Visual Studio Codespaces (Linux Universal)

Summary

Use or extend the large, universal, multi-language development container for Visual Studio Codespaces.

Metadata	Value
Contributors	The Visual Studio Codespaces and VS Code teams
Definition type	Dockerfile
Published image	mcr.microsoft.com/vscode/devcontainers/universal:linux
Published image architecture(s)	x86-64
Works in Codespaces	Yes
Container host OS support	Linux, macOS, Windows
Languages, platforms	Python, Node.js, JavaScript, TypeScript, C++, Java, C#, .NET Core, PHP, PowerShell

Description

While language specific development containers can be useful, in some cases you may want to use more than one in a project without having to set them all up. In other cases you may be looking to create a general "sandbox" container you intend to use with multiple projects or repositories. The large container image generated here (mcr.microsoft.com/vscode/devcontainers/universal:linux) includes a number of runtime versions for popular languages lke Python, Node, PHP, Java, C++, and .NET Core/C# - many of which are inherited from the Oryx build image it is based on.

If you use Visual Studio Codespaces, this is the "universal" image that is used by default if no custom Dockerfile or image is specified. If you like what you see but want to make a few additions or changes, you can use a custom Dockerfile to extend it and add whatever you need.

The container includes the zsh (and Oh My Zsh!) and fish shells that you can opt into using instead of the default bash. It also includes nvm and nvs if you need to install a different version of Node.js than those that are in the container by default.

Using this definition with an existing folder

While the definition itself works unmodified, you can also directly reference pre-built versions of .devcontainer/Dockerfile by using the image property in .devcontainer/devcontainer.json or updating the FROM statement in your own Dockerfile to:

mcr.microsoft.com/vscode/devcontainers/universal:linux

Alternatively, you can use the contents of the Dockerfile to fully customize your container's contents or to build it for a container host architecture not supported by the image.

Adding the definition to your project

Just follow these steps:

If this is your first time using a development container, please follow the getting started steps to set up your machine.
To use the pre-built image:
1. Start VS Code and open your project folder.
2. Press F1 select and Remote-Containers: Add Development Container Configuration Files... from the command palette.
3. Select the General Purpose Multi-Language Development Container (Visual Studio Codespaces) definition.
To use the Dockerfile for this definition (rather than the pre-built image):
1. Clone this repository.
2. Copy the .devcontainer folder from the containers/codespaces-linux folder in the cloned repository to the root of your project folder.
3. Start VS Code and open your project folder.
After following step 2 or 3, the contents of the .devcontainer folder in your project can be adapted to meet your needs.
Finally, press F1 and run Remote-Containers: Reopen Folder in Container to start using the definition.

License