Develop inside Containers

Containerized environments have become a popular choice for developers due to their ability to provide consistent, isolated, and portable environments for developing and deploying applications. There are several tools and solutions aimed at facilitating work with these environments. In this article, we will compare three of these solutions: Skaffold, Tilt, and Visual Studio Code with the “Dev Containers” extension.

Skaffold

Skaffold is an open-source tool developed by Google to simplify the development and deployment of Kubernetes applications. It provides a fast feedback loop by automatically building, pushing, and deploying your code changes. Skaffold supports different build and deploy workflows, making it flexible for various types of projects.

Pros:

• Seamless integration with Kubernetes
• Supports multiple build and deploy workflows
• Automatically builds and deploys your code changes

Cons:

• Requires prior knowledge of Kubernetes
• Can be complex to set up for beginners

Tilt

Tilt is an open-source tool that simplifies the development of applications on Kubernetes. It focuses on developer productivity by providing a fast feedback loop, real-time application logs, and a web user interface to manage your deployments. Tilt supports a variety of languages and frameworks, making it suitable for different types of projects.

Pros:

• User-friendly web interface
• Supports a variety of languages and frameworks
• Provides a fast feedback loop and real-time application logs

Cons:

• Primarily focused on Kubernetes, which may not suit all projects
• Can be more complex to set up than other tools

Visual Studio Code with the “Dev Containers” Extension

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a popular open-source code editor developed by Microsoft. The “Dev Containers” extension allows developers to work in containers directly from VS Code. This solution offers a consistent and isolated development environment, making it easier to share and collaborate on projects.

Pros:

• Seamless integration with a popular code editor
• Provides a consistent and isolated development environment
• Facilitates sharing and collaboration on projects

Cons:

• Requires prior knowledge of containers
• May be less powerful than other tools for complex deployments

Conclusion

Each of these solutions has its advantages and disadvantages, and the choice will depend on the specific needs of your project and your level of familiarity with the underlying technologies. Skaffold and Tilt are more suited to Kubernetes projects, while VS Code with the “Dev Containers” extension offers a more general solution for developing in containerized environments. Whichever solution you choose, these tools can greatly improve your productivity and development experience in containerized environments.