DesktopIntermediate

Dev Environments Cheatsheet

Share consistent, containerized dev workspaces with one click from Docker Desktop.

What it is

Docker Dev Environments let you define a reproducible development workspace as code (devcontainer.json) and share it with teammates so everyone works in the same containerized environment.

Installation

Available in Docker Desktop 4.x+. Requires VS Code with the Remote – Containers extension for IDE integration.

Quick start

docker dev create <git-url>

Create a Dev Environment from a Git URL.

docker dev open <env-name>

Open a Dev Environment in VS Code.

docker dev ls

List all Dev Environments.

devcontainer.json example

Minimal .devcontainer/devcontainer.json for Node.js

{
  "name": "Node.js Dev",
  "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/node:20",
  "postCreateCommand": "npm install",
  "forwardPorts": [3000],
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": ["dbaeumer.vscode-eslint"]
    }
  }
}

Best practices

Commit .devcontainer/devcontainer.json to your repo so teammates can reproduce your environment.
Use postCreateCommand to run npm install / pip install automatically on environment creation.
Forward only the ports your app needs to keep the environment secure.

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Last reviewed: 2026-06-15