fix: substitute devcontainer.json build args into Dockerfile ARG variables (#455)

ImageFromDockerfile and UserFromDockerfile now accept external build args
from devcontainer.json, allowing them to override ARG defaults and supply
values for ARGs without defaults. This fixes the error when a Dockerfile
uses ARG VARIANT + FROM ...${VARIANT} with the value provided in
devcontainer.json build.args.

Author: kacpersaw

devcontainer/devcontainer.go

@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ func (s *Spec) Compile(fs billy.Filesystem, devcontainerDir, scratchDir string,
 		// We should make a best-effort attempt to find the user.
 		// Features must be executed as root, so we need to swap back
 		// to the running user afterwards.
-		params.User, err = UserFromDockerfile(params.DockerfileContent)
+		params.User, err = UserFromDockerfile(params.DockerfileContent, params.BuildArgs)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("user from dockerfile: %w", err)
 		}
@@ -308,12 +308,42 @@ func (s *Spec) compileFeatures(fs billy.Filesystem, devcontainerDir, scratchDir
 
 // UserFromDockerfile inspects the contents of a provided Dockerfile
 // and returns the user that will be used to run the container.
-func UserFromDockerfile(dockerfileContent string) (user string, err error) {
+func UserFromDockerfile(dockerfileContent string, buildArgs []string) (user string, err error) {
 	res, err := parser.Parse(strings.NewReader(dockerfileContent))
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("parse dockerfile: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	// Collect ARG values (defaults + overrides from buildArgs) for
+	// substitution into FROM image refs.
+	lexer := shell.NewLex('\\')
+	var argEnvs []string
+	for _, child := range res.AST.Children {
+		if strings.EqualFold(child.Value, "arg") {
+			arg := strings.TrimSpace(child.Original[len("ARG "):])
+			if strings.Contains(arg, "=") {
+				parts := strings.SplitN(arg, "=", 2)
+				key := parts[0]
+				val := parts[1]
+				// Allow buildArgs to override.
+				for _, ba := range buildArgs {
+					if k, v, ok := strings.Cut(ba, "="); ok && k == key {
+						val = v
+						break
+					}
+				}
+				argEnvs = append(argEnvs, key+"="+val)
+			} else {
+				for _, ba := range buildArgs {
+					if k, v, ok := strings.Cut(ba, "="); ok && k == arg {
+						argEnvs = append(argEnvs, k+"="+v)
+						break
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	// Parse stages and user commands to determine the relevant user
 	// from the final stage.
 	var (
@@ -330,6 +360,11 @@ func UserFromDockerfile(dockerfileContent string) (user string, err error) {
 
 		switch i := inst.(type) {
 		case *instructions.Stage:
+			// Substitute ARG values in the base image name.
+			baseName, _, err := lexer.ProcessWord(i.BaseName, shell.EnvsFromSlice(argEnvs))
+			if err == nil {
+				i.BaseName = baseName
+			}
 			stages = append(stages, i)
 			if i.Name != "" {
 				stageNames[i.Name] = i
@@ -388,7 +423,7 @@ func UserFromDockerfile(dockerfileContent string) (user string, err error) {
 
 // ImageFromDockerfile inspects the contents of a provided Dockerfile
 // and returns the image that will be used to run the container.
-func ImageFromDockerfile(dockerfileContent string) (name.Reference, error) {
+func ImageFromDockerfile(dockerfileContent string, buildArgs []string) (name.Reference, error) {
 	lexer := shell.NewLex('\\')
 	var args []string
 	var imageRef string
@@ -408,7 +443,22 @@ func ImageFromDockerfile(dockerfileContent string) (name.Reference, error) {
 				if err != nil {
 					return nil, fmt.Errorf("processing %q: %w", line, err)
 				}
+				// Allow buildArgs to override Dockerfile ARG defaults.
+				for _, ba := range buildArgs {
+					if k, v, ok := strings.Cut(ba, "="); ok && k == key {
+						val = v
+						break
+					}
+				}
 				args = append(args, key+"="+val)
+			} else {
+				// ARG without a default — look up in buildArgs.
+				for _, ba := range buildArgs {
+					if k, v, ok := strings.Cut(ba, "="); ok && k == arg {
+						args = append(args, k+"="+v)
+						break
+					}
+				}
 			}
 			continue
 		}

devcontainer/devcontainer_test.go

@@ -213,13 +213,35 @@ func TestImageFromDockerfile(t *testing.T) {
 		tc := tc
 		t.Run(tc.image, func(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Parallel()
-			ref, err := devcontainer.ImageFromDockerfile(tc.content)
+			ref, err := devcontainer.ImageFromDockerfile(tc.content, nil)
 			require.NoError(t, err)
 			require.Equal(t, tc.image, ref.Name())
 		})
 	}
 }
 
+func TestImageFromDockerfile_BuildArgs(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	// Test that build args override ARG defaults.
+	t.Run("OverridesDefault", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+		content := "ARG VARIANT=3.10\nFROM mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/python:0-${VARIANT}"
+		ref, err := devcontainer.ImageFromDockerfile(content, []string{"VARIANT=3.11-bookworm"})
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		require.Equal(t, "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/python:0-3.11-bookworm", ref.Name())
+	})
+
+	// Test that build args supply values for ARGs without defaults.
+	t.Run("SuppliesArgWithoutDefault", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+		content := "ARG VARIANT\nFROM mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/python:1-${VARIANT}"
+		ref, err := devcontainer.ImageFromDockerfile(content, []string{"VARIANT=3.11-bookworm"})
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		require.Equal(t, "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/python:1-3.11-bookworm", ref.Name())
+	})
+}
+
 func TestUserFrom(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
@@ -287,7 +309,7 @@ func TestUserFrom(t *testing.T) {
 		for _, tt := range tests {
 			t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
 				t.Parallel()
-				user, err := devcontainer.UserFromDockerfile(tt.content)
+				user, err := devcontainer.UserFromDockerfile(tt.content, nil)
 				require.NoError(t, err)
 				require.Equal(t, tt.user, user)
 			})
@@ -364,7 +386,7 @@ FROM a`,
 
 				content := strings.ReplaceAll(tt.content, "coder/test", strings.TrimPrefix(registry, "http://")+"/coder/test")
 
-				user, err := devcontainer.UserFromDockerfile(content)
+				user, err := devcontainer.UserFromDockerfile(content, nil)
 				require.NoError(t, err)
 				require.Equal(t, tt.user, user)
 			})

envbuilder.go

@@ -493,7 +493,7 @@ func run(ctx context.Context, opts options.Options, execArgs *execArgsInfo) erro
 			defer cleanupBuildContext()
 			if runtimeData.Built && opts.SkipRebuild {
 				endStage := startStage("🏗️ Skipping build because of cache...")
-				imageRef, err := devcontainer.ImageFromDockerfile(buildParams.DockerfileContent)
+				imageRef, err := devcontainer.ImageFromDockerfile(buildParams.DockerfileContent, buildParams.BuildArgs)
 				if err != nil {
 					return nil, fmt.Errorf("image from dockerfile: %w", err)
 				}