VS Code Remote Container¶

VS Code Remote Containers is a quick way to get started with internal Mesop development if you have VS Code and Docker Desktop installed.

This approach will create a fully configured workspace, saving you time from debugging installation issues and allowing you to start development right away.

Pre-requistes: Install VS Code and Docker¶

In order to use VS Code remote containers, you will need VS Code installed. You will also need Docker Desktop (which will install Docker Engine and Docker Compose) to run the remote containers.

Fork and Clone the Mesop repository¶

It is not recommended to develop locally and on remote containers using the same folder since this may cause unexpected conflicts. Instead you should clone the repository in a separate directory.

You can follow the instructions here on how to fork and clone a Github repository.

The VS Code Dev Containers extension provides a few ways to share your local Git credentials with your remote container.

If you cloned the Mesop repo using HTTPS, you can use a Github CLI or Git Credential Manager.

If you used SSH, then your local ssh agent will automatically be forwarded into your remote container. All you need do is run the ssh-add command to add the ssh key you've configured for GitHub access.

See the Sharing Git credentials with your container page for full details.

Open folder in container¶

Open VS Code, press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P, and select the Dev Containers: Open Folder in Container... option. This will create a new workspace inside a remote container.

VS Code open folder in container

Wait for postCreateCommand to run¶

The workspace will not be usable until the postCreateCommand has completed.

Post Create Command

Run Mesop for development¶

Once the postCreateCommand has finished, you can now start Mesop in the terminal.

./scripts/cli.sh

You will see some warning messages, but it is OK to ignore them.

You should see this message once the Mesop server is ready.

Server started

View Mesop demos¶

Once ./scripts/cli.sh has started the Mesop dev server, you can view the demos at http://localhost:32123.