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DevContainers for MacOS

Prerequisites

  • Install VSCode and Extension

To install VSCode, refer to instruction at code.visualstudio.com or your organization administrators.

To install the extension, refer to instructions for the Dev Containers extension.

  • Install Finch

To install Finch, refer to Managing Finch:macOS Installation.

  • Initiate a Finch Virtual Machine (vm)

    finch vm init

  • Modify your ~/.finch/finch.yaml to add the following configuration option. Refer to Configuration Reference for more information.

    dockercompat: true

Configure VSCode DevContainer Extension Settings

Open the extension settings by navigating within the setting window or using the command palette and typing "Dev Containers: Settings"

  • Configure the "Docker Compose Path" to: <path>/<to>/finch compose

  • Disable "Docker Credential Helper"

  • Configure the "Docker Path" to: <path>/<to>/finch

Working with Docker Compose Projects in Dev Containers:

When using docker compose, set the DOCKER_COMPOSE_VERSION to a value > 2.9.0. - Set the system environment variable within .zshrc and source .zshrc

  • Use export DOCKER_COMPOSE_VERSION=x.x.x for the current session

⚠️ Note: Finch only supports dash (-) as the project name separator. However, Dev Container tooling relies on the separator determined by docker compose version. If the version is below 2.9.0, it defaults to using underscores (_), causing name mismatches and container startup failures. To ensure compatibility, set the DOCKER_COMPOSE_VERSION to >= 2.9.0.