docs/content/github/developing-online-with-codespaces/configuring-codespaces-for-your-project.md

title, intro, product, permissions, redirect_from, versions

title	intro	product	permissions	redirect_from	versions
Configuring Codespaces for your project	You can set up a default configuration for every new codespace for your repository to ensure that contributors have all the tools and settings they need in their online development environment.	{% data reusables.gated-features.codespaces %}	People with write permissions to a repository can create or edit the default codespace configuration.	/github/developing-online-with-github-codespaces/configuring-github-codespaces-for-your-project	free-pro-team *

{% data reusables.codespaces.release-stage %}

About default codespace configurations

{% data reusables.codespaces.about-configuration %}

If you don't define a configuration in your repository, {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} creates a codespace with a base Linux image. The base Linux image includes tools for Node.js, JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, C++, Java, C#, .NET Core, PHP, and PowerShell. For more information about the base Linux image, see the microsoft/vscode-dev-containers repository.

{% data reusables.codespaces.about-personalization %} {% data reusables.codespaces.codespace-config-order %} For more information, see "Personalizing {% data variables.product.prodname_codespaces %} for your account."

You can create a default codespace configuration using a pre-built container configuration for your project type, or you can create a custom configuration specific to your project's needs.

{% data variables.product.prodname_codespaces %} uses settings contained in a configuration file named devcontainer.json. {% data reusables.codespaces.devcontainer-location %}

You can use your devcontainer.json to set default settings for the entire codespace environment, including the {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %} editor, but you can also set editor-specific settings in a file named .vscode/settings.json.

Changes to a repository's codespace configuration apply only to every new codespace and do not affect any existing codespace.

Using a pre-built container configuration

You can use any pre-built container configuration for {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %} that is available in the vscode-dev-containers repository. Pre-built container definitions include a common configuration for a particular project type, and can help you quickly get started with a configuration that already has the appropriate container options, {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %} settings, and {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %} extensions that should be installed.

1. Clone or download the vscode-dev-containers repository.
2. In the vscode-dev-containers repository, navigate to the containers folder, then choose a container configuration for your project's needs. We'll use the Node.js & JavaScript container configuration as an example.
3. From the Node.js & JavaScript folder, copy the .devcontainer folder to the root of your project's repository.
4. Commit and push the new configuration to your project's repository on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %}.

Each new codespace created from a branch which contains the .devcontainer folder will be configured according to the folder's contents. For more information, see "Creating a codespace."

Creating a custom codespace configuration

If none of the pre-built configurations meet your needs, you can create a custom configuration by adding a devcontainer.json file. {% data reusables.codespaces.devcontainer-location %}

In the file, you can use supported configuration keys to specify aspects of the codespace's environment, like which {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %} extensions will be installed.

{% data reusables.codespaces.vscode-settings-order %}

You can define default editor settings for {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %} in two places.

• Editor settings defined in .vscode/settings.json are applied as Workspace-scoped settings in the codespace.
• Editor settings defined in the settings key in devcontainer.json are applied as Remote [Codespaces]-scoped settings in the codespace.

Supported codespace configuration keys

You can use configuration keys supported by {% data variables.product.prodname_codespaces %} in devcontainer.json.

General settings

• name
• settings
• extensions
• forwardPorts
• devPort
• postCreateCommand

Docker, Dockerfile, or image settings

• image
• dockerFile
• context
• containerEnv
• remoteEnv
• containerUser
• remoteUser
• updateRemoteUserUID
• mounts
• workspaceMount
• workspaceFolder
• runArgs
• overrideCommand
• shutdownAction
• dockerComposeFile

For more information about the available settings for devcontainer.json, see devcontainer.json reference in the {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %} documentation.