Setting up a Node.js project for GitHub Codespaces

Introduction

This guide shows you how to set up an example Node.js project en Codespaces mediante la aplicación de escritorio Visual Studio Code o el cliente web VS Code. Te mostrará un ejemplo de cómo abrir tu proyecto en un codespace y cómo agregar y modificar una configuración de contenedor de dev predeterminada.

Step 1: Open the project in a codespace

1. Go to https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-remote-try-node.

2. Click Use this template, then click Open in a codespace.

   

When you create a codespace, your project is created on a remote virtual machine that is dedicated to you. By default, the container for your codespace has many languages and runtimes including Node.js, JavaScript, and Typescript. It also includes a common set of tools, such as nvm, npm, yarn, git, wget, rsync, openssh, and nano.

Puede personalizar el codespace si ajusta la cantidad de vCPU y RAM, agrega dotfiles para personalizar el entorno o modifica las herramientas y los scripts instalados.

Codespaces usa un archivo llamado devcontainer.json para configurar el contenedor de desarrollo que se usa al trabajar en un codespace. Cada repositorio puede contener uno o varios archivos devcontainer.json, para proporcionarte exactamente el entorno de desarrollo que necesitas para trabajar en el código de un codespace.

Al iniciarse, Codespaces utiliza un archivo devcontainer.json, y cualquier archivo dependiente que forme parte de la configuración del contenedor de desarrollo, para instalar herramientas y entornos de ejecución y realizar otras tareas de configuración que requiera el proyecto. Para obtener más información, consulte "Introducción a los contenedores de desarrollo".

Step 2: Add a dev container configuration

The default development container, or "dev container," for GitHub Codespaces will allow you to work successfully on a Node.js project like vscode-remote-try-node. However, we recommend that you configure your own dev container to include all of the tools and scripts your project needs. This will ensure a fully reproducible environment for all GitHub Codespaces users in your repository.

Para configurar el repositorio a fin de usar un contenedor de desarrollo personalizado, deberás crear uno o varios archivos devcontainer.json. Puedes agregarlos desde una plantilla de configuración predefinida, en Visual Studio Code, o bien puedes escribir los tuyos propios. Para obtener más información sobre las configuraciones de los contenedores de desarrollo, consulta "Introducción a los contenedores de desarrollo".

1. Accede a Visual Studio Code Command Palette (Mayús+Comando+P (Mac) / Ctrl+Mayús+P (Windows/Linux)) y, luego, empieza a escribir "dev container". Seleccione Codespaces: Agregar archivos de configuración de contenedor de desarrollo... .

   

2. Type node and click Node.js & JavaScript. Other options are available if your project uses particular tools. For example, Node and MongoDB.

   

3. Click the latest version of Node.js.

   

4. A list of additional features is displayed. We'll install JSHint, a code quality tool for detecting errors in JavaScript code. To install this tool, type js, select JSHint (via npm), then click OK.

   

5. A message is displayed telling you that the dev container configuration file already exists. Click Overwrite.

   A devcontainer.json file is created and is opened in the editor.

Details of your custom dev container configuration

If you look in the Visual Studio Code Explorer you'll see that a .devcontainer directory has been added to the root of your project's repository containing the devcontainer.json file. This is the main configuration file for codespaces created from this repository.

devcontainer.json

The devcontainer.json file that you have added will contain values for the name, image, and features properties. Some additional properties that you may find useful are included but are commented out.

The file will look similar to this, depending on which image you chose:

// For format details, see https://aka.ms/devcontainer.json. For config options, see the
// README at: https://github.com/devcontainers/templates/tree/main/src/javascript-node
{
  "name": "Node.js",
  // Or use a Dockerfile or Docker Compose file. More info: https://containers.dev/guide/dockerfile
  "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/javascript-node:0-18-bullseye",
  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/jshint:2": {}
  }

  // Features to add to the dev container. More info: https://containers.dev/features.
  // "features": {},

  // Use 'forwardPorts' to make a list of ports inside the container available locally.
  // "forwardPorts": [],

  // Use 'postCreateCommand' to run commands after the container is created.
  // "postCreateCommand": "yarn install",

  // Configure tool-specific properties.
  // "customizations": {},

  // Uncomment to connect as root instead. More info: https://aka.ms/dev-containers-non-root.
  // "remoteUser": "root"
}

• name: You can name your dev container anything you want. A default value is supplied.
• image: The name of an image in a container registry (DockerHub, GitHub Container registry, or Azure Container Registry) that will be used to create the dev container for the codespace.
• features: A list of one or more objects, each of which references one of the available dev container features. Features are self-contained, shareable units of installation code and development container configuration. They provide an easy way to add more tooling, runtime, or library features to your development container. For more information, see "Available Dev Container Features" on the Development Containers website. You can add features by going to the VS Code Command Palette and typing features.
• forwardPorts: Any ports listed here will be forwarded automatically. For more information, see "Forwarding ports in your codespace."
• postCreateCommand: Use this property to run commands after your codespace is created.
• customizations: This property allows you to customize a specific tool or service when it is used for working in a codespace. For example, you can configure specific settings and extensions for VS Code. For more information, see "Supporting tools and services" on the Development Containers website.
• remoteUser: By default, you’re running as the vscode user, but you can optionally set this to root. For a complete list of available properties, see the dev containers specification on the Development Containers website.

Additional dev container configuration files

If you are familiar with Docker, you may want to use a Dockerfile, or Docker Compose, to configure your codespace environment, in addition to the devcontainer.json file. You can do this by adding your Dockerfile or docker-compose.yml files alongside the devcontainer.json file. For more information, see "Using Images, Dockerfiles, and Docker Compose" on the Development Containers website.

Step 3: Modify your devcontainer.json file

With your dev container configuration added and a basic understanding of what everything does, you can now make changes to customize your environment further. In this example, you'll add properties that will:

• Run npm install, after the dev container is created, to install the dependencies listed in the package.json file.
• Automatically install a VS Code extension in this codespace.

1. In the devcontainer.json file, add a comma after the features property, and delete the two commented out lines about features.

   JSON

     "features": {
       "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/jshint:2": {}
     },
   
     // Features to add to the dev container. More info: https://containers.dev/features.
     // "features": {},

2. Uncomment the postCreateCommand property and assign it the command npm install.

   JSON

   // Use 'postCreateCommand' to run commands after the container is created.
   "postCreateCommand": "npm install",

3. Uncomment the customizations property and edit it as follows to install the "Code Spell Checker" VS Code extension.

   JSON

   // Configure tool-specific properties.
   "customizations": {
     // Configure properties specific to VS Code.
     "vscode": {
       // Add the IDs of extensions you want installed when the container is created.
       "extensions": [
         "streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker"
       ]
     }
   }

   The devcontainer.json file should now look similar to this, depending on which image you chose:

   // README at: https://github.com/devcontainers/templates/tree/main/src/javascript-node
   {
     "name": "Node.js",
     // Or use a Dockerfile or Docker Compose file. More info: https://containers.dev/guide/dockerfile
     "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/javascript-node:0-18-bullseye",
     "features": {
       "ghcr.io/devcontainers-contrib/features/jshint:2": {}
     },
   
     // Use 'forwardPorts' to make a list of ports inside the container available locally.
     // "forwardPorts": [],
   
     // Use 'postCreateCommand' to run commands after the container is created.
     "postCreateCommand": "npm install",
   
     // Configure tool-specific properties.
     "customizations": {
       // Configure properties specific to VS Code.
       "vscode": {
         // Add the IDs of extensions you want installed when the container is created.
         "extensions": [
           "streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker"
         ]
       }
     }
   
     // Uncomment to connect as root instead. More info: https://aka.ms/dev-containers-non-root.
     // "remoteUser": "root"
   }
   

4. Save your changes.

5. Accede a VS Code Command Palette (Comando+Shift+P (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux)) y, a continuación, empieza a escribir "recompilar". Seleccione Codespaces: Rebuild Container.

   

   Consejo: En ocasiones, es posible que quieras realizar una recompilación completa para borrar la memoria caché y recompilar el contenedor con imágenes nuevas. Para más información, consulta "Realización de una recompilación completa de un contenedor".

   Reconstruir dentro de tu codespace garantiza que tus cambios funcionan como se espera antes de que los confirmes los en el repositorio. Si algo falla, se te colocará en un codespace con un contenedor de recuperación desde el cual puedes volver a compilar para seguir ajustando tu contenedor.

   After the dev container is rebuilt, and your codespace becomes available again, the postCreateCommand will have been run, installing npm, and the "Code Spell Checker" extension will be available for use.

Step 4: Run your application

In the previous section, you used the postCreateCommand to install a set of packages via the npm install command. With the dependencies now installed, you can run the application.

1. In the Terminal of your codespace, enter npm start.

   

2. When your project starts, you should see a "toast" notification message at the bottom right corner of VS Code, telling you that your application is available on a forwarded port. To view the running application, click Open in Browser.

   

Step 5: Commit your changes

Una vez que hayas hecho cambios a tu codespace, ya sea de código nuevo o de cambios de configuración, necesitarás confirmar tus cambios. El confirmar los cambios en tu repositorio garantiza que cualquiera que cree un codespace desde este repositorio tendrá la misma configuración. Esto también significa que cualquier personalización que hagas, tal como agregar extensiones de VS Code, aparecerá para todos los usuarios.

Para obtener información, vea "Uso del control de código fuente en codespace".

Next steps

You should now be able to add a custom dev container configuration to your own Node.js, JavaScript, or TypeScript project.

• Administración de secretos cifrados para Codespaces
• Administración de la comprobación de GPG para Codespaces
• Reenvío de puertos en el codespace