Dev Container CLI

Spec sheet

Purpose

The CLI creates and configures a development container from a devcontainer.json file.Read 4 Oct 2026 · containers.dev

License

The CLI project is licensed under the MIT license.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

CI integrations

The specification project says a GitHub Action and an Azure DevOps Task are available for running a repository’s dev container in CI builds.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

CI use

The project describes using the CLI to prebuild dev container configurations in CI or DevOps workflows.Read 4 Oct 2026 · containers.dev

Commands

It includes commands to build images, start containers, run lifecycle commands, read configuration, execute commands, and manage features and templates.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Editor integration

The VS Code Dev Containers extension includes a CLI variation that can open a dev container in VS Code.Read 4 Oct 2026 · containers.dev

Installation requirement

Installing the npm package requires Python and C/C++ tools to build one of its dependencies.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Project status

The repository describes the CLI as being in active development.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Reference implementation

The Dev Container CLI is a reference implementation of the Development Container Specification.Read 4 Oct 2026 · containers.dev

Reproducibility

The CLI generates lockfiles by default when building or starting containers to pin feature versions for reproducible builds.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Supported environments

The standalone install script works on Linux and macOS on x64 and arm64.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Who it is for

The CLI is intended for direct use and for tools or services that support the Dev Container Specification.Read 4 Oct 2026 · containers.dev

Plans and prices

Every Dev Container CLI plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

• Container Development Environments#16 of 408.0