diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index dce00a5a..8c0a6ea2 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
     "test:frontend": "cross-env NODE_ENV=development node test/frontend/runner.js && nyc report --reporter=html",
     "test-integration": "docker-compose up --abort-on-container-exit --exit-code-from integration-tests --build --remove-orphans --quiet-pull && docker-compose down",
     "test-integration-stage": "cross-env BASE_URL=https://send.stage.mozaws.net npm run test-integration",
-    "start": "npm run clean && cross-env NODE_ENV=development webpack-dev-server",
+    "start": "npm run clean && cross-env NODE_ENV=development webpack-dev-server --config webpack.dev.config.js",
     "prod": "node server/bin/prod.js"
   },
   "lint-staged": {
diff --git a/webpack.dev.config.js b/webpack.dev.config.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8ae75509
--- /dev/null
+++ b/webpack.dev.config.js
@@ -0,0 +1,226 @@
+const path = require('path');
+const webpack = require('webpack');
+const CopyPlugin = require('copy-webpack-plugin');
+const ManifestPlugin = require('webpack-manifest-plugin');
+const ExtractTextPlugin = require('extract-text-webpack-plugin');
+const IS_DEV = process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development';
+
+const regularJSOptions = {
+  babelrc: false,
+  presets: [['env', { modules: false }], 'stage-2'],
+  // yo-yoify converts html template strings to direct dom api calls
+  plugins: ['yo-yoify']
+};
+
+const entry = {
+  // babel-polyfill and fluent are directly included in vendor
+  // because they are not explicitly referenced by app
+  vendor: ['babel-polyfill', 'fluent'],
+  app: ['./app/main.js'],
+  style: ['./app/main.css'],
+  serviceWorker: ['./app/serviceWorker.js']
+};
+
+if (IS_DEV) {
+  entry.tests = ['./test/frontend/index.js'];
+  // istanbul instruments the source for code coverage
+  regularJSOptions.plugins.push('istanbul');
+}
+
+module.exports = {
+  entry,
+  output: {
+    filename: '[name].js',
+    path: path.resolve(__dirname, 'dist'),
+    publicPath: '/'
+  },
+  devtool: IS_DEV && 'inline-source-map',
+  module: {
+    rules: [
+      {
+        test: /\.js$/,
+        oneOf: [
+          {
+            include: [require.resolve('./assets/cryptofill')],
+            use: [
+              {
+                loader: 'file-loader',
+                options: {
+                  name: '[name].[hash:8].[ext]'
+                }
+              }
+            ]
+          },
+          {
+            // inlines version from package.json into header/index.js
+            include: require.resolve('./app/templates/header'),
+            use: [
+              {
+                loader: 'babel-loader',
+                options: regularJSOptions
+              },
+              './build/version_loader'
+            ]
+          },
+          {
+            // fluent gets exposed as a global so that each language script
+            // can load independently and share it.
+            include: [path.dirname(require.resolve('fluent'))],
+            use: [
+              {
+                loader: 'expose-loader',
+                options: 'fluent'
+              },
+              {
+                loader: 'babel-loader',
+                options: {
+                  presets: [['env', { modules: false }], 'stage-3']
+                }
+              }
+            ]
+          },
+          {
+            include: [
+              path.resolve(__dirname, 'app'),
+              path.resolve(__dirname, 'common')
+            ]
+          },
+          {
+            loader: 'babel-loader',
+            include: [
+              // some dependencies need to get re-babeled because we
+              // have different targets than their default configs
+              path.resolve(__dirname, 'node_modules/testpilot-ga/src'),
+              path.resolve(__dirname, 'node_modules/fluent-intl-polyfill'),
+              path.resolve(__dirname, 'node_modules/intl-pluralrules')
+            ],
+            options: regularJSOptions
+          },
+          {
+            // Strip asserts from our deps, mainly choojs family
+            include: [path.resolve(__dirname, 'node_modules')],
+            loader: 'webpack-unassert-loader'
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+      {
+        test: /\.(png|jpg)$/,
+        loader: 'file-loader',
+        options: {
+          name: '[name].[hash:8].[ext]'
+        }
+      },
+      {
+        test: /\.svg$/,
+        use: [
+          {
+            loader: 'file-loader',
+            options: {
+              name: '[name].[hash:8].[ext]'
+            }
+          },
+          {
+            loader: 'svgo-loader',
+            options: {
+              plugins: [
+                { removeViewBox: false }, // true causes stretched images
+                { convertStyleToAttrs: true }, // for CSP, no unsafe-eval
+                { removeTitle: true } // for smallness
+              ]
+            }
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+      {
+        // creates style.css with all styles
+        test: /\.css$/,
+        use: ExtractTextPlugin.extract({
+          use: [
+            {
+              loader: 'css-loader',
+              options: { modules: false, importLoaders: 1 }
+            },
+            'postcss-loader'
+          ]
+        })
+      },
+      {
+        // creates version.json for /__version__ from package.json
+        test: require.resolve('./package.json'),
+        use: [
+          {
+            loader: 'file-loader',
+            options: {
+              name: 'version.json'
+            }
+          },
+          'extract-loader',
+          './build/package_json_loader'
+        ]
+      },
+      {
+        // creates a js script for each ftl
+        test: /\.ftl$/,
+        use: [
+          {
+            loader: 'file-loader',
+            options: {
+              name: '[path][name].[hash:8].js'
+            }
+          },
+          'extract-loader',
+          './build/fluent_loader'
+        ]
+      },
+      {
+        // creates test.js for /test
+        test: require.resolve('./test/frontend/index.js'),
+        use: ['babel-loader', 'val-loader']
+      },
+      {
+        // loads all assets from assets/ for use by common/assets.js
+        test: require.resolve('./build/generate_asset_map.js'),
+        use: ['babel-loader', 'val-loader']
+      },
+      {
+        // loads all the ftl from public/locales for use by common/locales.js
+        test: require.resolve('./build/generate_l10n_map.js'),
+        use: ['babel-loader', 'val-loader']
+      }
+    ]
+  },
+  plugins: [
+    new CopyPlugin([
+      {
+        context: 'public',
+        from: '*.*'
+      }
+    ]),
+    new webpack.IgnorePlugin(/dist/), // used in common/*.js
+    new webpack.IgnorePlugin(/require-from-string/), // used in common/locales.js
+    new webpack.HashedModuleIdsPlugin(),
+    // new webpack.optimize.CommonsChunkPlugin({
+    //   name: 'vendor',
+    //   minChunks: ({ resource }) => /node_modules/.test(resource)
+    // }),
+    // new webpack.optimize.CommonsChunkPlugin({
+    //   name: 'runtime'
+    // }),
+    new ExtractTextPlugin({
+      filename: 'style.[contenthash:8].css'
+    }),
+    new ManifestPlugin() // used by server side to resolve hashed assets
+  ],
+  devServer: {
+    compress: true,
+    host: '0.0.0.0',
+    before: IS_DEV ? require('./server/bin/dev') : undefined,
+    proxy: {
+      '/api/ws': {
+        target: 'ws://localhost:8081',
+        ws: true,
+        secure: false
+      }
+    }
+  }
+};