Dev Container Templates

RAPID provides pre-configured dev container templates optimized for AI-assisted development. Each template includes the tools, extensions, and configuration needed for a productive RAPID workflow.

Available Templates

Template	Languages/Tools	Use Case
typescript	TypeScript, JavaScript, Node.js	Web apps, APIs, CLI tools
python	Python 3.11+	AI/ML, APIs, scripting
go	Go 1.22+	Cloud native, CLI, systems
rust	Rust	Systems programming, CLI, WebAssembly
infrastructure	Terraform, Kubernetes, Helm	IaC, DevOps, platform engineering
universal	Multiple	Polyglot projects, experimentation

Quick Start

# Initialize with a specific template
rapid init --template typescript

# Or copy template manually
cp -r templates/typescript/.devcontainer .devcontainer

Template Features

All RAPID templates include:

AI Tool Support - Pre-installed Node.js/Python for AI CLI tools
direnv Integration - Automatic secret loading
Git Configuration - Proper line endings, credentials
Shell Enhancements - Starship prompt, useful aliases
RAPID Lifecycle Hooks - Integration with rapid start

typescript

Full-stack TypeScript/JavaScript development with Node.js.

Included

Node.js 20 LTS
pnpm, yarn, npm
TypeScript, ts-node
ESLint, Prettier
Common VS Code extensions

Usage

rapid init --template typescript

devcontainer.json

{
  "name": "RAPID TypeScript",
  "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/typescript-node:20",
  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/node:1": { "version": "20" },
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/git:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/direnv:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/starship:1": {}
  },
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": [
        "dbaeumer.vscode-eslint",
        "esbenp.prettier-vscode",
        "bradlc.vscode-tailwindcss"
      ]
    }
  },
  "postCreateCommand": "npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code opencode",
  "postStartCommand": "direnv allow 2>/dev/null || true"
}

python

Python development for AI/ML, APIs, and scripting.

Included

Python 3.11
pip, pipx, poetry, uv
pylint, black, ruff
Jupyter support
Common VS Code extensions

Usage

rapid init --template python

devcontainer.json

{
  "name": "RAPID Python",
  "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/python:3.11",
  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/node:1": { "version": "20" },
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/git:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/direnv:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/poetry:2": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/starship:1": {}
  },
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": [
        "ms-python.python",
        "ms-python.vscode-pylance",
        "charliermarsh.ruff",
        "ms-toolsai.jupyter"
      ]
    }
  },
  "postCreateCommand": "npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code opencode && pip install aider-chat",
  "postStartCommand": "direnv allow 2>/dev/null || true"
}

go

Go development for cloud-native applications, CLIs, and systems.

Included

Go 1.21
gopls, golangci-lint
Air (hot reload)
Common VS Code extensions

Usage

rapid init --template go

devcontainer.json

{
  "name": "RAPID Go",
  "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/go:1.21",
  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/node:1": { "version": "20" },
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/git:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/direnv:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/starship:1": {}
  },
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": ["golang.go", "zxh404.vscode-proto3"]
    }
  },
  "postCreateCommand": "npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code opencode && go install github.com/cosmtrek/air@latest",
  "postStartCommand": "direnv allow 2>/dev/null || true"
}

infrastructure

Infrastructure-as-Code development with Terraform, Kubernetes, and cloud providers.

Included

Terraform, tflint, terragrunt
kubectl, Helm
AWS CLI, Azure CLI
Docker-in-Docker
checkov (security scanning)
Common VS Code extensions

Usage

rapid init --template infrastructure

devcontainer.json

{
  "name": "RAPID Infrastructure",
  "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/base:ubuntu",
  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/node:1": { "version": "20" },
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/terraform:1": {
      "version": "latest",
      "tflint": "latest",
      "terragrunt": "latest"
    },
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/kubectl-helm-minikube:1": {
      "version": "latest",
      "helm": "latest"
    },
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/aws-cli:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/azure-cli:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/docker-in-docker:2": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/direnv:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/starship:1": {}
  },
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": [
        "hashicorp.terraform",
        "ms-kubernetes-tools.vscode-kubernetes-tools",
        "redhat.vscode-yaml",
        "tim-koehler.helm-intellisense"
      ]
    }
  },
  "mounts": [
    "source=${localEnv:HOME}/.kube,target=/home/vscode/.kube,type=bind",
    "source=${localEnv:HOME}/.aws,target=/home/vscode/.aws,type=bind"
  ],
  "postCreateCommand": "npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code opencode && pip install checkov pre-commit",
  "postStartCommand": "direnv allow 2>/dev/null || true"
}

Cloud Credentials

The infrastructure template mounts your local cloud credentials:

~/.kube/config - Kubernetes configuration
~/.aws/credentials - AWS credentials

For secure credential management, use .envrc with 1Password:

export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=$(op read "op://Development/AWS/access-key-id")
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=$(op read "op://Development/AWS/secret-access-key")

rust

Rust development for systems programming, CLI tools, and WebAssembly.

Included

Rust (stable)
cargo, rustfmt, clippy
rust-analyzer
WASM toolchain (optional)

Usage

rapid init --template rust

devcontainer.json

{
  "name": "RAPID Rust",
  "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/rust:latest",
  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/node:1": { "version": "20" },
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/git:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/direnv:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/starship:1": {}
  },
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": ["rust-lang.rust-analyzer", "tamasfe.even-better-toml", "serayuzgur.crates"]
    }
  },
  "postCreateCommand": "npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code opencode",
  "postStartCommand": "direnv allow 2>/dev/null || true"
}

universal

Multi-language template for polyglot projects or experimentation.

Included

Node.js 20
Python 3.11
Go 1.21
Rust
Common tools for all languages

Usage

rapid init --template universal

devcontainer.json

{
  "name": "RAPID Universal",
  "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/base:ubuntu",
  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/node:1": { "version": "20" },
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/python:1": { "version": "3.11" },
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/go:1": { "version": "1.21" },
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/rust:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/git:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/direnv:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/starship:1": {}
  },
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": [
        "dbaeumer.vscode-eslint",
        "ms-python.python",
        "golang.go",
        "rust-lang.rust-analyzer"
      ]
    }
  },
  "postCreateCommand": "npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code opencode && pip install aider-chat",
  "postStartCommand": "direnv allow 2>/dev/null || true"
}

Common Features

All templates include these dev container features:

Feature	Purpose
`node:1`	Required for AI CLI tools (Claude, OpenCode)
`git:1`	Git with credential helpers
`direnv:1`	Automatic `.envrc` loading
`starship:1`	Modern shell prompt

Customizing Templates

Adding Features

Add more features to your devcontainer.json:

{
  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/docker-in-docker:2": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/kubectl-helm-minikube:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/aws-cli:1": {}
  }
}

Adding Extensions

Add VS Code extensions:

{
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": ["github.copilot", "eamodio.gitlens"]
    }
  }
}

RAPID Lifecycle Integration

Templates use lifecycle hooks for RAPID integration:

{
  "initializeCommand": "rapid hooks initialize 2>/dev/null || true",
  "postCreateCommand": "rapid hooks postCreate 2>/dev/null || npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code opencode",
  "postStartCommand": "rapid hooks postStart 2>/dev/null || direnv allow"
}

Creating Custom Templates

Start from an existing template
Modify devcontainer.json as needed
Add a Dockerfile if you need custom base image
Test with rapid start --rebuild

Template Structure

templates/my-template/
├── .devcontainer/
│   ├── devcontainer.json
│   └── Dockerfile (optional)
├── rapid.json (template defaults)
├── AGENTS.md (template)
└── README.md

Troubleshooting

Container build fails

# Rebuild without cache
rapid start --rebuild --no-cache

Features not installing

Check feature availability at containers.dev/features.

Extensions not loading

Ensure extension IDs are correct (check VS Code marketplace).

AI tools not found

# Reinstall AI tools
rapid start --reinstall-tools