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Pre-configured environment with Docker

This setup approach provides a fully pre-configured development environment using Docker and devcontainers, eliminating the need to manually install and configure individual components.

Prerequisites​

Before starting, ensure you have the following installed on your machine:

  • Docker: Must be installed and running
  • VS Code: Visual Studio Code or a VS Code-based IDE (Cursor, Windsurf, etc.)
  • Dev Containers Extension: The Dev Containers extension must be installed in your IDE

Note: This approach also works with JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, PyCharm, etc.), but the Ultimate edition is required for the devcontainer plugin support.

Quick Start​

1. Create a new Rell dapp project​

Run the following command in your terminal to create a new template project:

docker run --rm -u $(id -u):$(id -g) -v "$(pwd):/usr/app" registry.gitlab.com/chromaway/core-tools/chromia-cli/chr:latest chr create-rell-dapp --devcontainer project-name

This creates a new template project named "project-name" in your current directory. If you want to use a different name, simply change the project-name value in the command.

2. Open the project​

Open the newly created project folder in VS Code.

When you open the project in VS Code and have the Dev Containers extension installed, VS Code will automatically detect that this is a devcontainer project and suggest you reopen it in a container. You'll see a notification like this:

proposal submission success

Click "Reopen in Container". This will:

  • Build and start the development container
  • Install all necessary dependencies
  • Configure the development environment
  • Provide access to all Chromia development tools

🎉 Congratulations! You're now ready to start developing!

Once the devcontainer is running, you can use the integrated terminal in VS Code to run Chromia CLI commands like chr test, chr build, and more. The full development environment is ready to use with no additional configuration required.

What's included​

The devcontainer environment comes pre-configured with:

  • Rell VsCode Extension
  • PostgreSQL
  • Chromia CLI
  • PMC
  • Proper environment configuration

Benefits​

  • No manual installation: All components are pre-installed and configured
  • Consistent environment: Same setup across different machines and team members
  • Isolated development: Development environment is completely isolated from your system
  • Quick setup: Get started in minutes instead of hours
  • Cross-platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux