mirror of
https://github.com/coder/coder.git
synced 2026-06-04 13:38:21 +00:00
Mathias Fredriksson
8f15caad22
Add screenshots to the dev containers user guide: - Running dev containers with sub-agents (index.md, working-with-dev-containers.md) - Discovered dev containers with Start button (index.md) - Outdated status with rebuild option (working-with-dev-containers.md) - Display apps disabled (customizing-dev-containers.md) Also deletes the outdated devcontainer-agent-ports.png. Refs #21157
158 lines
4.7 KiB
Markdown
158 lines
4.7 KiB
Markdown
# Working with Dev Containers
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The dev container integration appears in your Coder dashboard, providing a
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visual representation of the running environment:
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_Dev containers appear as sub-agents with their own apps, SSH access, and port forwarding_
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## SSH access
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Each dev container has its own agent name, derived from the workspace folder
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(e.g., `/home/coder/my-project` becomes `my-project`). You can find agent names
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in your workspace dashboard, or see
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[Agent naming](./index.md#agent-naming) for details on how names are generated.
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### Using the Coder CLI
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The simplest way to SSH into a dev container is using `coder ssh` with the
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workspace and agent name:
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```console
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coder ssh <workspace>.<agent>
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```
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For example, to connect to a dev container with agent name `my-project` in
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workspace `my-workspace`:
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```console
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coder ssh my-workspace.my-project
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```
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To SSH into the main workspace agent instead of the dev container:
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```console
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coder ssh my-workspace
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```
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### Using OpenSSH (config-ssh)
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You can also use standard OpenSSH tools after generating SSH config entries with
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`coder config-ssh`:
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```console
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coder config-ssh
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```
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This creates a wildcard SSH host entry that matches all your workspaces and
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their agents, including dev container sub-agents. You can then connect using:
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```console
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ssh my-project.my-workspace.me.coder
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```
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The default hostname suffix is `.coder`. If your organization uses a different
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suffix, adjust the hostname accordingly. The suffix can be configured via
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[`coder config-ssh --hostname-suffix`](../../reference/cli/config-ssh.md) or
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by your deployment administrator.
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This method works with any SSH client, IDE remote extensions, `rsync`, `scp`,
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and other tools that use SSH.
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## Web terminal access
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Once your workspace and dev container are running, you can use the web terminal
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in the Coder interface to execute commands directly inside the dev container.
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## IDE integration (VS Code)
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You can open your dev container directly in VS Code by:
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1. Selecting **Open in VS Code Desktop** from the dev container agent in the
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Coder web interface.
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1. Using the Coder CLI:
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```console
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coder open vscode <workspace>.<agent>
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```
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For example:
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```console
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coder open vscode my-workspace.my-project
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```
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VS Code will automatically detect the dev container environment and connect
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appropriately.
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While optimized for VS Code, other IDEs with dev container support may also
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work.
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## Port forwarding
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Since dev containers run as sub-agents, you can forward ports directly to them
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using standard Coder port forwarding:
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```console
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coder port-forward <workspace>.<agent> --tcp 8080
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```
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For example, to forward port 8080 from a dev container with agent name
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`my-project`:
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```console
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coder port-forward my-workspace.my-project --tcp 8080
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```
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This forwards port 8080 on your local machine directly to port 8080 in the dev
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container. Coder also automatically detects ports opened inside the container.
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### Exposing ports on the parent workspace
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If you need to expose dev container ports through the parent workspace agent
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(rather than the sub-agent), you can use the
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[`appPort`](https://containers.dev/implementors/json_reference/#image-specific)
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property in your `devcontainer.json`:
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```json
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{
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"appPort": ["8080:8080", "4000:3000"]
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}
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```
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This maps container ports to the parent workspace, which can then be forwarded
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using the main workspace agent.
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## Dev container features
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You can use standard [dev container features](https://containers.dev/features)
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in your `devcontainer.json` file. Coder also maintains a
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[repository of features](https://github.com/coder/devcontainer-features) to
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enhance your development experience.
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For example, the
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[code-server](https://github.com/coder/devcontainer-features/blob/main/src/code-server)
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feature from the [Coder features repository](https://github.com/coder/devcontainer-features):
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```json
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{
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"features": {
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"ghcr.io/coder/devcontainer-features/code-server:1": {
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"port": 13337,
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"host": "0.0.0.0"
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}
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}
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}
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```
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## Rebuilding dev containers
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When you modify your `devcontainer.json`, you need to rebuild the container for
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changes to take effect. Coder detects changes and shows an **Outdated** status
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next to the dev container.
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_The Outdated indicator appears when changes to devcontainer.json are detected_
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Click **Rebuild** to recreate your dev container with the updated configuration.
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