Dev Container with Claude Code

Unified Development Environments With Dev Containers

Dev Containers are container-based development environments you can use with VS Code and GitHub Codespaces. By simply defining a .devcontainer directory, every member of your team can stand up the same dev environment instantly. Claude Code can help generate and optimize these configuration files accurately.

Basic Dev Container Configuration

Ask Claude Code to generate the configuration file.

> Create a Dev Container configuration for a TypeScript + Next.js project.
> Include PostgreSQL, Redis, recommended extensions, and Git settings.

// .devcontainer/devcontainer.json
{
  "name": "Next.js Development",
  "dockerComposeFile": "docker-compose.yml",
  "service": "app",
  "workspaceFolder": "/workspace",

  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/node:1": {
      "version": "20"
    },
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/git:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/github-cli:1": {}
  },

  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": [
        "dbaeumer.vscode-eslint",
        "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
        "bradlc.vscode-tailwindcss",
        "prisma.prisma",
        "ms-azuretools.vscode-docker",
        "eamodio.gitlens",
        "usernamehw.errorlens",
        "formulahendry.auto-rename-tag"
      ],
      "settings": {
        "editor.defaultFormatter": "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
        "editor.formatOnSave": true,
        "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
          "source.fixAll.eslint": "explicit"
        },
        "typescript.preferences.importModuleSpecifier": "non-relative",
        "typescript.updateImportsOnFileMove.enabled": "always"
      }
    }
  },

  "forwardPorts": [3000, 5432, 6379],
  "portsAttributes": {
    "3000": { "label": "Next.js App", "onAutoForward": "openBrowser" },
    "5432": { "label": "PostgreSQL" },
    "6379": { "label": "Redis" }
  },

  "postCreateCommand": "npm install && npx prisma generate",
  "postStartCommand": "npx prisma migrate dev --skip-seed",

  "remoteUser": "node"
}

Docker Compose Integration

Using Docker Compose with a Dev Container.

# .devcontainer/docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9"

services:
  app:
    build:
      context: ..
      dockerfile: .devcontainer/Dockerfile
    volumes:
      - ..:/workspace:cached
      - node_modules:/workspace/node_modules
    command: sleep infinity
    environment:
      - DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:password@db:5432/myapp
      - REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379
      - NODE_ENV=development

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: postgres
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: password
      POSTGRES_DB: myapp
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - redis_data:/data

volumes:
  node_modules:
  postgres_data:
  redis_data:

# .devcontainer/Dockerfile
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/typescript-node:20

# Install additional tools
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    postgresql-client \
    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

# Global packages
RUN npm install -g prisma @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Lifecycle Scripts

You can wire scripts into the Dev Container lifecycle.

{
  "initializeCommand": "echo 'Initializing Dev Container...'",
  "onCreateCommand": {
    "install": "npm install",
    "prisma": "npx prisma generate",
    "husky": "npx husky install"
  },
  "updateContentCommand": "npm install",
  "postCreateCommand": {
    "migrate": "npx prisma migrate dev",
    "seed": "npx prisma db seed"
  },
  "postStartCommand": "npm run dev",
  "postAttachCommand": "echo 'Connected to Dev Container'"
}

Performance Optimization

Settings that improve Dev Container performance.

{
  "mounts": [
    {
      "source": "devcontainer-node-modules-${devcontainerId}",
      "target": "/workspace/node_modules",
      "type": "volume"
    },
    {
      "source": "devcontainer-next-cache-${devcontainerId}",
      "target": "/workspace/.next",
      "type": "volume"
    }
  ],

  "hostRequirements": {
    "cpus": 4,
    "memory": "8gb",
    "storage": "32gb"
  }
}

GitHub Codespaces Support

Extend the config so it also works on GitHub Codespaces.

{
  "hostRequirements": {
    "cpus": 4,
    "memory": "8gb"
  },

  "secrets": {
    "GITHUB_TOKEN": {
      "description": "GitHub API token for authentication"
    },
    "DATABASE_URL": {
      "description": "PostgreSQL connection string"
    }
  },

  "customizations": {
    "codespaces": {
      "openFiles": ["README.md", "src/app/page.tsx"]
    }
  }
}

Team Workflows

Best practices when sharing Dev Container configuration across a team.

// Add to .devcontainer/devcontainer.json
{
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "settings": {
        // Unified team settings
        "files.eol": "\n",
        "files.trimTrailingWhitespace": true,
        "files.insertFinalNewline": true,
        "editor.tabSize": 2,
        "editor.insertSpaces": true,

        // TypeScript settings
        "typescript.tsdk": "node_modules/typescript/lib",
        "typescript.enablePromptUseWorkspaceTsdk": true
      }
    }
  }
}

Summary

Dev Containers eliminate the “but it works on my machine” problem at its root. With Claude Code, you can efficiently build everything from Dockerfile to Docker Compose integration, VS Code settings, and performance optimization, all in one coherent effort.

For more on Docker Compose, see building a Docker Compose dev environment. For CI/CD integration, see the CI/CD setup guide. You should also check the official Dev Container specification.