diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 68f590c..94b6bcc 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -5,5 +5,8 @@
 *.pem
 *.srl
 
-# Local
+# Local .env configuration
 .env
+
+# Here are the local configurations like certificates and more later
+etc/
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 0fcf2f0..e87f829 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,14 +2,35 @@
 
 ## Installation
 
+### .env file
+
+Copy and adjust `containers/.env.example` to `containers/.env`
+
+```
+cp containers/.env.example containers/.env
+```
+
+### Generate SSL certificate
+
 Create certificates for HTTPS
 ```bash
-chmod u+x ./scripts/generate-certificates.sh
-./scripts/generate-certificates.sh
+./scripts/generate-certicates.sh
 ```
-You need to add the generated certificate `certificates/docker.rootCA.crt` to your browser authorities and trust related websites.
+You need to add the generated certificate `etc/certificates/pontsun.rootCA.crt` to your browser authorities and trust related websites.
+
+If you have [step-cli](https://smallstep.com/docs/cli/) or are on OS X, this should happen automatically.
+
+### Setup local DNS 
+
+See
+
+- [Docker installation for Mac](docs/docker-installation-for-mac.md)
+- [Docker installation for Ubuntu](docs/docker-installation-for-ubuntu.md)
+
+for now.
+
+###  Start pontsun with traefik and portainer
 
-Start Traefik and Portainer
 ```bash
 cd containers
 docker-compose up -d
diff --git a/build/build.sh b/build/build.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..55fa51f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build/build.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+
+DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" && pwd )"
+
+cd $DIR
+docker build -t liip/pontsun-helper:latest helper
diff --git a/build/helper/Dockerfile b/build/helper/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa3837b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build/helper/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+FROM alpine:3.10
+
+RUN set -ex; \
+    # Install Bash and OpenSSL
+    apk add --no-cache bash openssl
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/config/openssl.cnf b/config/openssl.cnf
index 5302f87..543dde8 100644
--- a/config/openssl.cnf
+++ b/config/openssl.cnf
@@ -11,5 +11,3 @@ keyUsage = nonRepudiation, digitalSignature, keyEncipherment
 subjectAltName = @alt_names
 
 [ alt_names ]
-DNS.1 = ${ENV::PROJECT_NAME}.${ENV::PROJECT_EXTENSION}
-DNS.2 = *.${ENV::PROJECT_NAME}.${ENV::PROJECT_EXTENSION}
diff --git a/containers/.env.example b/containers/.env.example
index 6727809..12adba8 100644
--- a/containers/.env.example
+++ b/containers/.env.example
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 ### Project settings
-
 COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME=traefik
 PROJECT_NAME=pontsun
 PROJECT_EXTENSION=test
@@ -12,6 +11,9 @@ PONTSUN_HTTPS_PORT=443
 # name of the docker network used for pontsun
 PONTSUN_NETWORK=pontsun
 
+# Where to store local config files, could also be ~/.pontsun
+PONTSUN_DIR_ETC=../etc
+
 ### Images tags
 PORTAINER_TAG=1.19.2
 TRAEFIK_TAG=1.7.2-alpine
diff --git a/containers/docker-compose.yml b/containers/docker-compose.yml
index c779d32..9ed5ca1 100644
--- a/containers/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/containers/docker-compose.yml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ services:
       - '${PONTSUN_HTTP_PORT}:80'
       - '${PONTSUN_HTTPS_PORT}:443'
     volumes:
-      - ../certificates/:/certs/
+      - ${PONTSUN_DIR_ETC:-../etc/}/certificates/:/certs/
       - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
     labels:
       - 'traefik.enable=true'
diff --git a/etc/.gitkeep b/etc/.gitkeep
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e69de29
diff --git a/scripts/generate-certificates.sh b/scripts/generate-certificates.sh
index d864843..d5183a1 100755
--- a/scripts/generate-certificates.sh
+++ b/scripts/generate-certificates.sh
@@ -1,25 +1,24 @@
-#!/bin/bash
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
 set -e
 
-# Load env file
-set -a
-test -f $(dirname $0)/../containers/.env && source $(dirname $0)/../containers/.env
-set +a
+DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" && pwd )"
 
-cd $(dirname $0)/../certificates
+. $DIR/helper/env.sh
 
-if [ -f $PROJECT_NAME.crt ]; then
-    echo "Certificate already exists."
-else
-    subj="/C=CH/ST=FR/L=Fribourg/O=Liip/OU=Pontsun/CN=$PROJECT_NAME.$PROJECT_EXTENSION"
+mkdir -p $PONTSUN_DIR_ETC/certificates/
 
-    openssl genrsa -out $PROJECT_NAME.rootCA.key 4096
-    openssl req -x509 -new -nodes -key $PROJECT_NAME.rootCA.key -sha256 -days 1024 -out $PROJECT_NAME.rootCA.crt -subj "$subj"
-
-    openssl genrsa -out $PROJECT_NAME.key 4096
-    openssl req -new -sha256 -subj "$subj" -key $PROJECT_NAME.key -out $PROJECT_NAME.csr -config ../config/openssl.cnf
-    openssl x509 -req -in $PROJECT_NAME.csr -CA $PROJECT_NAME.rootCA.crt -CAkey $PROJECT_NAME.rootCA.key -CAcreateserial -out $PROJECT_NAME.crt -days 365 -extensions v3_req -extfile ../config/openssl.cnf
-
-    cat $PROJECT_NAME.crt $PROJECT_NAME.key > $PROJECT_NAME.pem
-    chmod 600 $PROJECT_NAME.key $PROJECT_NAME.pem
-fi
+docker run --rm -v $PONTSUN_DIR/:/generate/ -v $PONTSUN_DIR_ETC/certificates/:/certs/ -it liip/pontsun-helper:latest /generate/scripts/helper/docker-generate-certificates.sh $1
+CERT_PATH=$PONTSUN_DIR_ETC/certificates/$PROJECT_NAME.rootCA.crt
+# disable set -e, since which will return an exit code, when step is not installed
+set +e
+# check if step is installed and use that. https://smallstep.com/docs/cli/
+STEP=$(which step)
+set -e
+if [[ ! -z $STEP ]]; then
+    if ! $STEP certificate verify $CERT_PATH 2> /dev/null; then
+        echo "Installing $CERT_PATH into your system truststore"
+        $STEP certificate install -all $CERT_PATH
+    fi
+elif [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then  # use direct OS X methods, if step isn't installed
+    $PONTSUN_DIR/scripts/helper/install-cert-macos.sh $CERT_PATH
+fi
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/scripts/helper/docker-generate-certificates.sh b/scripts/helper/docker-generate-certificates.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..becdeda
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/helper/docker-generate-certificates.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+
+# Load env file
+set -a
+test -f $(dirname $0)/../../containers/.env && source $(dirname $0)/../../containers/.env
+set +a
+
+# check if there are certs in the local directory
+cd /certs/
+if [ -f $PROJECT_NAME.crt ] && [ -z $1 ]; then
+    echo "Certificate already exists in local certificates directory."
+else
+    if [ -f $PROJECT_NAME.crt ]; then
+        # get existing alt names from the current cert, so that we can reuse them
+        EXISTING_ALT_NAMES=$(certtool -i < /certs/$PROJECT_NAME.crt  | grep DNSname | cut -f 2 -d ":"  | sed -e 's/^[[:space:]]*//')
+        ALT_NAMES=${EXISTING_ALT_NAMES}
+    else
+        ALT_NAMES=$PROJECT_NAME.$PROJECT_EXTENSION
+        ALT_NAMES=${ALT_NAMES}$'\n'*.$PROJECT_NAME.$PROJECT_EXTENSION
+    fi
+    # add additional altnames
+    if [[ ! -z $1 ]]; then
+        ALT_NAMES=${ALT_NAMES}$'\n'$1
+        ALT_NAMES=${ALT_NAMES}$'\n'*.$1
+    fi
+
+    # sort them and make them uniq to avoid duplicates
+    ALT_NAMES=$(echo $"${ALT_NAMES}" | sort | uniq)
+    EXISTING_ALT_NAMES=$(echo $"${EXISTING_ALT_NAMES}" | sort | uniq)
+
+    if [[ $ALT_NAMES == $EXISTING_ALT_NAMES ]]; then
+        echo "Certificate wouldn't change, don't generate a new one."
+        exit 0;
+    fi
+
+    I=1
+    #write the correct config lines
+    while read -r line; do
+        if [[ ! -z $line ]]; then
+        ALT_NAMES_CONFIG=$ALT_NAMES_CONFIG$'\n'"DNS.$I = $line"
+        ((I++))
+        fi
+    done <<< "$ALT_NAMES"
+
+    subj="/C=CH/ST=FR/L=Fribourg/O=Liip/CN=$PROJECT_NAME.$PROJECT_EXTENSION"
+    # don't regenerate rootCA, if it already exists
+    if [ ! -f $PROJECT_NAME.rootCA.key ]; then
+        openssl genrsa -out $PROJECT_NAME.rootCA.key 4096
+        openssl req -x509 -new -nodes -key $PROJECT_NAME.rootCA.key -sha256 -days 1024 -out $PROJECT_NAME.rootCA.crt -subj "$subj"
+    fi
+    openssl genrsa -out $PROJECT_NAME.key 4096
+    openssl req -new -sha256 -subj "$subj" -key $PROJECT_NAME.key -out $PROJECT_NAME.csr -config  <(cat /generate/config/openssl.cnf <(printf "$ALT_NAMES_CONFIG"))
+    openssl x509 -req -in $PROJECT_NAME.csr -CA $PROJECT_NAME.rootCA.crt -CAkey $PROJECT_NAME.rootCA.key -CAcreateserial -out $PROJECT_NAME.crt -days 365 -extensions v3_req -extfile  <(cat /generate/config/openssl.cnf <(printf "$ALT_NAMES_CONFIG"))
+
+    cat $PROJECT_NAME.crt $PROJECT_NAME.key > $PROJECT_NAME.pem
+    chmod 600 $PROJECT_NAME.key $PROJECT_NAME.pem
+fi
+
diff --git a/scripts/helper/env.sh b/scripts/helper/env.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..76ffe8f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/helper/env.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -e
+
+DIR="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" && pwd )"
+
+PONTSUN_DIR_REL=${PONTSUN_DIR:-$DIR/../../}
+PONTSUN_DIR="$( cd ${PONTSUN_DIR_REL} && pwd )"
+PONTSUN_DIR_ETC=${PONTSUN_DIR_ETC:-$PONTSUN_DIR/etc/}
+
+# Load env file
+set -a
+# load env variables but only if not set already
+
+if [[ ! -f $PONTSUN_DIR/containers/.env ]]; then
+  RED='\033[0;31m'
+  NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+  printf "${RED}${PONTSUN_DIR}/containers/.env does not exist!${NC}\nPlease copy it with:\n"
+  printf "cp ${PONTSUN_DIR}/containers/.env.example ${PONTSUN_DIR}/containers/.env\n"
+  printf  "and adjust it.\n"
+  exit 1
+fi
+test -f $PONTSUN_DIR/containers/.env && source <(grep -v '^\s*#' $PONTSUN_DIR/containers/.env | sed -E 's|^ *([^=]+)=(.*)$|: ${\1=\2}; export \1|g')
+
diff --git a/scripts/helper/install-cert-macos.sh b/scripts/helper/install-cert-macos.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..bfcb6ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/helper/install-cert-macos.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+set -e
+
+# base from https://gist.github.com/koop/84254d5214495e6fc49db3284c9b7772
+# Usage
+# $ ./install-cert-macos.sh "/path/to/cert"
+
+CERT_PATH=$1
+
+# First, grab the SHA-1 from the provided SSL cert.
+CERT_SHA1=$(openssl x509 -in "$CERT_PATH" -sha1 -noout -fingerprint | cut -d "=" -f2 | sed "s/://g")
+
+# Next, grab the SHA-1s of any standard.dev certs in the keychain.
+# Don't return an error code if nothing is found.
+EXISTING_CERT_SHAS=$(security find-certificate -a -c "$PROJECT_NAME.$PROJECT_EXTENSION" -Z /Library/Keychains/System.keychain | grep "SHA-1") || true
+echo "$EXISTING_CERT_SHAS" | grep -q "$CERT_SHA1" || {
+  echo "Installing $CERT_PATH into your Keychain"
+  sudo security add-trusted-cert -d -r trustRoot -k /Library/Keychains/System.keychain "$CERT_PATH"
+}
\ No newline at end of file