diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
index 3c3629e..9e680f5 100644
--- a/.dockerignore
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -1 +1,3 @@
 node_modules
+user-files
+server-files
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 46e1ad4..19faa0c 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -6,4 +6,5 @@ log
 supervise
 bin/large-sync-data.txt
 user-files
-server-files
\ No newline at end of file
+server-files
+fly.toml
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 065317a..844f6af 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -10,5 +10,8 @@ ENV NODE_ENV=production
 ADD . .
 
 RUN yarn install --production
+RUN mkdir ./server-files
+RUN mkdir ./user-files
+RUN cp ./sql/default-account.sqlite ./server-files/account.sqlite
 
 CMD ["yarn", "start"]
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5981df4..733600c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ You should deploy your server so it's always running. We recommend [fly.io](http
 
 Next, [install the `flyctl`](https://fly.io/docs/flyctl/installing/) utility. Run `flyctl auth login` to sign into your account.
 
-Open `fly.toml` and customize the app name on the first line of the file.
+Copy `fly.template.toml` to `fly.toml`. Open `fly.toml` and customize the app name on the first line of the file.
 
 Now, run `flyctl launch` from `actual-server`. You should have a running app now!
 
@@ -36,10 +36,32 @@ Whenever you want to update Actual, update the versions of `@actual-app/api` and
 
 **Note:** if you don't want to use fly, we still provide a `Dockerfile` to build the app so it should work anywhere that can compile a docker image.
 
+### Persisting server data
+
+One problem with the above setup is every time you deploy, it will wipe away all the data on the server. You'll need to bootstrap the instance again and upload your files.
+
+Let's move the data somewhere that persists. With [fly.io](https://fly.io) we can create a [volume](https://fly.io/docs/reference/volumes/). Run this command:
+
+```
+flyctl volumes create actual_data
+```
+
+Now we need to tell Actual to use this volume. Add this in `fly.toml`:
+
+```
+[mounts]
+  source="actual_data"
+  destination="/data"
+```
+
+That's it! Actual will automatically check if the `/data` directory exists and use it automatically.
+
+_You can also configure the data dir with the `ACTUAL_USER_FILES` environment variable._
+
 ## Configuring the server URL
 
 The Actual app is totally separate from the server. In this project, they happen to both be served by the same server, but the app doesn't know where the server lives.
 
 The server could live on a completely different domain. You might setup Actual so that the app and server are running in completely separate places.
 
-Since Actual doesn't know what server to use, the first thing it does is asks you for the server URL. If you are running this project, simply click "Use this domain" and it will automatically fill it in with the current domain. This works because we are serving the app and server in the same place.
\ No newline at end of file
+Since Actual doesn't know what server to use, the first thing it does is asks you for the server URL. If you are running this project, simply click "Use this domain" and it will automatically fill it in with the current domain. This works because we are serving the app and server in the same place.
diff --git a/fly.template.toml b/fly.template.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6bd5f2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fly.template.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+app = "%NAME%"
+
+kill_signal = "SIGINT"
+kill_timeout = 5
+processes = []
+
+[env]
+  PORT = "8080"
+
+[experimental]
+  allowed_public_ports = []
+  auto_rollback = true
+
+[[services]]
+  http_checks = []
+  internal_port = 5006
+  processes = ["app"]
+  protocol = "tcp"
+  script_checks = []
+
+  [services.concurrency]
+    hard_limit = 25
+    soft_limit = 20
+    type = "connections"
+
+  [[services.ports]]
+    force_https = true
+    handlers = ["http"]
+    port = 80
+
+  [[services.ports]]
+    handlers = ["tls", "http"]
+    port = 443
+
+  [[services.tcp_checks]]
+    grace_period = "1s"
+    interval = "15s"
+    restart_limit = 0
+    timeout = "2s"
diff --git a/fly.toml b/fly.toml
index 6bd5f2d..1656b7f 100644
--- a/fly.toml
+++ b/fly.toml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-app = "%NAME%"
+app = "actual-server"
 
 kill_signal = "SIGINT"
 kill_timeout = 5
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ processes = []
   allowed_public_ports = []
   auto_rollback = true
 
+[mounts]
+  source="actual_data"
+  destination="/data"
+
 [[services]]
   http_checks = []
   internal_port = 5006
diff --git a/load-config.js b/load-config.js
index c425822..4af565d 100644
--- a/load-config.js
+++ b/load-config.js
@@ -2,10 +2,12 @@ let config;
 try {
   config = require('./config');
 } catch (e) {
+  let fs = require('fs');
+
   config = {
     mode: 'development',
     port: 5006,
-    files: './user-files'
+    files: fs.existsSync('/data') ? '/data' : './user-files'
   };
 }
 
diff --git a/sql/default-account.sqlite b/sql/default-account.sqlite
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3878e68
Binary files /dev/null and b/sql/default-account.sqlite differ