diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 02ee6799e..623a2fe8c 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -16,13 +16,22 @@ Before contributing to this repository for the first time, please review our pro
 
 ### Building
 
-To build the CRD and the various schemas, you don't need to install any pre-requisite apart from `docker`.
-In the root directory, just run the following command:
+To build the CRD and the various schemas, you don't need to install any pre-requisite apart from `docker` or `podman`.
+In the root directory, if you are using `podman` first run `export USE_PODMAN=true`. Then for either `docker` or `podman` run the following command:
 
 ```console
 bash ./docker-run.sh ./build.sh
 ```
 
+### Typescript model
+
+Typescript model is generated based on JSON Schema with help of <https://github.com/kubernetes-client/gen>.
+To generate them locally run:
+
+```console
+bash ./build/typescript-model/generate.sh
+```
+
 ### Testing
 
 Find more information about tests in the [testing document](test/README.md).
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7b79caf2f..ced708f2b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ Sources for this API are defined in Go code, starting from the
 [devworkspace_types.go source file](pkg/apis/workspaces/v1alpha2/devworkspace_types.go)
 
 From these Go sources, several files are generated:
+
 - A Kubernetes Custom Resource Definition(CRD) with an embedded OpenApi schema,
 - json schemas (in the [schemas](schemas) folder) generated from the above CRD, to specify the syntax of:
   - the DevWorkspace CRD itself;
@@ -34,21 +35,7 @@ Release details and process are found in [Devfile Release](RELEASE.md)
 
 ## How to build
 
-In order to build the CRD and the various schemas, you don't need to install any pre-requisite apart from `docker`.
-In the root directory, just run the following command:
-
-```console
-bash ./docker-run.sh ./build.sh
-```
-
-### Typescript model
-
-Typescript model is generated based on JSON Schema with help of <https://github.com/kubernetes-client/gen>.
-To generate them locally run:
-
-```console
-bash ./build/typescript-model/generate.sh
-```
+For information about building this project visit [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md#building).
 
 ## Specification status
 
@@ -61,6 +48,7 @@ In order to test existing or new Devfile 2.0 or DevWorkspace sample files in a s
 [![Contribute](https://img.shields.io/badge/developer-workspace-525C86?logo=eclipse-che&labelColor=FDB940)](https://workspaces.openshift.com/f?url=https://github.com/devfile/api)
 
 As soon as the devworkspace is opened, you should be able to:
+
 - open the `yaml` files in the following folders:
   - `samples/`
   - `devfile-support/samples`
diff --git a/docker-run.sh b/docker-run.sh
index 9485421d1..820380a9f 100755
--- a/docker-run.sh
+++ b/docker-run.sh
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
+# Allow setting of podman environment var in the script runtime
+shopt -s expand_aliases
+set -eux
 
 # git ROOT directory used to mount filesystem
 GIT_ROOT_DIRECTORY=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
@@ -23,6 +26,13 @@ WORKDIR="/projects/src/${GO_MODULE}"
 # Container image
 IMAGE_NAME="quay.io/devfile/kubernetes-api-build-prerequisites:latest"
 
+# For users who want to use podman this enables the alias to work throughout the scripts runtime
+USE_PODMAN=${USE_PODMAN:-false}
+if [[ ${USE_PODMAN} == true ]]; then
+  alias docker=podman
+  echo "using podman as container engine"
+fi
+
 init() {
   BLUE='\033[1;34m'
   GREEN='\033[0;32m'