devcontainer

Build a dev container

$ devcontainer build --workspace-folder [.]

$ devcontainer up --workspace-folder [.]

$ devcontainer exec --workspace-folder [.] [command]

$ devcontainer exec --workspace-folder [.] bash

$ devcontainer read-configuration --workspace-folder [.]

$ devcontainer features list

$ devcontainer templates apply -t [python]

devcontainer command [options]

devcontainer is the CLI for managing development containers defined by the Dev Container specification. It allows building, running, and interacting with containerized development environments from the command line.
Dev containers provide reproducible development environments using Docker containers. Configuration in .devcontainer/devcontainer.json defines the container image, extensions, settings, and features needed for a project.
The CLI enables dev container workflows without IDE integration, useful for CI/CD pipelines, remote development, and automation of development environment setup.

COMMAND

Operation: build, up, exec, read-configuration, features, templates.

Path to workspace with .devcontainer config.

Build the dev container image.

Create and start the container.

Run command in container.

Output resolved configuration.

List available dev container features.

Display help information.

.devcontainer/devcontainer.json

Configuration file defining container image, features, extensions, and environment settings.

Requires Docker or compatible container runtime. Configuration must follow Dev Container spec. Some features require specific base images. Resource-intensive for complex environments.

The Dev Container CLI was released by Microsoft as part of the Dev Containers specification (2022). It extends the VS Code Dev Containers functionality to command-line workflows and other tools.

docker(1), docker-compose(1), code(1)