{"slug": "dev-containers", "name": "Dev Containers", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "", "recommenders": 4, "commenters": 6, "warners": 0, "score": 4.045, "rising": 0.02, "first": "2026-01-20", "latest": "2026-10-03", "why": "The first thing I recommend everyone using is devcontainers", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 4, "neutral": 1, "compare": 1, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "The first thing I recommend everyone using is devcontainers", "icon": true, "domain": "claude.com", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://containers.dev", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Dev Containers", "devcontainers"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 799071888, "item_id": 49941993, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49941993", "by": "jackjeff", "date": "2026-10-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I rely on devcontainers because editors like vscode, zed, etc\u2026 provide native support.", "excerpt": "I do the same but I rely on devcontainers because editors like vscode, zed, etc\u2026 provide native support. It seems easier to use than asb. If you open a project using a devcontainer it prompts you to build one. As long as you install all the tools you need in it, it just works. Orbstack is much nicer than Docker to host the containers.", "context": "", "use_case": "sandboxing dev environments", "switched_from": "", "story": "Updates to Full Disk Access in macOS"}, {"id": 782342464, "item_id": 48896404, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48896404", "by": "arvyy", "date": "2026-07-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I quite like the approach in part because it 2-for-1 also gives benefit of easy to setup coding env", "excerpt": "I used opportunity to learn about devcontainers. I've only recently started using llms and it's possible I'll change my mind later; but so far I quite like the approach in part because it 2-for-1 also gives benefit of easy to setup coding env for people who don't care about ai.", "context": "recently started using LLMs", "use_case": "sandboxed coding environment", "switched_from": "", "story": "Grok uploaded my user directory to xAI's servers"}, {"id": 757244704, "item_id": 47327794, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47327794", "by": "simlevesque", "date": "2026-03-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use devcontainers in all the projects I use claude code on.", "excerpt": "I use devcontainers in all the projects I use claude code on. [1] With it you can have claude running inside a container with just the project's code in write access and also mount a test folder with just read permissions, or do the opposite. You can even have both devcontainers and run them at the same time. [1] https://code.claude.com/docs/en/devcontainer", "context": "", "use_case": "sandboxing Claude Code", "switched_from": "", "story": "You hired the AI to write the tests. Of course they pass"}, {"id": 755844304, "item_id": 47240269, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47240269", "by": "simlevesque", "date": "2026-03-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The first thing I recommend everyone using is devcontainers", "excerpt": "The first thing I recommend everyone using is devcontainers [1]. They're very simple to setup and make using LLMs a lot more secure. [1] https://code.claude.com/docs/en/devcontainer", "context": "", "use_case": "sandboxing LLM coding tools", "switched_from": "", "story": "Claude Code escapes its own denylist and sandbox"}, {"id": 747098576, "item_id": 46693661, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46693661", "by": "odie5533", "date": "2026-01-20", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Development containers (dev-containers) as demonstrated by Claude Code's docs", "excerpt": "I use Development containers (dev-containers) as demonstrated by Claude Code's docs https://code.claude.com/docs/en/devcontainer It all integrates nicely with VS Code. It has a firewall script and you spin up your database within the docker compose file so it has full access to a postgres instance. I can share my full setup if anyone needs it.", "context": "", "use_case": "sandboxing Claude Code", "switched_from": "", "story": "Running Claude Code dangerously (safely)"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "arvyy", "context": "recently started using LLMs", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48896404", "date": "2026-07-13"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["sandboxing claude code", "sandboxing dev environments", "sandboxed coding environment", "containerized dev environment", "tex live environment", "sandboxing llm coding tools"], "compared": [{"slug": "visual-studio-code", "name": "Visual Studio Code", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "podman", "name": "Podman", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "code-server", "name": "code-server", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "docker", "name": "Docker", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "claude-code", "name": "Claude Code", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49937631", "title": "Updates to Full Disk Access in macOS", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48892512", "title": "Grok uploaded my user directory to xAI's servers", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47602040", "title": "Ask HN: What dev tools do you rely on that nobody talks about?", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47327559", "title": "You hired the AI to write the tests. Of course they pass", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47271187", "title": "TeX Live 2026 is available for download now", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47236910", "title": "Claude Code escapes its own denylist and sandbox", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-04": {"compare": 1}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {"recommend": 1}}, "quotes": [{"id": 799071888, "item_id": 49941993, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49941993", "by": "jackjeff", "date": "2026-10-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I rely on devcontainers because editors like vscode, zed, etc\u2026 provide native support.", "excerpt": "I do the same but I rely on devcontainers because editors like vscode, zed, etc\u2026 provide native support. It seems easier to use than asb. If you open a project using a devcontainer it prompts you to build one. As long as you install all the tools you need in it, it just works. Orbstack is much nicer than Docker to host the containers.", "context": "", "use_case": "sandboxing dev environments", "switched_from": "", "story": "Updates to Full Disk Access in macOS"}, {"id": 782342464, "item_id": 48896404, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48896404", "by": "arvyy", "date": "2026-07-13", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I quite like the approach in part because it 2-for-1 also gives benefit of easy to setup coding env", "excerpt": "I used opportunity to learn about devcontainers. I've only recently started using llms and it's possible I'll change my mind later; but so far I quite like the approach in part because it 2-for-1 also gives benefit of easy to setup coding env for people who don't care about ai.", "context": "recently started using LLMs", "use_case": "sandboxed coding environment", "switched_from": "", "story": "Grok uploaded my user directory to xAI's servers"}, {"id": 761781456, "item_id": 47611341, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47611341", "by": "Antitoxic6185", "date": "2026-04-02", "stance": "compare", "quote": "Why not just devcontainers? I know its a PITA to setup on podman.", "excerpt": "so... devcontainers but in a different way? Why not just devcontainers? I know its a PITA to setup on podman.", "context": "", "use_case": "containerized dev environment", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What dev tools do you rely on that nobody talks about?"}, {"id": 757244704, "item_id": 47327794, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47327794", "by": "simlevesque", "date": "2026-03-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use devcontainers in all the projects I use claude code on.", "excerpt": "I use devcontainers in all the projects I use claude code on. [1] With it you can have claude running inside a container with just the project's code in write access and also mount a test folder with just read permissions, or do the opposite. You can even have both devcontainers and run them at the same time. [1] https://code.claude.com/docs/en/devcontainer", "context": "", "use_case": "sandboxing Claude Code", "switched_from": "", "story": "You hired the AI to write the tests. Of course they pass"}, {"id": 756348961, "item_id": 47271810, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47271810", "by": "dngray", "date": "2026-03-05", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I used the isolandoftex docker image and set it up with DevContainers in vscode", "excerpt": "The last time I did this I used the isolandoftex docker image and set it up with DevContainers in vscode https://eccentric.dk/2025/08/25/using-texlive-with-dev-containers-in-vscode/", "context": "", "use_case": "TeX Live environment", "switched_from": "", "story": "TeX Live 2026 is available for download now"}, {"id": 755844304, "item_id": 47240269, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47240269", "by": "simlevesque", "date": "2026-03-03", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The first thing I recommend everyone using is devcontainers", "excerpt": "The first thing I recommend everyone using is devcontainers [1]. They're very simple to setup and make using LLMs a lot more secure. [1] https://code.claude.com/docs/en/devcontainer", "context": "", "use_case": "sandboxing LLM coding tools", "switched_from": "", "story": "Claude Code escapes its own denylist and sandbox"}, {"id": 747098576, "item_id": 46693661, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46693661", "by": "odie5533", "date": "2026-01-20", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Development containers (dev-containers) as demonstrated by Claude Code's docs", "excerpt": "I use Development containers (dev-containers) as demonstrated by Claude Code's docs https://code.claude.com/docs/en/devcontainer It all integrates nicely with VS Code. It has a firewall script and you spin up your database within the docker compose file so it has full access to a postgres instance. I can share my full setup if anyone needs it.", "context": "", "use_case": "sandboxing Claude Code", "switched_from": "", "story": "Running Claude Code dangerously (safely)"}]}