Context

Before opening the dev container spec, we hosted a set of dev container Templates that each included a Dockerfile and devcontainer.json. Once we opened up the spec, we moved a set of Templates to this repo, and we made some changes, including having each Template only include a devcontainer.json in the .devcontainer folder (example).

Our goal was to make things simpler: you don't need to be a Dockerfile expert to use dev containers, and dev containers can be as simple as just a devcontainer.json referencing an image. The spec also still supports using a Dockerfile, so this change didn't break existing setups using a Dockerfile.

Problem

We've started seeing feedback (example) that the lack of Dockerfile (in this repo, or when running "Add Dev Container Configuration Files" in a supporting tool like VS Code or GitHub Codespaces) is confusing, with questions such as:

• Are Dockerfiles supported by the dev container spec?
• Has something changed (since the previous Templates had them)?
• How do I add a Dockerfile?

Potential solutions

We added a comment in the Templates to try to help clarify: / Or use a Dockerfile or Docker Compose file. More info: https://containers.dev/guide/dockerfile. But, we'd like to discuss making this an even clearer / easier process.

There are a few ways to address this, including:

• Add Dockerfiles back to Templates in this repo
• Add an option to "Add Dockerfile" in the "Add Dev Container Configuration Files" command flow in supporting tools
  • Could be a new step in the series of quick picks, or a checkbox in an existing step

Next steps

Share this issue with the community, including existing issues and our dev container community Slack channel, to get broader feedback.