+AWS_PROFILE ?= {{copier__aws_profile}}
 {% if copier__dynamo_db %}
 DYNAMO_ENDPOINT ?= http://localhost:8000
 TABLE_NAME ?= RequestsTable-{{copier__stack_name}}
+CONTAINER_NAME ?= {{copier__stack_name}}-dynamodb-local
+NETWORK_NAME ?= {{copier__stack_name}}-network
 {% endif %}
 
-# Default target
-all: build
+## Build & Deploy
 
-build:
-	sam build {% if copier__package_type != "image" %}--use-container{% endif %} > /dev/null 2>&1
+build:  ## Build the AWS SAM project
+	@sam build > /dev/null 2>build_error.log && echo "Build succeeded!" || (cat build_error.log && exit 1)
+	@rm -f build_error.log
 
-validate:
+validate:  ## Validate the SAM template with linting
 	sam validate --lint
 
-deploy:
-	sam deploy --guided --profile {{copier__aws_profile}}
+deploy:  ## Deploy the stack using interactive guided mode
+	sam deploy --guided --profile $(AWS_PROFILE) \
+	{% if copier__package_type == "image" %}--resolve-image-repos{% endif %}
 
-deploy-sandbox:
-	sam deploy --stack-name $(STACK_NAME)-sandbox \
-        	--capabilities CAPABILITY_IAM \
-        	--parameter-overrides StageName=sandbox \
-			{% if copier__package_type != "image" %}--resolve-image-repos{% endif %}
+## Local Development
 
-local:
-	sam local start-api {% if copier__dynamo_db %}--env-vars env_example.json --docker-network lambda-local{% endif %}
+local:  ## Start the local API using SAM
+	sam local start-api {% if copier__dynamo_db %}--env-vars env_example.json --docker-network $(NETWORK_NAME){% endif %}
 
-invoke:
-	sam local invoke HelloWorldFunction --event events/event.json{% if copier__dynamo_db %} --env-vars env_example.json --docker-network lambda-local{% endif %}
+invoke:  ## Invoke a Lambda function locally using an event payload
+	sam local invoke HelloWorldFunction --event events/event.json{% if copier__dynamo_db %} --env-vars env_example.json --docker-network $(NETWORK_NAME){% endif %}
 
 {% if copier__dynamo_db %}
-dynamo-up:
-	@if [ -z "$$(docker network ls --filter name=^lambda-local$$ -q)" ]; then \
-		echo "Creating Docker network 'lambda-local'..."; \
-		docker network create lambda-local; \
+## DynamoDB (Local) Setup
+
+dynamo-up:  ## Start a local DynamoDB instance in a Docker container
+	@if [ -z "$$(docker network ls --filter name=^$(NETWORK_NAME)$$ -q)" ]; then \
+		echo "Creating Docker network '$(NETWORK_NAME)'..."; \
+		docker network create $(NETWORK_NAME); \
 	else \
-		echo "Docker network 'lambda-local' already exists."; \
+		echo "Docker network '$(NETWORK_NAME)' already exists."; \
 	fi; \
-	if [ -f .dynamodb-container-id ] && [ -n "$$(docker ps -q -f id=$$(cat .dynamodb-container-id 2>/dev/null))" ]; then \
-		echo "DynamoDB local container is already running with ID: $$(cat .dynamodb-container-id)"; \
+	if [ -n "$$(docker ps -q -f name=^/$(CONTAINER_NAME)$$)" ]; then \
+		echo "DynamoDB local container '$(CONTAINER_NAME)' is already running."; \
 	else \
 		echo "Starting DynamoDB local container..."; \
-		rm -f .dynamodb-container-id 2>/dev/null || true; \
-		docker run -d --rm --network lambda-local -p 8000:8000 --name {{copier__stack_name}}-dynamodb-local amazon/dynamodb-local:latest -jar DynamoDBLocal.jar -sharedDb > .dynamodb-container-id; \
-		echo "DynamoDB local container started with ID: $$(cat .dynamodb-container-id)"; \
+		docker run -d --rm --network $(NETWORK_NAME) --name $(CONTAINER_NAME) amazon/dynamodb-local:latest -jar DynamoDBLocal.jar -sharedDb; \
+		echo "DynamoDB local container '$(CONTAINER_NAME)' started."; \
 	fi
 
-wait-for-dynamodb:
-	@echo "Waiting for DynamoDB Local to be ready..."
+wait-for-dynamodb:  ## Wait until DynamoDB Local is ready inside the container
+	@echo "Waiting for DynamoDB Local to be ready (inside container)..."
 	@attempts=0; \
-	until curl -s http://localhost:8000 >/dev/null; do \
+	until docker exec $(CONTAINER_NAME) curl -s http://localhost:8000 >/dev/null 2>&1; do \
 		if [ $$attempts -ge 10 ]; then \
 			echo "DynamoDB Local did not become ready in time"; \
 			exit 1; \
@@ -65,9 +66,13 @@ wait-for-dynamodb:
 	done; \
 	echo "DynamoDB Local is ready."
 
-create-table:
-	@# Store the AWS command output in a variable
-	$(eval AWS_OUTPUT := $(shell aws dynamodb create-table \
+create-table:  ## Create the DynamoDB table in the local container
+	@echo "Creating DynamoDB table '$(TABLE_NAME)' in container '$(CONTAINER_NAME)'..."
+	@docker run --rm --network $(NETWORK_NAME) \
+		-e AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=dummy \
+		-e AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=dummy \
+		amazon/aws-cli \
+		dynamodb create-table \
 		--table-name $(TABLE_NAME) \
 		--attribute-definitions \
 		AttributeName=ip_address,AttributeType=S \
@@ -76,25 +81,70 @@ create-table:
 		AttributeName=ip_address,KeyType=HASH \
 		AttributeName=timestamp,KeyType=RANGE \
 		--billing-mode PAY_PER_REQUEST \
-		--endpoint-url $(DYNAMO_ENDPOINT)))
+		--endpoint-url http://$(CONTAINER_NAME):8000 \
+		--region $(REGION)
+
+list-records:  ## List all records in the DynamoDB table
+	@echo "Listing records from DynamoDB table '$(TABLE_NAME)'..."
+	@docker run --rm --network $(NETWORK_NAME) \
+		-e AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=dummy \
+		-e AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=dummy \
+		amazon/aws-cli \
+		dynamodb scan \
+		--table-name $(TABLE_NAME) \
+		--endpoint-url http://$(CONTAINER_NAME):8000 \
+		--region $(REGION)
+
+count-records:  ## Count the number of records in the DynamoDB table
+	@echo "Counting records in DynamoDB table '$(TABLE_NAME)'..."
+	@docker run --rm --network $(NETWORK_NAME) \
+		-e AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=dummy \
+		-e AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=dummy \
+		amazon/aws-cli \
+		dynamodb scan \
+		--table-name $(TABLE_NAME) \
+		--select "COUNT" \
+		--endpoint-url http://$(CONTAINER_NAME):8000 \
+		--region $(REGION)
 
-	@# Check if jq exists and use it if available
-	@if command -v jq > /dev/null 2>&1; then \
-		echo '$(AWS_OUTPUT)' | jq; \
-	else \
-		echo '$(AWS_OUTPUT)'; \
-		echo "\033[33mNote: Install jq for colorized JSON output\033[0m"; \
-	fi
+setup: dynamo-up wait-for-dynamodb create-table  ## Set up local DynamoDB environment{% else %}
+setup: ## Install Python dependencies
+	pip3 install -r src/requirements.txt{% endif %}
 
-setup: dynamo-up wait-for-dynamodb create-table{% else %}
-setup:
-	pip install -r requirements.txt{% endif %}
+## Testing
 
-test:
+test:  ## Run Python unit tests using uv and pytest
 	AWS_SAM_STACK_NAME=$(STACK_NAME) PYTHONPATH=. uv run --with pytest,boto3,requests,pytest-mock pytest -v --disable-warnings --tb=short tests
 
-delete-sandbox:
-	sam delete --stack-name $(STACK_NAME)-sandbox
+## Cleanup
 
-delete:
+down:  ## Stop and remove local DynamoDB container and network
+	@if [ -n "$$(docker ps -q -f name=^/$(CONTAINER_NAME)$$)" ]; then \
+		echo "Stopping DynamoDB local container..."; \
+		docker stop $(CONTAINER_NAME); \
+		echo "DynamoDB local container '$(CONTAINER_NAME)' stopped."; \
+	else \
+		echo "DynamoDB local container '$(CONTAINER_NAME)' is not running."; \
+	fi; \
+	if [ -n "$$(docker network ls --filter name=^$(NETWORK_NAME)$$ -q)" ]; then \
+		echo "Removing Docker network '$(NETWORK_NAME)'..."; \
+		docker network rm $(NETWORK_NAME); \
+		echo "Docker network '$(NETWORK_NAME)' removed."; \
+	else \
+		echo "Docker network '$(NETWORK_NAME)' does not exist."; \
+	fi
+
+delete:  ## Delete the deployed SAM stack
 	sam delete --stack-name $(STACK_NAME)
+
+## Help
+
+help: ## Show the list of all the commands and their help text
+	@awk 'BEGIN 	{ FS = ":.*##"; target="";printf "\nUsage:\n  make \033[36m<target>\033[33m\n\nTargets:\033[0m\n" } \
+		/^[a-zA-Z_-]+:.*?##/ { if(target=="")print ""; target=$$1; printf " \033[36m%-10s\033[0m %s\n\n", $$1, $$2 } \
+		/^([a-zA-Z_-]+):/ {if(target=="")print "";match($$0, "(.*):"); target=substr($$0,RSTART,RLENGTH) } \
+		/^\t## (.*)/ { match($$0, "[^\t#:\\\\]+"); txt=substr($$0,RSTART,RLENGTH);printf " \033[36m%-10s\033[0m", target; printf " %s\n", txt ; target=""} \
+		/^## .*/ {match($$0, "## (.+)$$"); txt=substr($$0,4,RLENGTH);printf "\n\033[33m%s\033[0m\n", txt ; target=""} \
+	' $(MAKEFILE_LIST)
+
+.DEFAULT_GOAL := help
diff --git a/{{copier__project_name}}/README.md b/{{copier__project_name}}/README.md
index 3ff6130..d6bfe99 100644
--- a/{{copier__project_name}}/README.md
+++ b/{{copier__project_name}}/README.md
@@ -110,6 +110,12 @@ make test
 
 ## Cleanup
 
+To delete the local setup (i.e container and local network) run the following command:
+
+```bash
+make down
+```
+
 To delete the sample application that you created, use the AWS CLI. Assuming you used your project name for the stack name, you can run the following:
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/{{copier__project_name}}/template.yaml b/{{copier__project_name}}/template.yaml
index d2f4960..d9d0b4a 100644
--- a/{{copier__project_name}}/template.yaml
+++ b/{{copier__project_name}}/template.yaml
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ Resources:
       Runtime: python{{ copier__runtime }}
       {% endif %}
       Architectures:
-        - {{copier__architectures}}
+        - "{{copier__architectures}}"
       {% if copier__dynamo_db %}
       Environment:
         Variables: