diff --git a/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json b/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b68620b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+{
+  "name": "Xurrent Python Dev Container",
+  "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/base:ubuntu",  
+  "features": {
+    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/common-utils:2": {}
+  },
+  "postCreateCommand": "bash .devcontainer/setup.sh",
+  "customizations": {
+    "vscode": {
+      "extensions": [
+        "elagil.pre-commit-helper",
+        "ms-python.python"
+      ]
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/.devcontainer/setup.sh b/.devcontainer/setup.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..4f5323a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.devcontainer/setup.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+@echo off
+
+
+echo "Install poetry"
+pip install poetry
+
+echo "Install project dependencies including dev dependencies"
+poetry install --with dev
+
+echo "Activate poetry virtual environment and open shell"
+eval $(poetry env activate)
+
+echo "Install pre-commit hooks"
+pre-commit install
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 6898463..2db1ea9 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -163,4 +163,8 @@ cython_debug/
 #.idea/
 
 # poetry
-poetry.lock
\ No newline at end of file
+poetry.lock
+
+# diff files
+*.diff
+diff*
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c11079f..bfcd672 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,42 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/),
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [Unreleased]
+
+### Added
+
+#### `.devcontainer/devcontainer.json`
+- Introduced a new Visual Studio Code **development container** configuration to streamline the development environment.
+  - Uses the base Ubuntu image from Microsoft's devcontainers.
+  - Adds common development utilities via `common-utils` feature.
+  - Installs VS Code extensions:
+    - `elagil.pre-commit-helper`
+    - `ms-python.python`
+  - Runs `.devcontainer/setup.sh` post container creation for environment setup.
+
+#### `.devcontainer/setup.sh`
+- Added a setup script for the development container:
+  - Installs **Poetry** package manager.
+  - Installs all project dependencies, including development dependencies.
+  - Activates the Poetry virtual environment and opens a shell.
+  - Installs **pre-commit hooks** for code quality enforcement.
+
+### Changed
+
+#### `Contributing.md`
+- Updated instructions for activating the Poetry virtual environment:
+  - Changed from `poetry shell` to `eval $(poetry env activate)` for improved shell compatibility and automation.
+
+#### `README.md`
+- Added badges to the top of the README for enhanced project visibility:
+  - **PyPI version** badge.
+  - **PyPI downloads** badge.
+  - **GPL v3 License** badge.
+
+#### `pyproject.toml`
+- Added new dependency:
+  - `shell` package (`^1.0.1`) for enhanced shell scripting and command execution capabilities within the project.
+
 ## [0.6.0] - 2025-02-24
 
 ### Changed
diff --git a/Contributing.md b/Contributing.md
index 26139bb..dc2bdd8 100644
--- a/Contributing.md
+++ b/Contributing.md
@@ -5,12 +5,12 @@
 1. Clone the repository
 2. pip install poetry
 3. poetry install --with dev
-4. poetry shell
+4. eval $(poetry env activate)
 5. pre-commit install
 
 ## Activate the virtual environment
 
 ```bash
-poetry shell
+eval $(poetry env activate)
 ```
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f687873..cfe8fd6 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 # Xurrent Module
 
+[![PyPI version](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/xurrent)](https://pypi.org/project/xurrent/)
+[![Downloads](https://img.shields.io/pypi/dm/xurrent)](https://pypistats.org/packages/xurrent)
+[![License: GPL v3](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-GPLv3-blue.svg)](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0)
+
+
 This module is used to interact with the Xurrent API. It provides a set of classes to interact with the API.
 
 ## Change Log
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index c3c3089..d0263c0 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [project]
 name = "xurrent"
-version = "0.6.0"
+version = "0.7.0-preview.2"
 authors = [
   { name="Fabian Steiner", email="fabian@stei-ner.net" },
 ]
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Homepage = "https://github.com/fasteiner/xurrent-python"
 Issues = "https://github.com/fasteiner/xurrent-python/issues"
 [tool.poetry]
 name = "xurrent"
-version = "0.6.0"
+version = "0.7.0-preview.2"
 description = "A python module to interact with the Xurrent API."
 authors = ["Ing. Fabian Franz Steiner BSc. <fabian.steiner@tttech.com>"]
 readme = "README.md"
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ pytest = "^8.3.4"
 python-dotenv = "^1.0.1"
 mock = "^5.1.0"
 pre-commit = "^4.0.1"
+shell = "^1.0.1"
 
 [build-system]
 requires = ["poetry-core"]