diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..c20156c6d1f9d0dee893f07ba1eabd8244f75cf3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# Docker Output
+/mongo
diff --git a/backend-services/feed-service/app/models/MongoDBClient.scala b/backend-services/feed-service/app/models/MongoDBClient.scala
index 80583bb392da35a7be0d982134f29b2853a92b7e..bd44c198aa72ef35802d86f92a5ed51e69ede20f 100644
--- a/backend-services/feed-service/app/models/MongoDBClient.scala
+++ b/backend-services/feed-service/app/models/MongoDBClient.scala
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 package models
 
-import com.typesafe.config.ConfigFactory
+import com.typesafe.config.{Config, ConfigFactory}
 
 import org.mongodb.scala.{MongoClient, MongoDatabase, MongoCollection, Document, FindObservable, Observer, Observable}
 import org.mongodb.scala.model.{Filters, Projections, Sorts}
@@ -18,7 +18,11 @@ import scala.util.{Success, Failure, Try}
  */
 class MongoDBClient {
     // Loads the default configuration
-    private val config = ConfigFactory.load()
+    private val applicationConfig: Config = ConfigFactory.load("application.conf")
+    private val referenceConfig: Config = ConfigFactory.parseResources("reference.conf")
+    private val config: Config = referenceConfig.withFallback(applicationConfig).resolve()
+
+    private val mongoUri = config.getString("mongodb.uri")
 
     // Connects to a MongoDB Client when class is constructed
     private var client: MongoClient = this.connect()
@@ -29,7 +33,7 @@ class MongoDBClient {
      * @return A MongoClient instance.
      */
     def connect(): MongoClient = {
-        MongoClient(config.getString("mongo.default.url"))
+        MongoClient(mongoUri)
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/backend-services/feed-service/conf/application.conf b/backend-services/feed-service/conf/application.conf
index 4813168066f5b540753cf085860c08ff54404a50..852c11d6e6d10588b23cae3f2b3e8131c4827c11 100644
--- a/backend-services/feed-service/conf/application.conf
+++ b/backend-services/feed-service/conf/application.conf
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
+# Default Configuration File
+
 # MongoDB Connection Strings
-mongo.default.url="mongodb://localhost:27017/"
+mongodb.uri = "mongodb://localhost:27017/"
diff --git a/backend-services/feed-service/conf/reference.conf b/backend-services/feed-service/conf/reference.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1eba4d767f858cae4f72900eb06b7f47bfbbf5f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend-services/feed-service/conf/reference.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+# Configuration File to be replaced with environment variables, if present
+
+# MongoDB Connection Strings
+mongodb.uri = ${?MONGO_URI}
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index 17479baf38566ee091cd84d8e9b93d150bd6e546..d354d3cdf5120eb132636b78f2a868f2489dbba6 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -7,3 +7,12 @@ services:
     restart: unless-stopped
     ports: 
      - "9001:9000"
+    environment:
+     - MONGO_URI=mongodb://feed-mongo:27017/
+
+  mongo:
+      image: mongo
+      container_name: feed-mongo
+      ports:
+       - "27017:27017"
+     
\ No newline at end of file