The reference devcontainer setup and associated Dockerfile offer a preconfigured development container that you can use as is, or customize for your needs. This devcontainer works with the Visual Studio Code Dev Containers extension and similar tools. The container’s enhanced security measures (isolation and firewall rules) allow you to run claude --dangerously-skip-permissions to bypass permission prompts for unattended operation.
Key features
- Production-ready Node.js: Built on Node.js 20 with essential development dependencies
- Security by design: Custom …
The reference devcontainer setup and associated Dockerfile offer a preconfigured development container that you can use as is, or customize for your needs. This devcontainer works with the Visual Studio Code Dev Containers extension and similar tools. The container’s enhanced security measures (isolation and firewall rules) allow you to run claude --dangerously-skip-permissions to bypass permission prompts for unattended operation.
Key features
- Production-ready Node.js: Built on Node.js 20 with essential development dependencies
- Security by design: Custom firewall restricting network access to only necessary services
- Developer-friendly tools: Includes git, ZSH with productivity enhancements, fzf, and more
- Seamless VS Code integration: Pre-configured extensions and optimized settings
- Session persistence: Preserves command history and configurations between container restarts
- Works everywhere: Compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux development environments
Getting started in 4 steps
- Install VS Code and the Remote - Containers extension
- Clone the Claude Code reference implementation repository
- Open the repository in VS Code
- When prompted, click “Reopen in Container” (or use Command Palette: Cmd+Shift+P → “Remote-Containers: Reopen in Container”)
Configuration breakdown
The devcontainer setup consists of three primary components:
- devcontainer.json: Controls container settings, extensions, and volume mounts
- Dockerfile: Defines the container image and installed tools
- init-firewall.sh: Establishes network security rules
Security features
The container implements a multi-layered security approach with its firewall configuration:
- Precise access control: Restricts outbound connections to whitelisted domains only (npm registry, GitHub, Claude API, etc.)
- Allowed outbound connections: The firewall permits outbound DNS and SSH connections
- Default-deny policy: Blocks all other external network access
- Startup verification: Validates firewall rules when the container initializes
- Isolation: Creates a secure development environment separated from your main system
Customization options
The devcontainer configuration is designed to be adaptable to your needs:
- Add or remove VS Code extensions based on your workflow
- Modify resource allocations for different hardware environments
- Adjust network access permissions
- Customize shell configurations and developer tooling
Example use cases
Secure client work
Use devcontainers to isolate different client projects, ensuring code and credentials never mix between environments.
Team onboarding
New team members can get a fully configured development environment in minutes, with all necessary tools and settings pre-installed.
Consistent CI/CD environments
Mirror your devcontainer configuration in CI/CD pipelines to ensure development and production environments match.