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Complete Guide: Setting Up DevPod with Rackspace Spot ​

This guide will walk you through setting up DevPod to run cloud-based development containers on Rackspace Spot's Kubernetes infrastructure at ~$0.04/hour (approximately $28.80/month for 24/7 usage).

What You're Getting ​

  • Cloud-based dev containers similar to GitHub Codespaces
  • Cost: ~$0.04/hour vs Codespaces' $0.18-0.36/hour
  • Full Linux environments with persistent storage
  • Access from anywhere - your code lives in the cloud
  • Auto-stop after inactivity to save money

Prerequisites ​

  1. Install DevPod: Download from devpod.sh
  2. Rackspace Spot Account: Sign up at spot.rackspace.com
  3. kubectl: Install on your local machine
  4. Create a Kubernetes cluster in Rackspace Spot dashboard

Step 1: Get Your Kubeconfig ​

  1. Log into your Rackspace Spot dashboard
  2. Navigate to your Kubernetes cluster
  3. Download the kubeconfig file
  4. Save it to ~/.kube/devpod-kubeconfig.yaml
bash
# Create the .kube directory if it doesn't exist
mkdir -p ~/.kube

# Copy your downloaded kubeconfig
cp /path/to/downloaded/kubeconfig.yaml ~/.kube/devpod-kubeconfig.yaml

# Test the connection
kubectl --kubeconfig ~/.kube/devpod-kubeconfig.yaml get nodes

Step 2: Check Your Node Resources ​

Find out what resources you're paying for:

bash
kubectl --kubeconfig ~/.kube/devpod-kubeconfig.yaml get node -o json | grep -A 10 "allocatable"

Look for the CPU and memory values. A typical $0.04/hour node has approximately:

  • CPU: 3.5 cores
  • Memory: ~13.5Gi

Step 3: Configure DevPod Provider ​

Add and configure the Kubernetes provider:

bash
# Add the Kubernetes provider
devpod provider add kubernetes --name rackspace-spot

# Configure with your settings (adjust resources based on Step 2)
devpod provider set-options rackspace-spot \
  -o KUBERNETES_CONFIG=$HOME/.kube/devpod-kubeconfig.yaml \
  -o KUBERNETES_CONTEXT=jmp_agentics-devpods \
  -o KUBERNETES_NAMESPACE=devpod \
  -o DISK_SIZE=20Gi \
  -o CREATE_NAMESPACE=true \
  -o INACTIVITY_TIMEOUT=5h \
  -o RESOURCES="requests.cpu=2,requests.memory=8Gi,limits.cpu=3,limits.memory=12Gi"

# Set as default provider
devpod provider use rackspace-spot

# Verify settings
devpod provider options rackspace-spot

Configuration Explained ​

  • KUBERNETES_CONFIG: Path to your kubeconfig file
  • KUBERNETES_CONTEXT: Context name from your kubeconfig (check with kubectl config get-contexts)
  • KUBERNETES_NAMESPACE: Namespace for DevPod workspaces (creates if doesn't exist)
  • DISK_SIZE: Persistent storage per workspace
  • INACTIVITY_TIMEOUT: Auto-stop after inactivity (5h = 5 hours)
  • RESOURCES: CPU/memory allocation per workspace
    • requests: Guaranteed minimum resources
    • limits: Maximum resources the workspace can use

Step 4: Add DevContainer Configuration to Your Repository ​

IMPORTANT: Before creating your first workspace, you need to add the devcontainer configuration to your repository.

bash
# Clone your repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/your-repo
cd your-repo

# Create the .devcontainer directory
mkdir -p .devcontainer

# Download the devcontainer configuration
curl -o .devcontainer/devcontainer.json \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/smartpointstech/spt/refs/heads/main/infra/devcontainer/rackspace.json

# Commit and push
git add .devcontainer/devcontainer.json
git commit -m "Add DevPod devcontainer configuration"
git push

Option 2: Manual Creation ​

Create .devcontainer/devcontainer.json in your repository with this content:

json
{
    "name": "Claude Dev Workspace",
    "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/base:debian",
    "remoteUser": "vscode",
    "features": {
        "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/rust:1": {
            "version": "1.70"
        },
        "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/docker-in-docker:2": {
            "moby": false
        },
        "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/node:1": {}
    },
    "containerEnv": {
        "WORKSPACE_FOLDER": "${containerWorkspaceFolder}",
        "DEVPOD_WORKSPACE_FOLDER": "${containerWorkspaceFolder}",
        "AGENTS_DIR": "${containerWorkspaceFolder}/agents"
    },
    "postCreateCommand": "sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y tmux htop && cd ${containerWorkspaceFolder} && git clone https://github.com/smartpointstech/spt && cp -r spt/scripts/bootstrap . && cp -r spt/agents . && rm -rf spt && chmod +x ${containerWorkspaceFolder}/bootstrap/*.sh 2>/dev/null || true && if [ -f ${containerWorkspaceFolder}/bootstrap/setup.sh ]; then ${containerWorkspaceFolder}/bootstrap/setup.sh; fi",
    "postStartCommand": "echo '✅ Container started, waiting for VS Code...'",
    "postAttachCommand": "if [ -f ${containerWorkspaceFolder}/bootstrap/verify.sh ]; then chmod +x ${containerWorkspaceFolder}/bootstrap/verify.sh && ${containerWorkspaceFolder}/bootstrap/verify.sh; fi && if [ -f ${containerWorkspaceFolder}/bootstrap/tmux-workspace.sh ]; then chmod +x ${containerWorkspaceFolder}/bootstrap/tmux-workspace.sh && sed 's/tmux attach-session -t workspace/echo \"✅ tmux workspace ready\"/' ${containerWorkspaceFolder}/bootstrap/tmux-workspace.sh | bash; fi",
    "customizations": {
        "vscode": {
            "extensions": [
                "rooveterinaryinc.roo-cline",
                "vsls-contrib.gistfs",
                "github.copilot",
                "github.copilot-chat"
            ],
            "settings": {
                "terminal.integrated.cwd": "${containerWorkspaceFolder}",
                "terminal.integrated.shellIntegration.enabled": true,
                "workbench.startupEditor": "none",
                "terminal.integrated.profiles.linux": {
                    "tmux-workspace": {
                        "path": "/bin/bash",
                        "args": ["-c", "tmux attach-session -t workspace 2>/dev/null || bash"]
                    }
                },
                "terminal.integrated.defaultProfile.linux": "tmux-workspace"
            }
        }
    }
}

What This DevContainer Does ​

  • Base Image: Debian-based development container
  • Features: Installs Rust, Docker-in-Docker, and Node.js
  • Setup Scripts: Automatically clones sptx repo and copies custom setup scripts
  • VS Code Extensions: Installs Roo Cline, GitHub Copilot, and other productivity tools
  • tmux Integration: Sets up tmux workspace for persistent terminal sessions

Step 5: Create Your First Workspace ​

After adding the devcontainer.json to your repository, create your workspace:

bash
# From a GitHub repository
devpod up https://github.com/yourusername/your-repo

What Happens During First Launch ​

  1. DevPod clones your repository to the Kubernetes pod
  2. Reads .devcontainer/devcontainer.json
  3. Pulls the base Debian image
  4. Installs Rust, Docker-in-Docker, and Node.js features
  5. Runs postCreateCommand:
    • Installs tmux and htop
    • Clones sptx for setup scripts
    • Copies scripts/bootstrap/ folder to your workspace
    • Runs setup.sh if it exists
  6. Opens VS Code connected to the remote container

Step 6: Quick Start Script (Optional) ​

Create a script to quickly add the devcontainer to new repositories:

bash
#!/bin/bash
# Save as ~/bin/add-devcontainer.sh

REPO_PATH=$1

if [ -z "$REPO_PATH" ]; then
  echo "Usage: add-devcontainer.sh /path/to/repo"
  exit 1
fi

cd "$REPO_PATH" || exit 1
mkdir -p .devcontainer

curl -o .devcontainer/devcontainer.json \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/smartpointstech/spt/refs/heads/main/infra/devcontainer/rackspace.json

echo "✅ DevContainer configuration added!"
echo "Next steps:"
echo "  git add .devcontainer/devcontainer.json"
echo "  git commit -m 'Add DevPod configuration'"
echo "  git push"
echo "  devpod up https://github.com/yourusername/$(basename "$REPO_PATH")"

Make it executable:

bash
chmod +x ~/bin/add-devcontainer.sh

Use it:

bash
add-devcontainer.sh ~/Projects/my-repo

Managing Workspaces ​

View All Workspaces ​

bash
devpod list

Stop a Workspace (Preserves Data) ​

bash
devpod stop workspace-name

Restart a Workspace ​

bash
devpod up workspace-name

Delete a Workspace (Removes Everything) ​

bash
devpod delete workspace-name

SSH into a Workspace ​

bash
devpod ssh workspace-name

Important Considerations ​

Resource Limits ​

With a 3.5 CPU / 13.5Gi RAM node:

  • You can run ~1 workspace at full capacity
  • Or 2-3 smaller workspaces if you reduce resource limits
  • Stopped workspaces don't consume resources

Multiple Workspaces ​

bash
# Each repo gets its own pod
devpod up https://github.com/user/project1
devpod up https://github.com/user/project2
devpod up https://github.com/user/project3

# Only active workspaces use resources

Cost Management ​

Set a Budget Alert:

  1. Log into Rackspace Customer Portal
  2. Go to Billing → Set Billing Threshold
  3. Set your monthly limit (e.g., $40-50)
  4. You'll receive email alerts when approaching the limit

Cost Breakdown:

  • 1 node 24/7: ~$28.80/month
  • Storage (20Gi PVC): ~$2-3/month
  • Network egress: Minimal for dev work
  • Total: ~$30-35/month

Cost Optimization:

  • Use the 5-hour inactivity timeout (workspaces auto-stop)
  • Stop workspaces when switching projects
  • Delete workspaces you no longer need

Troubleshooting ​

Insufficient Resources Error ​

0/1 nodes are available: 1 Insufficient cpu, 1 Insufficient memory

Solution: Stop other workspaces or reduce resource requests:

bash
# Stop unused workspace
devpod stop other-workspace

# Or lower resource limits
devpod provider set-options rackspace-spot \
  -o RESOURCES="requests.cpu=1,requests.memory=4Gi,limits.cpu=3,limits.memory=12Gi"

Token Expiration ​

Your kubeconfig token will expire periodically. When it does:

  1. Download a fresh kubeconfig from Rackspace Spot dashboard
  2. Replace ~/.kube/devpod-kubeconfig.yaml
  3. Existing workspaces will reconnect automatically

Check Pod Status ​

bash
# View all pods
kubectl --kubeconfig ~/.kube/devpod-kubeconfig.yaml get pods -n devpod

# Get pod logs
kubectl --kubeconfig ~/.kube/devpod-kubeconfig.yaml logs -n devpod POD_NAME --tail=50

Workspace Won't Start ​

bash
# Delete and recreate with debug output
devpod delete workspace-name --force
devpod up https://github.com/user/repo --debug

DevContainer Not Found ​

If you get an error about missing devcontainer.json:

bash
# Make sure you committed it to your repo
git add .devcontainer/devcontainer.json
git commit -m "Add devcontainer config"
git push

# Then delete and recreate the workspace
devpod delete workspace-name --force
devpod up https://github.com/user/repo

Quick Reference ​

bash
# Add devcontainer to repo
mkdir -p .devcontainer
curl -o .devcontainer/devcontainer.json \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/smartpointstech/spt/refs/heads/main/infra/devcontainer/rackspace.json

# Create workspace
devpod up https://github.com/user/repo

# List workspaces
devpod list

# Stop workspace (save state)
devpod stop workspace-name

# Start workspace
devpod up workspace-name

# Delete workspace (permanent)
devpod delete workspace-name

# SSH into workspace
devpod ssh workspace-name

# View logs
devpod logs workspace-name

# Check provider options
devpod provider options rackspace-spot

Benefits Over Traditional Development ​

✅ Cost-effective: ~$30/month vs $100-300 for AWS/GCP
✅ Work from anywhere: Access from any device with VS Code
✅ Consistent environments: Same setup across all projects
✅ Resource flexibility: Scale CPU/RAM as needed
✅ Auto-cleanup: Workspaces stop when inactive
✅ No local dependencies: Keep your laptop fast and clean
✅ Custom tooling: Automatic setup scripts via sptx
✅ tmux integration: Persistent terminal sessions

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Released under the MIT License.

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