PowerShell and Admin AutomationReporting and AuditsIntermediate1 hourLab build

Build a Reproducible Devcontainer Environment for PowerShell, Terraform, and Azure CLI

Build a reproducible devcontainer for PowerShell, Terraform, and Azure CLI work so the toolchain is easy to rebuild.

Last reviewed4/30/2026

PowerShellTerraformAzure CLIDockerVisual Studio Code

Expected Outcome

A working devcontainer that allows you to develop and run PowerShell scripts, manage Terraform configurations, and interact with Azure CLI reliable.

Assumptions

Visual Studio Code installed
Docker installed
Basic understanding of PowerShell, Terraform, and Azure CLI

Bill of Materials

Docker
Visual Studio Code
PowerShell
Terraform
Azure CLI

Build Steps

Create a new project directory
Set up a new directory for your devcontainer project.
Example pattern only. Adjust for your environment before running.
```
mkdir devcontainer-project
cd devcontainer-project
```

Create a Dockerfile

Create a Dockerfile that defines the environment for PowerShell, Terraform, and Azure CLI.

Safe to run: read-only

echo 'FROM mcr.microsoft.com/powershell:latest' > Dockerfile
echo 'RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y unzip curl' >> Dockerfile
echo 'RUN curl -Lo terraform.zip https://releases.hashicorp.com/terraform/1.0.0/terraform_1.0.0_linux_amd64.zip' >> Dockerfile
echo 'RUN unzip terraform.zip && mv terraform /usr/local/bin/ && rm terraform.zip' >> Dockerfile
echo 'RUN curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | bash' >> Dockerfile

Create a devcontainer.json file

Define the devcontainer configuration in a JSON file.

Safe to run: read-only

mkdir .devcontainer
echo '{ "name": "PowerShell Terraform Azure CLI", "build": { "dockerfile": "../Dockerfile" }, "settings": { "terminal.integrated.shell.linux": "/usr/bin/pwsh" }, "extensions": [ "ms-azuretools.vscode-azurecli", "ms-azuretools.vscode-azurefunctions", "ms-azuretools.vscode-terraform" ] }' > .devcontainer/devcontainer.json

Build and open the devcontainer
Use Visual Studio Code to build and open the devcontainer. Manual action: Press Ctrl+Shift+P and select 'Remote-Containers: Reopen in Container'.
Example pattern only. Adjust for your environment before running.
```
code .
```
Verify installation
Check if PowerShell, Terraform, and Azure CLI are installed correctly.
Safe to run: read-only
```
pwsh -c 'Get-Command terraform'
pwsh -c 'az --version'
```

Validation

Ensure that PowerShell, Terraform, and Azure CLI commands return the expected output.
Run a simple Terraform script to validate the environment.

Troubleshooting

Check service logs before changing the design.
Confirm ports, paths, credentials, DNS names, and container names match the guide assumptions.

Cleanup or Rollback

Stop test services you no longer need and keep a copy of working configuration before deleting volumes or data directories.

Next Improvements

Create a sample Terraform configuration to manage Azure resources.
Explore PowerShell scripting for automation tasks.
Integrate CI/CD pipelines with your devcontainer setup.