docs: update dev container docs for GA #18907

EdwardAngert · 2025-07-16T20:50:29Z

WIP

update dev container docs for GA

followup to #18582

To do

edit docs/user-guides/devcontainers/working-with-dev-containers.md
- current doc's approach is for pre-ga
- does it still need ssh/web terminal/VS Code sections?
- does it still need the Port Forwarding section?
- Dev Container Features can be both about features of dev containers or dev container features and the latter is now part of the main repo
edit docs/user-guides/devcontainers/index.md
docs where we use the git clone module
- it's technically optional, but more likely that not-using it would be the exception, so we should probably default to configurations that treat it as a default (like using repo_dir)
address / move comments from 18582

github-actions · 2025-07-17T19:03:16Z

docs/about/contributing/backend.md

@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ Coder's backend is built using a collection of robust, modern Go libraries and i

 The Coder backend is organized into multiple packages and directories, each with a specific purpose. Here's a high-level overview of the most important ones:

-* [agent](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/main/agent): core logic of a workspace agent, supports DevContainers, remote SSH, startup/shutdown script execution. Protobuf definitions for DRPC communication with `coderd` are kept in [proto](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/main/agent/proto).
+* [agent](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/main/agent): core logic of a workspace agent, supports dev containers, remote SSH, startup/shutdown script execution. Protobuf definitions for DRPC communication with `coderd` are kept in [proto](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/main/agent/proto).
 * [cli](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/main/cli): CLI interface for `coder` command built on [coder/serpent](https://github.com/coder/serpent). Input controls are defined in [cliui](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/docs-backend-contrib-guide/cli/cliui), and [testdata](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/docs-backend-contrib-guide/cli/testdata) contains golden files for common CLI calls


🚫 [linkspector] _{reported by reviewdog 🐶}
Cannot reach https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/docs-backend-contrib-guide/cli/cliui Status: 404

github-actions · 2025-07-17T19:03:16Z

docs/about/contributing/backend.md

@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@

 The Coder backend is organized into multiple packages and directories, each with a specific purpose. Here's a high-level overview of the most important ones:

-* [agent](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/main/agent): core logic of a workspace agent, supports DevContainers, remote SSH, startup/shutdown script execution. Protobuf definitions for DRPC communication with `coderd` are kept in [proto](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/main/agent/proto).
+* [agent](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/main/agent): core logic of a workspace agent, supports dev containers, remote SSH, startup/shutdown script execution. Protobuf definitions for DRPC communication with `coderd` are kept in [proto](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/main/agent/proto).
 * [cli](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/main/cli): CLI interface for `coder` command built on [coder/serpent](https://github.com/coder/serpent). Input controls are defined in [cliui](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/docs-backend-contrib-guide/cli/cliui), and [testdata](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/docs-backend-contrib-guide/cli/testdata) contains golden files for common CLI calls


🚫 [linkspector] _{reported by reviewdog 🐶}
Cannot reach https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/docs-backend-contrib-guide/cli/testdata Status: 404

EdwardAngert · 2025-07-17T21:28:04Z

docs/user-guides/devcontainers/index.md

- SSH access requires using the `--container` flag
- Some devcontainer features may not work as expected
+   ```shell
+   ssh <agent>.<workspace>.me.coder


I couldn't get it working with coder ssh, but it worked like this

coderabbitai · 2025-07-25T00:08:02Z

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EdwardAngert

more changes incoming + matching up more comments from the old PR

EdwardAngert · 2025-07-29T19:20:07Z

docs/admin/templates/extending-templates/advanced-dev-containers.md

+
+Run independent dev containers in the same workspace so each component appears as its own agent.
+
+In this example, there are two: repositories called `frontend` and `backend`:


added repositories called to show that the the directories come from the project name per https://github.com/coder/coder/pull/18582/files#r2194698875

EdwardAngert · 2025-07-29T19:21:47Z

docs/admin/templates/extending-templates/devcontainers.md

+  source = "registry.coder.com/modules/git-clone/coder"
+  agent_id = coder_agent.main.id
+  url = "https://github.com/example/repository.git"
+  base_dir = "" # defaults to $HOME


the module defaults to $HOME but I want to be able to show that people can change that too if they need

re @mafredri in https://github.com/coder/coder/pull/18582/files#r2194700957

EdwardAngert · 2025-07-29T19:23:17Z

docs/admin/templates/extending-templates/advanced-dev-containers.md

+resource "coder_devcontainer" "backend" {
+  count  = data.coder_workspace.me.start_count
+  agent_id  = coder_agent.main.id
+  workspace_folder  = module.git-clone-backend[0].repo_dir


the docs now default to assuming the git-clone module

https://github.com/coder/coder/pull/18582/files#r2194704910

EdwardAngert · 2025-07-29T19:24:27Z

docs/admin/templates/extending-templates/advanced-dev-containers.md

+}
+```
+
+Each dev container appears as a separate agent, so developers can connect to each separately.


reworded from component

https://github.com/coder/coder/pull/18582/files#r2194711166

EdwardAngert · 2025-07-29T19:25:34Z

docs/admin/templates/extending-templates/advanced-dev-containers.md

+data "coder_parameter" "autostart_frontend" {
+  type  = "bool"
+  name  = "Autostart frontend container"


from @mafredri 's suggestion to avoid enable in the name

https://github.com/coder/coder/pull/18582/files#r2194722023

EdwardAngert · 2025-07-29T19:35:17Z

docs/admin/templates/extending-templates/devcontainers.md

 ## Install the Dev Containers CLI

 Use the
 [devcontainers-cli](https://registry.coder.com/modules/devcontainers-cli) module
-to ensure the `@devcontainers/cli` is installed in your workspace:
+to install `devcontainers/cli` in your workspace:


I'm torn about this one

it could be @devcontainers/cli but that doesn't match the text they're going to enter

https://github.com/coder/coder/pull/18582/files#r2194456888

EdwardAngert · 2025-07-29T19:40:07Z

docs/admin/templates/extending-templates/devcontainers.md

+
+- The `devcontainers-cli` module requires npm.
+
+  - You can use an image that already includes npm, such as `codercom/enterprise-node:ubuntu`.


@mafredri

We can recommend this image, but I think we should mention it includes both Docker and npm. If the user is trying to solve the Docker pre-requisite and then be recommended to switch to a base that "only" targets npm, that may be confusing.

in my testing, the Docker prereq had to be solved separately from npm, so even if this image has Docker, I still had to set up sysbox first, even when I tried with privileged = true

https://github.com/coder/coder/pull/18582/files#r2194802662

https://github.com/coder/coder/pull/18582/files#r2194836896

EdwardAngert · 2025-07-29T19:48:03Z

docs/admin/templates/extending-templates/devcontainers.md

+
+The `repo_dir` output from the git-clone module provides the path to the cloned repository.
+
+### If you're not using the git-clone module


re https://github.com/coder/coder/pull/18582/files#r2194805993

EdwardAngert · 2025-07-29T20:02:16Z

docs/admin/templates/extending-templates/devcontainers.md

+
+The `blocking` behavior ensures Docker is fully started before the workspace is considered ready, which is critical for dev containers to function correctly.
+
+## Define the Dev Container Resource


I need to review the order of the sections here - the heading is about defining the resource, but it starts with git-clone

EdwardAngert · 2025-07-29T20:06:04Z

docs/admin/templates/extending-templates/advanced-dev-containers.md

+# Clone each repo
+module "git-clone-frontend" {
+  count  = data.coder_workspace.me.start_count
+  source  = "dev.registry.coder.com/modules/git-clone/coder"


incoming commit removes the dev.

EdwardAngert added 13 commits July 15, 2025 20:51

update devcontainers for ga

fb92c9f

edit devcontainers doc

5a4ca2f

add advanced dev containers

d978111

add dev-container-envbuilder comparison

736202d

edit add-devcontainer

09effa1

edit dev-container-known-issues

0b4ac18

edit envbuilder docs

bff7a37

update workspace screenshot

dde4010

update workspace screenshot

02b110f

update manifest

0f47c56

update user-guide

0e8383e

troubleshooting-dev-containers

4116768

init working-with-dev-containers edit

6a6a49e

EdwardAngert self-assigned this Jul 16, 2025

EdwardAngert added the docs Area: coder.com/docs label Jul 16, 2025

dev container casing

7a4719d

github-actions bot reviewed Jul 17, 2025

View reviewed changes

EdwardAngert added 2 commits July 17, 2025 19:41

link fix

f88ecb8

s/coder ssh/ssh

5085d78

EdwardAngert commented Jul 17, 2025

View reviewed changes

github-actions bot added the stale This issue is like stale bread. label Jul 25, 2025

github-actions bot closed this Jul 28, 2025

EdwardAngert removed the stale This issue is like stale bread. label Jul 28, 2025

EdwardAngert reopened this Jul 28, 2025

EdwardAngert added 4 commits July 29, 2025 04:03

working-with-dev-containers update with feedback

51420b7

consistent examples

1dda50d

s/tabs/spaces for md linter

7abc64c

reorg doc into stages; build to example

79779e0

EdwardAngert commented Jul 29, 2025

View reviewed changes

remove dev. from registry urls

d9a2e87


		Run independent dev containers in the same workspace so each component appears as its own agent.

		In this example, there are two: repositories called `frontend` and `backend`:


		- The `devcontainers-cli` module requires npm.

		- You can use an image that already includes npm, such as `codercom/enterprise-node:ubuntu`.


		The `repo_dir` output from the git-clone module provides the path to the cloned repository.

		### If you're not using the git-clone module


		The `blocking` behavior ensures Docker is fully started before the workspace is considered ready, which is critical for dev containers to function correctly.

		## Define the Dev Container Resource

docs: update dev container docs for GA #18907

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docs: update dev container docs for GA #18907

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EdwardAngert commented Jul 16, 2025 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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coderabbitai bot commented Jul 25, 2025

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EdwardAngert commented Jul 16, 2025 •

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