diff --git a/.env b/.env
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..93e626530f31129609801d8e4bb3e61003ad3362
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.env
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+BUILDCACHE_OCI_HOST=""
+BUILDCACHE_OCI_PASSWORD=""
+BUILDCACHE_OCI_PROJECT=""
+BUILDCACHE_OCI_USERNAME=""
+
+CONCRETIZE_OCI_HOST=""
+CONCRETIZE_OCI_PASSWORD=""
+CONCRETIZE_OCI_PROJECT=""
+CONCRETIZE_OCI_USERNAME""
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 86ab9c2faabf361a78652d0621fae36e165c8a6c..82058f34da3bba5f11c3d57cd8f45e73cabcb9da 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,4 +1,50 @@
-# ~~Yashchiki~~Koutakia
+# Dedal
 
-For now, this repository provides helpers for the EBRAINS container image build flow.
-The lowest spack version which should be used with this library is v0.22.0
+This repository provides functionalities to easily ```managed spack environments``` and ```helpers for the container image build flow```.
+The lowest ```spack version``` compatible with this library is ```v0.23.0```.
+
+
+        This repository also provied CLI interface. For more informations, after installing this library, call dedal --help.
+
+
+**Setting up the needed environment variables**
+    The ````<checkout path>\dedal\.env```` file contains the environment variables required for OCI registry used for caching.
+    Ensure that you edit the ````<checkout path>\dedal\.env```` file to match your environment.
+    The following provides an explanation of the various environment variables:
+
+
+       # OCI Registry Configuration Sample for concretization caches
+       # =============================
+       # The following variables configure the Harbor docker OCI registry (EBRAINS) used for caching.
+       
+       # The hostname of the OCI registry. e.g. docker-registry.ebrains.eu
+       CONCRETIZE__OCI_HOST="docker-registry.ebrains.eu"
+       
+       # The project name in the Docker registry.
+       CONCRETIZE__OCI_PROJECT="concretize_caches"
+       
+       # The username used for authentication with the Docker registry.
+       CONCRETIZE__OCI_USERNAME="robot$concretize-cache-test+user"
+       
+       # The password used for authentication with the Docker registry.
+       CONCRETIZE__OCI_HOST="###ACCESS_TOKEN###"
+        
+
+       # OCI Registry Configuration Sample for binary caches
+       # =============================
+       # The following variables configure the Harbor docker OCI registry (EBRAINS) used for caching.
+       
+       # The hostname of the OCI registry. e.g. docker-registry.ebrains.eu
+       BUILDCACHE_OCI_HOST="docker-registry.ebrains.eu"
+       
+       # The project name in the Docker registry.
+       BUILDCACHE_OCI_PROJECT="binary-cache-test"
+       
+       # The username used for authentication with the Docker registry.
+       BUILDCACHE_OCI_USERNAME="robot$binary-cache-test+user"
+       
+       # The password used for authentication with the Docker registry.
+       BUILDCACHE_OCI_HOST="###ACCESS_TOKEN###"
+
+For both concretization and binary caches, the cache version can be changed via the attributes ```cache_version_concretize``` and ```cache_version_build```. 
+The default values are ```v1```.
diff --git a/dedal/spack_factory/SpackOperationUseCache.py b/dedal/spack_factory/SpackOperationUseCache.py
index efb9af763af58a0f9e44ab79cab13af56947502e..41a9094ca550f1682082dbee4eced5b8183a9f7a 100644
--- a/dedal/spack_factory/SpackOperationUseCache.py
+++ b/dedal/spack_factory/SpackOperationUseCache.py
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ class SpackOperationUseCache(SpackOperation):
     This class uses caching for the concretization step and for the installation step.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, spack_config: SpackConfig = SpackConfig(), cache_version_concretize='cache',
-                 cache_version_build='cache'):
+    def __init__(self, spack_config: SpackConfig = SpackConfig(), cache_version_concretize='v1',
+                 cache_version_build='v1'):
         super().__init__(spack_config, logger=get_logger(__name__))
         self.cache_dependency = BuildCacheManager(os.environ.get('CONCRETIZE_OCI_HOST'),
                                                   os.environ.get('CONCRETIZE_OCI_PROJECT'),
diff --git a/dedal/tests/testing_variables.py b/dedal/tests/testing_variables.py
index ab95bfa1e02658b30cef40bd6654915a51d33ad3..e441a2864497edbca5e1f50619befe0c1a90863e 100644
--- a/dedal/tests/testing_variables.py
+++ b/dedal/tests/testing_variables.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import os
 
 ebrains_spack_builds_git = 'https://gitlab.ebrains.eu/ri/tech-hub/platform/esd/ebrains-spack-builds.git'
-SPACK_VERSION = "0.22.0"
+SPACK_VERSION = "0.23.0"
 SPACK_ENV_ACCESS_TOKEN = os.getenv("SPACK_ENV_ACCESS_TOKEN")
 test_spack_env_git = f'https://oauth2:{SPACK_ENV_ACCESS_TOKEN}@gitlab.ebrains.eu/ri/projects-and-initiatives/virtualbraintwin/tools/test-spack-env.git'