Containers in Visual Studio Code

TheContainer Tools extension makes it easy to build, manage, and deploy containerized applications in Visual Studio Code.

This page provides an overview of the Container Tools extension capabilities; use the side menu to learn more about topics of interest. If you are just getting started with container development, try theDocker tutorial first to understand key Docker concepts.

Installation

Install Docker on your machine and add it to the system path.

On Linux, you should alsoenable Docker CLI for the non-root user account that will be used to run VS Code.

To install the extension, open the Extensions view (⇧⌘X (Windows, LinuxCtrl+Shift+X)), search forcontainer tools to filter results and select the Container Tools extension authored by Microsoft.

Editing Docker files

You can getIntelliSense by clicking⌃Space (Windows, LinuxCtrl+Space) when editing yourDockerfile anddocker-compose.yml files, with completions and syntax help for common commands.

In addition, you can use the Problems panel (⇧⌘M (Windows, LinuxCtrl+Shift+M)) to view common errors forDockerfile anddocker-compose.yml files.

Generating Docker files

You can add Docker files to your workspace by opening the Command Palette (⇧⌘P (Windows, LinuxCtrl+Shift+P)) and usingContainers: Add Docker Files to Workspace command. The command will generateDockerfile and.dockerignore files and add them to your workspace. The command will also ask you if you want to add Docker Compose files as well, but this is optional.

The extension can scaffold Docker files for most popular development languages (C#, Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go, and Java) and customizes the generated Docker files accordingly. When these files are created, we also create the necessary artifacts to provide debugging support for Node.js, Python, and .NET (C#).

Container Explorer

The Container Tools extension contributes a Container Explorer view to VS Code. The Container Explorer lets you examine and manage container assets: containers, images, volumes, networks, and container registries. If you are signed in to your Microsoft account and it has access to Azure subscriptions, you can browse your Azure Container Registries as well.

The right-click menu provides access to commonly used commands for each type of asset.

You can rearrange the Container Explorer panes by dragging them up or down with a mouse and use the context menu to hide or show them.

Container commands

Many of the most common container-related commands are built right into the Command Palette:

You can run commands to manageimages,networks,volumes,image registries, andDocker Compose. In addition, theContainers: Prune System command will remove stopped containers, dangling images, and unused networks and volumes.

Docker Compose

Docker Compose lets you define and run multi-container applications with Docker. OurCompose Language Service in the Container Tools extension gives you IntelliSense and tab completions when authoringdocker-compose.yml files. Press⌃Space (Windows, LinuxCtrl+Space) to see a list of valid Compose directives.

We also provide tooltips when you hover over a Docker Compose YAML attribute.

WhileCompose Up allows you to run all of your services at once, our new featureCompose Up - Select Services lets you select any combination of the services you want to run.

Once yourCompose Up command completes, navigate to the Container Explorer to view your services as a Compose Group. This allows you to start, stop, and view the logs of each service as a group.

Using image registries

You can display the content and push, pull, or delete images fromAzure Container Registry,Docker Hub,GitHub, and more:

An image in an Azure Container Registry can be deployed to Azure App Service or Azure Container Apps directly from VS Code. SeeDeploy to Azure to get started. For more information about how to authenticate to and work with registries, seeUsing container registries.

Debugging services running inside a container

You can debug services built using .NET (C#) and Node.js that are running inside a container. The extension offers custom tasks that help with launching a service under the debugger and with attaching the debugger to a running service instance. For more information, seeDebug containerized apps andCustomize the Container Tools extension.

Azure CLI integration

You can start Azure CLI (command-line interface) in a standalone, Linux-based container withContainer Images: Run Azure CLI command. This gives you access to the full Azure CLI command set in an isolated environment. For more information on available commands, seeGet started with Azure CLI.

Next steps

Read on to learn more about

• Choosing your development environment
• Build and run a Node.js app in a container
• Build and run a .NET app in a container
• Debug apps within Docker containers
• Docker application development
• Troubleshooting