# Customizing various Dev Container settings

## Customizing devcontainer.json file

You can customize `devcontainer.json` file by adding the required settings, plugins, and so on.

Procedure: Add modified settings

1. Open the `devcontainer.json` file in the editor.

2. In the left gutter, click ![Create Dev Container](https://resources.jetbrains.com.cn/help/img/idea/2026.2/clouds-docker-gateway.icons.devContainers.svg), select Add Modified Settings from IDE.

The settings are added as a `customizations` section. It might be useful if you want to synchronize both settings or choose some other customization option.

![JSON file customizations section](https://resources.jetbrains.com.cn/help/img/idea/2026.2/customization_section.png)

You can also add the non-default application-level settings, modify the added settings options, sort them, or add properties from the JSON schema. Press `Alt+Enter` (Windows), `⌥ ⏎` (macOS), `⌥ ⏎` (IntelliJ IDEA Classic (macOS)), `⌥ ⏎` (macOS System Shortcuts), `Alt+Enter` (XWin), `Alt+Enter` (GNOME), `Alt+Enter` (KDE), `Alt+Enter` (Emacs), `Alt+Enter` (Sublime Text), `⌥ ⏎` (Sublime Text (macOS)), `Alt+Enter` (NetBeans), `Alt+Enter` (Visual Studio), `⌥ ⏎` (Visual Studio (macOS)), `Ctrl+1` (Eclipse), `⌘ 1` (Eclipse (macOS)) in the `settings` section of the `devcontainer.json` file and select the appropriate option.

![JSON settings](https://resources.jetbrains.com.cn/help/img/idea/2026.2/json_settings.png)

You can also install plugins from the [JetBrains marketplace](https://plugins.jetbrains.com/) to a Dev Container.

Procedure: Add plugins

1. Open [JetBrains marketplace](https://plugins.jetbrains.com/) in the browser.

2. Locate the required plugin and open the plugin page.

3. On the plugin page, scroll down to the Additional information section and copy plugin ID.

4. Open the `devcontainer.json` file in the editor.

5. Inside the `customizations` section, add the following code:

```JSON
{
    "customizations": {
        "jetbrains": {
            "plugins": [
                "org.intellij.plugins.hcl"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

The `pluginID` is the ID of the required plugin from [JetBrains marketplace](https://plugins.jetbrains.com/), for example, `org.intellij.plugins.hcl`.

## Copy local Git settings

You do not need to additionally configure Git settings inside a Dev Container. The Git settings are automatically added to a Dev Container from your local global `.gitconfig` file.

To check the settings inside the Dev Container, do the following

Procedure:

1. In the [Services tool window](services-tool-window.html), select Docker | Dev Containers and the necessary container.

2. Start the container by clicking the Start button.

3. Click ![](https://resources.jetbrains.com.cn/help/img/idea/2026.2/app-client.expui.general.moreVertical.svg) and select Show Files.

4. Select .gitconfig in the list of the files.

The following settings are copied if available:

```
user.email,
user.name,
pull.rebase,
alias.*
```

The `alias.*` option means all the alias settings.

> **Note:**
> Git needs to be available on both the user machine where the container is built and in the target Dev Container.

Procedure: Add a specific IDE backend

You can specify a name of the IDE in your `container.json` so that specific backend IDE will be launched automatically every time you [start your Dev Container for a remote project](start-dev-container-for-a-remote-project.html).

1. Open the `devcontainer.json` file in the editor.

2. Inside the `customizations` section, add the following code:

```JSON
{
    "customizations": {
        "jetbrains": {
            "backend": "<IDE-name>"
        }
    }
}
```

`<IDE-name>` is the name of the IDE that you want to use. For example, `IntelliJ`.

## Add and reference local Feature

You can define a custom configuration (local Feature) and reference it from the `devcontainer.json` file using code completion.

For more detailed information, refer to the [Development Containers](https://containers.dev/implementors/features-distribution/#addendum-locally-referenced) documentation.

Procedure: Configure local Feature

1. In the IDE, in the Project tool window, right-click the `.devcontainer` folder and select `New | Folder`.

2. In the window that opens, add the name of your feature that would equal the feature ID.

3. Right-click the created feature folder and select `New | File`.

First, create the `devcontainer-feature.json` file and then create the `install.sh` file.

As a result, both files should be inside the created feature folder.

![Local feature folder](https://resources.jetbrains.com.cn/help/img/idea/2026.2/local_feature_files.png)

4. Open the `devcontainer-feature.json` file and add your feature configuration. For the information on related properties, refer to [Development Containers](https://containers.dev/implementors/features/#devcontainer-feature-json-properties) documentation.

5. Open the `install.sh` file and add a script that installs or configures your feature.

Now you can reference your feature inside the `devcontainer.json`file.

6. Open the `devcontainer.json` file and inside the `features` section, add the reference to the local Feature using auto-completion.