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Dev Containers

This guide explains how to use Dev Containers for Noir development, enabling consistent development environments across different machines and cloud-based development through GitHub Codespaces.

What are Dev Containers?​

Dev Containers provide a full-featured development environment inside a Docker container. They ensure all developers work with the same tools, dependencies, and configurations, eliminating "works on my machine" issues.

For Noir development, Dev Containers offer:

  • Pre-installed Noir toolchain (nargo, noirup)
  • Pre-installed Barretenberg backend (bb, bbup)
  • Consistent development experience across platforms
  • Quick onboarding for new contributors

Using Dev Containers Locally​

Prerequisites​

Setting up a Noir Dev Container​

  1. Create a .devcontainer/devcontainer.json file in your project root. This will add the devcontainer feature built by Aztec Labs, and the Noir extension.
{
  "name": "Noir Development",
  "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/base:ubuntu",
  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/aztecprotocol/devcontainer-features/noir:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/aztecprotocol/devcontainer-features/barretenberg:1": {}
  },
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": [
        "noir-lang.vscode-noir"
      ]
    }
  }
}

  1. Open your project in your IDE

  2. When prompted, click "Reopen in Container" or use the Command Palette (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + P) and select "Dev Containers: Reopen in Container"

  3. The IDE will build the container and set up your development environment with Noir and Barretenberg pre-installed

Using GitHub Codespaces​

GitHub Codespaces provides cloud-hosted Dev Container environments, allowing you to develop Noir projects directly in your browser or in VS Code.

Quick Start with Codespaces​

The easiest way to get started is using the Tiny Noir Codespace template:

  1. Visit the repository
  2. Click the "Code" button and select "Create codespace on main"
  3. GitHub will create a cloud-based development environment with Noir pre-configured

Adding Codespaces to Your Project​

To enable Codespaces for your own Noir project, use the same .devcontainer/devcontainer.json configuration shown above. When contributors visit your repository, they can create a Codespace with all necessary tools pre-installed.

Available Devcontainer Features​

The AztecProtocol devcontainer features provide:

Noir Feature​

  • Installs nargo CLI for compiling and testing Noir programs
  • Installs noirup for managing Noir versions
  • Automatically configures the latest stable version

Barretenberg Feature​

  • Installs bb CLI for proving and verification
  • Installs bbup for managing Barretenberg versions
  • Provides backend support for Noir programs

Configuration Options​

You can customize the Dev Container setup by modifying the features in devcontainer.json:

{
  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/aztecprotocol/devcontainer-features/noir:1": {
      // Feature-specific options (if available)
    },
    "ghcr.io/aztecprotocol/devcontainer-features/barretenberg:1": {
      // Feature-specific options (if available)
    }
  }
}

Tips for Development​

  1. Free Tier: GitHub Codespaces offers up to 60 hours free per month for personal accounts

  2. Performance: For resource-intensive operations like proving, local Dev Containers may perform better than Codespaces

  3. Persistence: Changes made in a Dev Container are preserved in the container. Use version control to save your work

  4. Extensions: The Noir VS Code extension is automatically installed, providing syntax highlighting, LSP support, and debugging capabilities

Next Steps​