Side by side
Dev Container CLI vs DevPod
Both stand on container development environments. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan ExtensionLinuxMac+1
Dev Container CLI covers container setup and lifecycle commands, with default lockfiles for pinned feature versions. Check the installation requirements and Windows route that match your environment.
Visit Dev Container CLI
Free plan Open source LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1
DevPod provides containerized, reproducible environments with multiple provider and IDE options while running client-side. Port forwarding depends on an IDE or SSH session, and non-trivial CLI commands send telemetry events.
Visit DevPodThe facts
| Dev Container CLI | DevPod | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Yes |
| Runs on | Extension, Linux, Mac, Windows | Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | containers.dev | devpod.sh |
| On container development environments | #3 of 40 | #1 of 40 |
Dev Container CLI: what it does well
- Builds, starts, and manages development containers
- Generates lockfiles by default to pin feature versions
- Can be used to prebuild configurations in CI
- MIT-licensed and free
What to know first
- npm installation requires Python and C/C++ tools
- Windows desktop support is via WSL2
- Project is in active development
DevPod: what it does well
- Runs without a server backend.
- Supports VS Code and the JetBrains suite.
- Maintained providers cover local and cloud infrastructure options.
- Prebuilds and inactivity shutdown are supported.
- Free and open source.
What to know first
- Port forwarding requires an IDE or SSH connection.
- Telemetry events are sent for non-trivial CLI commands.
Alternatives to Dev Container CLI Alternatives to DevPod The whole list