Java/Spring Dev Container Template

This repository provides a lean dev container template for Java and Spring Boot projects.

It includes:

• a dev container based on Liberica OpenJDK 25
• a practical set of VS Code extensions for Java, Spring, YAML, and REST requests
• a persistent Maven cache backed by a Docker volume
• a lightweight container setup without a globally installed Maven

Requirements

• VS Code
• the Dev Containers extension
• a running Docker-compatible engine such as Docker Desktop or OrbStack

Usage

There are two intended ways to use this setup.

1. Copy .devcontainer into an existing Java/Spring project

Copy the .devcontainer folder from this repository into the root directory of your existing project.

Example:

my-spring-project/
  .devcontainer/
    devcontainer.json
    Dockerfile
  mvnw
  pom.xml
  src/

After that:

1. Open the project folder in VS Code.
2. If needed, reload or restart VS Code.
3. Confirm the Reopen in Container prompt or run Dev Containers: Reopen in Container.
4. VS Code builds the image and starts the development container.

During the first start, the postCreateCommand is executed. If an mvnw file exists, it is made executable and verified.

2. Use this repository as a template

If you want to start new projects with the same baseline setup, you can use this repository as a template repository.

Typical flow:

1. Select Use this template on GitHub.
2. Create a new repository from this template.
3. Add your project code to the new repository.
4. Open the generated repository in VS Code.
5. Start the container via Reopen in Container.

This is useful if you want the same starting point for every new Java/Spring project.

What happens on startup

When you open the project folder in VS Code and start the dev container, the following happens:

1. VS Code detects .devcontainer/devcontainer.json.
2. The image is built from .devcontainer/Dockerfile.
3. The project folder is mounted into the container under /workspaces/<project-name>.
4. The Docker volume maven-cache is mounted to /home/vscode/.m2.
5. The configured extensions are installed inside the container.
6. The VS Code settings from devcontainer.json are applied for the container session.

Notes

• Maven is not installed globally inside the container. Projects are expected to use the Maven Wrapper (mvnw).
• After changing Dockerfile or devcontainer.json, run Dev Containers: Rebuild Container.
• The maven-cache volume is created only when the container is built or started for the first time.

Files

• .devcontainer/devcontainer.json: VS Code and container configuration
• .devcontainer/Dockerfile: base image and required tools inside the container