devbox

Turn any Linux machine into a ready-to-use dev environment in one command — no cloud, no DevOps required.

Why devbox?

• Codespaces is managed but expensive ($40–80/dev/month)
• Coder is self-hosted but complex (needs Kubernetes)
• DevPod is simple but abandoned (last release June 2024)
• devbox is simple + self-hosted + free. You bring any Linux machine — old desktop, mini PC, cheap VPS — and devbox handles the rest.

Features

• One-command workspace creation with devbox up
• Docker-based isolation — each workspace gets its own containers
• Tailscale networking — HTTPS, DNS, and access control out of the box
• Multi-workspace — run parallel workspaces for different branches or agents
• Works with any editor — Zed (recommended), VS Code, terminal SSH
• Import existing docker-compose.yml with devbox init --from-compose
• Health checks with devbox doctor

Install

Download binary

# Linux (amd64)
curl -fsSL https://github.com/junixlabs/devbox/releases/latest/download/devbox-linux-amd64 -o devbox
chmod +x devbox && sudo mv devbox /usr/local/bin/

# Linux (arm64)
curl -fsSL https://github.com/junixlabs/devbox/releases/latest/download/devbox-linux-arm64 -o devbox
chmod +x devbox && sudo mv devbox /usr/local/bin/

# macOS (Apple Silicon)
curl -fsSL https://github.com/junixlabs/devbox/releases/latest/download/devbox-darwin-arm64 -o devbox
chmod +x devbox && sudo mv devbox /usr/local/bin/

# macOS (Intel)
curl -fsSL https://github.com/junixlabs/devbox/releases/latest/download/devbox-darwin-amd64 -o devbox
chmod +x devbox && sudo mv devbox /usr/local/bin/

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/junixlabs/devbox.git
cd devbox
make build
sudo mv dist/devbox /usr/local/bin/

Requires Go 1.22+.

Quick start

# 1. Verify your server is ready
devbox doctor --server dev1

# 2. Create a config in your project
devbox init

# 3. Start a workspace
devbox up

# 4. Connect
devbox ssh my-project

See the Quick Start Guide for a detailed step-by-step guide.

Commands

Command	Description
devbox init	Create a devbox.yaml config interactively
devbox up [project]	Create and start a workspace
devbox stop <workspace>	Stop a running workspace
devbox list	List all workspaces
devbox destroy <workspace>	Permanently remove a workspace
devbox ssh <workspace>	SSH into a workspace
devbox doctor [--server name]	Check prerequisites and server health
devbox mcp serve	Start MCP server for AI agent integration

MCP Integration

devbox exposes all operations via the Model Context Protocol (MCP) — AI agents can create workspaces, execute commands, and manage environments programmatically.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "devbox": {
      "command": "devbox",
      "args": ["mcp", "serve"]
    }
  }
}

14 tools available: workspace lifecycle, server management, snapshots, templates, and multi-agent sessions with workspace isolation.

• MCP Server Reference — all tools, parameters, responses, and error codes
• Agent Farm Setup Guide — multi-agent configuration, resource planning, isolation
• Claude Desktop Example — drop-in MCP configuration
• Agent Script Example — Python script using devbox MCP

Prerequisites

• A Linux server (Ubuntu 22.04+ recommended) accessible via SSH
• Docker installed on the server
• Tailscale installed on both your machine and the server

Documentation

https://junixlabs.github.io/devbox

• Quick Start Guide — from install to devbox up in 15 minutes
• Configuration Reference — all devbox.yaml fields explained
• Developer Guide — daily workflow, templates, snapshots
• Admin Guide — server pools, user isolation, monitoring
• AI Agent Builder Guide — workspace-per-agent, MCP integration
• MCP Server Reference — AI agent integration via Model Context Protocol
• Plugin API — extend devbox with custom providers and hooks
• Troubleshooting — common issues and fixes
• FAQ — frequently asked questions

License

MPL-2.0