DevContainer Setup for Local Development

[jax0m]

DevContainer Setup for Local Development

Problem

Setting up a local development environment for tududi requires manual steps:

• Installing dependencies
• Creating directories
• Setting up .env file
• Initializing the database
• Creating a test user

This process can be error-prone and time-consuming, especially for new contributors.

Proposed Solution

Add a .devcontainer configuration that automates the entire setup process:

1. Dockerfile — Pre-configured Node.js 22 Alpine environment
2. devcontainer.json — VS Code Dev Container settings with extensions
3. post-create.sh — Automated setup script that:
   • Installs dependencies
   • Normalizes line endings
   • Creates required directories
   • Sets up .env from .env.example
   • Initializes the database
   • Creates a test user

Benefits

• Consistent development environment across OSs (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• One-click setup for new contributors
• Reduces setup time from ~30 minutes to ~5 minutes
• Handles CRLF/LF line ending differences automatically
• No manual .env configuration needed

Files Proposed

• .devcontainer/Dockerfile
• .devcontainer/devcontainer.json
• .devcontainer/post-create.sh
• Updates to .dockerignore and .gitignore
• Documentation update to docs/development-workflow.md

Next Steps

If approved, I will implement the full devcontainer setup with all files and documentation.

[jax0m]

Links over to the branch relevant files:

• .devcontainer folder
• /docs/development-workflow.md
• .gitignore
  • Uploads/Backups folders theoretically retained while contents arent uploaded, though without a folder it would likely also omit those.
  • migrated the database file name callouts down to a "Database(s)" section
• .dockerignore (Similar updates to .gitignore)

[jax0m]

@Cyber1000 also has PR #760 which might be bundled into this discussion.