devcontainer-cli

The reference devcontainer CLI (@devcontainers/cli), installed globally with npm.

Installs the reference devcontainer CLI (devcontainer) as a global npm package. It is the tool that reads a repository’s devcontainer.json, builds the image (Features included), and runs the file’s lifecycle commands.

You rarely declare this recipe yourself: setting sources[].devcontainer.enabled on a workstation implies both this devtool and docker. Declare it explicitly only to pin its version:

devtools:
  - name: devcontainer-cli
    version: "0.80.0"

Version behavior

versionResult
omittedthe latest published release
0.80.0that exact npm version

Node.js

The recipe needs npm. If nodejs is declared first, that Node is used; otherwise the recipe installs the distribution’s Node.js and npm.

Notes

  • The engine is a separate concern: this recipe installs the CLI only, and docker provides what it drives. A devcontainer declaration implies both.
  • Works on Debian, Ubuntu, and Alpine.