features not enabled for devcontainer started indirectly from docker compose

[arafubeatbox]

prerequisites

I have two devcontainers configured in a single repository, based on https://code.visualstudio.com/remote/advancedcontainers/connect-multiple-containers.

Both devcontainer.json files are pointed to a single docker-compose.yml, so when I create one of the devcontainers via vscode, the other also gets created. I switch between the containers during development using the Dev Containers: Switch Container vscode command.

Both devcontainers have their own features configured.

the problem

Only the container that I first create via vscode (which container to choose is irrelevant) has features enabled, and when I switch to the other container, it does not have any of the features enabled.

[gauravsaini04]

Hi @arafubeatbox
Thank you for reporting this issue and providing the initial details. To better understand and debug the problem, could you please share a minimal reproducible example? Having a concise example will allow me to test the issue directly and provide a more effective solution.

[arafubeatbox]

Hello @gauravsaini04
Thanks for looking into the issue.
Sorry it took a while to reach back to you.

Steps to reproduce

1. Clone https://github.com/arafubeatbox/multi-devcontainers-with-feature-bug-test
2. Open the folder in vscode
3. Reopen the folder inside a container via vscode command palette (Dev Containers: Reopen in Container)
   • choose main-app as the container to open
4. Check that main-app has node installed by executing node -v inside the container
   • node is configured as a feature inside .devcontainer/main/devcontainer.json
5. Switch containers via vscode command palette (Dev Containers: Switch Container)
   • choose sub-app this time
6. Executing node -v inside the sub-app container results in command not found: node
   • node is also configured as a feature for sub-app inside .devcontainer/sub/devcontainer.json, but is not installed

note

If you choose sub-app as the first container to open (the first container to create) in step 3, then the result would be the opposite: sub-app has node installed and main-app doesn't.
(Note that to get the opposite result, you first need to delete both devcontainers if you have them already created.)

[chrmarti]

This is a limitation of the spec. Only a single devcontainer.json is considered at a time and its container will get the dev container treatment when using Docker Compose.

[arafubeatbox]

This is a limitation of the spec. Only a single devcontainer.json is considered at a time and its container will get the dev container treatment when using Docker Compose.

I see, thanks for recognizing and putting the issue in the right place!