macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install devcontainerlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install devcontainer with Homebrew, Nix
Reference implementation for the Development Containers specification. Version 0.87.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-13.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#devcontainernixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/de/devcontainer/package.nix · source: api.github.com
overview
Package summary
Reference implementation for the Development Containers specification
Project links
Commands and aliases
- devcontainer
history
Project history and usage
Dev Container CLI is the reference command-line implementation for the Development Containers specification. It reads devcontainer.json metadata and creates, builds, configures, and runs development containers outside a single editor UI.
Project history
The devcontainers/spec repository was created in January 2022, and devcontainers/cli followed in April 2022. The CLI changelog starts with 0.1.0 as the initial version and then quickly adds build, feature, template, metadata, and lifecycle support through the 2022 releases.
Adoption history
The broader dev container format came from the need for structured metadata that tools could share, similar in spirit to the Language Server Protocol. The official supporting-tools page lists editors and services such as VS Code, Visual Studio, IntelliJ IDEA, GitHub Codespaces, and the standalone Dev Container CLI as participants in the ecosystem.
How it is used
Package users install the devcontainer executable, keep devcontainer.json in a project, and run commands such as devcontainer up, build, exec, read-configuration, features, and templates. The CLI README also frames it as useful for CI, where a project's development container can be reused as a build and test environment.
Why package nerds care
For package nerds, devcontainer is important because it turns editor-oriented development-environment metadata into a portable CLI contract. It bridges package managers, Docker or Podman-style container engines, OCI-distributed features, templates, GitHub Actions, Codespaces, and local development workflows.
Timeline
- 2022: devcontainers/spec repository created.
- 2022: devcontainers/cli repository created.
- 2022: CLI 0.1.0 initial version appears in the changelog.
- 2022: CLI 0.12.0 added native feature publishing to OCI registries.
- 2026: CLI 0.87.0 made lockfile generation stable by default.
Related projects
- Officially related projects include the Development Containers specification, Dev Container Features and Templates, devcontainers/ci, VS Code Dev Containers, GitHub Codespaces, Docker, Docker Compose, and supporting IDE integrations.
Sources
- https://containers.dev/
- https://containers.dev/overview
- https://containers.dev/supporting
- https://github.com/devcontainers/cli
- https://github.com/devcontainers/cli/blob/main/README.md
- https://github.com/devcontainers/cli/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md
- https://api.github.com/repos/devcontainers/cli
- https://api.github.com/repos/devcontainers/spec
security posture
Risk level: orange
infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal
Signals
- text:container
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 1 platform targets.
- Installs with 1 runtime dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
local files
Configuration and credential file locations
These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.
Configuration files
Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.
- Unix
.devcontainer/devcontainer.json.devcontainer.json
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
devcontainer | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version0.87.0
manager updated2026-05-13
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
- infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://containers.devnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:devcontainer |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.87.0 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/devcontainer |
| Homepage | https://containers.dev |
| Repository | https://github.com/devcontainers/cli |
| Upstream docs | https://containers.dev/ |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://registry.npmjs.org/@devcontainers/cli/-/cli-0.87.0.tgz |
| Last updated | 2026-05-13T13:00:10Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | node |
| Bottle | available (on all) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | devcontainer |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Nix95%
devcontainer
nix profile install nixpkgs#devcontainer- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Devcontainer
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment