mirror of
https://github.com/coder/coder.git
synced 2026-06-03 13:08:25 +00:00
Mathias Fredriksson
ea9f003cdd
The user guide jumped straight into integration details without explaining what dev containers are. Now it opens with a brief orientation linking to the spec, then explains this guide covers the Docker-based approach. Converted several NOTE callouts to prose where they were just cross-references or stacked unnecessarily. The Envbuilder index note was reframed to lead with its strengths rather than "we recommend the other thing." Also updates platform support to Linux only per current status. Refs #21157
53 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
53 lines
2.3 KiB
Markdown
# Envbuilder
|
|
|
|
Envbuilder is an open-source tool that builds development environments from
|
|
[dev container](https://containers.dev/implementors/spec/) configuration files.
|
|
Unlike the [Dev Containers integration](../integration.md),
|
|
Envbuilder transforms the workspace image itself rather than running containers
|
|
inside the workspace.
|
|
|
|
Envbuilder is well-suited for Kubernetes-native deployments without privileged
|
|
containers, environments where Docker is unavailable or restricted, and
|
|
workflows where administrators need infrastructure-level control over image
|
|
builds, caching, and security scanning. For workspaces with Docker available,
|
|
the [Dev Containers Integration](../integration.md) offers container management
|
|
with dashboard visibility and multi-container support.
|
|
|
|
Dev containers provide developers with increased autonomy and control over their
|
|
Coder cloud development environments.
|
|
|
|
By using dev containers, developers can customize their workspaces with tools
|
|
pre-approved by platform teams in registries like
|
|
[JFrog Artifactory](../../jfrog-artifactory.md). This simplifies
|
|
workflows, reduces the need for tickets and approvals, and promotes greater
|
|
independence for developers.
|
|
|
|
## Prerequisites
|
|
|
|
An administrator should construct or choose a base image and create a template
|
|
that includes a `devcontainer_builder` image before a developer team configures
|
|
dev containers.
|
|
|
|
## Devcontainer Features
|
|
|
|
[Dev container Features](https://containers.dev/implementors/features/) allow
|
|
owners of a project to specify self-contained units of code and runtime
|
|
configuration that can be composed together on top of an existing base image.
|
|
This is a good place to install project-specific tools, such as
|
|
language-specific runtimes and compilers.
|
|
|
|
## Coder Envbuilder
|
|
|
|
[Envbuilder](https://github.com/coder/envbuilder/) is an open-source project
|
|
maintained by Coder that runs dev containers via Coder templates and your
|
|
underlying infrastructure. Envbuilder can run on Docker or Kubernetes.
|
|
|
|
It is independently packaged and versioned from the centralized Coder
|
|
open-source project. This means that Envbuilder can be used with Coder, but it
|
|
is not required. It also means that dev container builds can scale independently
|
|
of the Coder control plane and even run within a CI/CD pipeline.
|
|
|
|
## Next steps
|
|
|
|
- [Add an Envbuilder template](./add-envbuilder.md)
|