diff --git a/src/commands/project/init.test.ts b/src/commands/project/init.test.ts
index e32f7ebe7..54bcacf85 100644
--- a/src/commands/project/init.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/project/init.test.ts
@@ -27,7 +27,8 @@ describe("Initializing a blank standard repo", () => {
     const filepaths = [
       "bedrock.yaml",
       "maintainers.yaml",
-      "azure-pipelines.yaml"
+      "azure-pipelines.yaml",
+      "Dockerfile"
     ].map(filename => path.join(randomTmpDir, filename));
 
     for (const filepath of filepaths) {
@@ -79,11 +80,16 @@ describe("Initializing a blank mono-repo", () => {
 
       const gitIgnoreFilePath = path.join(subProjectDir, ".gitignore");
       expect(fs.existsSync(gitIgnoreFilePath)).toBe(true);
+
+      const dockerfilePath = path.join(subProjectDir, "Dockerfile");
+      expect(fs.existsSync(dockerfilePath)).toBe(true);
     }
 
     // azure-pipelines.yaml should not be in the root
     expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(randomTmpDir, "azure-pipelines.yaml"))).toBe(
       false
     );
+
+    expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(randomTmpDir, "Dockerfile"))).toBe(false);
   });
 });
diff --git a/src/commands/project/init.ts b/src/commands/project/init.ts
index fce351ded..6aa678003 100644
--- a/src/commands/project/init.ts
+++ b/src/commands/project/init.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import path from "path";
 import shelljs from "shelljs";
 import * as config from "../../config";
 import {
+  generateDockerfile,
   generateGitIgnoreFile,
   generateStarterAzurePipelinesYaml
 } from "../../lib/fileutils";
@@ -71,7 +72,7 @@ export const initCommandDecorator = (command: commander.Command): void => {
 };
 
 /**
- * Initializes the `rootProject` with a bedrock.yaml, maintainers.yaml, and azure-pipelines.yaml file
+ * Initializes the `rootProject` with a bedrock.yaml, maintainers.yaml
  * If opts.monoRepo == true, the root directly will be initialized as a mono-repo
  * If opts.monoRepo == true, all direct subdirectories under opts.packagesDir will be initialized as individual projects
  *
@@ -116,6 +117,7 @@ export const initialize = async (
   for (const absPackagePath of absPackagePaths) {
     await generateStarterAzurePipelinesYaml(absProjectRoot, absPackagePath);
     generateGitIgnoreFile(absPackagePath, gitIgnoreFileContent);
+    generateDockerfile(absPackagePath);
   }
 
   logger.info(`Project initialization complete!`);
diff --git a/src/commands/service/create.test.ts b/src/commands/service/create.test.ts
index 7985aa8eb..654e7950b 100644
--- a/src/commands/service/create.test.ts
+++ b/src/commands/service/create.test.ts
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ describe("Adding a service to a repo directory", () => {
     expect(fs.existsSync(serviceDirPath)).toBe(true);
 
     // Verify new azure-pipelines created
-    const filepaths = ["azure-pipelines.yaml"].map(filename =>
+    const filepaths = ["azure-pipelines.yaml", "Dockerfile"].map(filename =>
       path.join(serviceDirPath, filename)
     );
 
@@ -90,8 +90,8 @@ describe("Adding a service to a repo directory", () => {
     const serviceDirPath = path.join(randomTmpDir, packageDir, serviceName);
     expect(fs.existsSync(serviceDirPath)).toBe(true);
 
-    // Verify new azure-pipelines created
-    const filepaths = ["azure-pipelines.yaml"].map(filename =>
+    // Verify new azure-pipelines and Dockerfile created
+    const filepaths = ["azure-pipelines.yaml", "Dockerfile"].map(filename =>
       path.join(serviceDirPath, filename)
     );
 
diff --git a/src/commands/service/create.ts b/src/commands/service/create.ts
index d640c66e8..23d6c3c4c 100644
--- a/src/commands/service/create.ts
+++ b/src/commands/service/create.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { logger } from "../../logger";
 import {
   addNewServiceToBedrockFile,
   addNewServiceToMaintainersFile,
+  generateDockerfile,
   generateGitIgnoreFile,
   generateStarterAzurePipelinesYaml
 } from "../../lib/fileutils";
@@ -212,6 +213,9 @@ export const createService = async (
   // Create empty .gitignore file in directory
   generateGitIgnoreFile(newServiceDir, "");
 
+  // Create simple Dockerfile in directory
+  generateDockerfile(newServiceDir);
+
   // add maintainers to file in parent repo file
   const newUser = {
     email: maintainerEmail,
diff --git a/src/lib/fileutils.test.ts b/src/lib/fileutils.test.ts
index ece0cb880..17ad8745e 100644
--- a/src/lib/fileutils.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/fileutils.test.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import { IBedrockFile, IHelmConfig, IMaintainersFile } from "../types";
 import {
   addNewServiceToBedrockFile,
   addNewServiceToMaintainersFile,
+  generateDockerfile,
   generateGitIgnoreFile,
   generateHldAzurePipelinesYaml
 } from "./fileutils";
@@ -197,3 +198,41 @@ describe("Adding a new service to a Bedrock file", () => {
     );
   });
 });
+
+describe("generating service Dockerfile", () => {
+  const targetDirectory = "my-new-service";
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    mockFs({
+      "my-new-service": {}
+    });
+  });
+  afterEach(() => {
+    mockFs.restore();
+  });
+
+  it("should not do anything if file exist", async () => {
+    const mockFsOptions = {
+      [`${targetDirectory}/Dockerfile`]: "hello!!!!"
+    };
+    mockFs(mockFsOptions);
+
+    const writeSpy = jest.spyOn(fs, "writeFileSync");
+    generateDockerfile(targetDirectory);
+    expect(writeSpy).not.toBeCalled();
+  });
+
+  it("should generate the file if one does not exist", async () => {
+    const writeSpy = jest.spyOn(fs, "writeFileSync");
+    generateDockerfile(targetDirectory);
+
+    const absTargetPath = path.resolve(targetDirectory);
+    const expectedGitIgnoreFilePath = `${absTargetPath}/Dockerfile`;
+
+    expect(writeSpy).toBeCalledWith(
+      expectedGitIgnoreFilePath,
+      "FROM alpine\nRUN echo 'hello world'",
+      "utf8"
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/lib/fileutils.ts b/src/lib/fileutils.ts
index dacbcd6c7..63d7734c5 100644
--- a/src/lib/fileutils.ts
+++ b/src/lib/fileutils.ts
@@ -294,3 +294,31 @@ export const addNewServiceToBedrockFile = (
   logger.info("Updating bedrock.yaml");
   fs.writeFileSync(bedrockFilePath, yaml.safeDump(bedrockFile), "utf8");
 };
+
+/**
+ * Writes out a default Dockerfile if one doesn't exist
+ *
+ * @param targetDirectory directory to generate the Dockerfile
+ * @param content content of file
+ */
+export const generateDockerfile = (targetDirectory: string) => {
+  const absTargetPath = path.resolve(targetDirectory);
+  logger.info(`Generating starter Dockerfile in ${absTargetPath}`);
+
+  const dockerfilePath = path.join(absTargetPath, "Dockerfile");
+
+  if (fs.existsSync(dockerfilePath)) {
+    logger.warn(
+      `Existing Dockerfile found at ${dockerfilePath}, skipping generation.`
+    );
+
+    return;
+  }
+
+  logger.info(`Writing Dockerfile to ${dockerfilePath}`);
+  fs.writeFileSync(
+    dockerfilePath,
+    "FROM alpine\nRUN echo 'hello world'",
+    "utf8"
+  );
+};