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C++ Development Environment with WSL, Docker and VS Code

This repository demonstrates a modern C++ development setup based on:

  • WSL2 (Ubuntu)
  • Docker Desktop
  • Visual Studio Code
  • Dev Containers
  • CMake
  • GCC/G++
  • Conan

The entire toolchain is defined inside a Docker container to ensure a reproducible development environment across all machines.

Prerequisites

Before using this repository, make sure the following software is installed on your Windows machine:

  • Windows 11 (or Windows 10 with WSL2 support)
  • Docker Desktop
  • Visual Studio Code

1. Install and Configure WSL

Open PowerShell as Administrator and install WSL:

wsl --install

Restart your computer if requested.

Verify the installation:

wsl --status

Install Ubuntu if it is not already present:

wsl --install -d Ubuntu

List installed distributions:

wsl -l -v

Expected output:

NAME              STATE           VERSION
* Ubuntu          Running         2

2. Install and Configure Docker Desktop

Download and install Docker Desktop:

https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/

During installation ensure:

Use WSL 2 based engine

is enabled.

After installation:

Docker Desktop
→ Settings
→ Resources
→ WSL Integration

Enable integration for your Ubuntu distribution.

Verify Docker from an Ubuntu terminal:

docker --version

Expected output:

Docker version ...

3. Install and Configure VS Code

Download Visual Studio Code:

https://code.visualstudio.com/

Install the following extensions:

Required

  • Remote - WSL
  • Dev Containers
  • C/C++
  • CMake Tools

Recommended

  • clangd
  • Docker
  • GitLens

4. Clone the Repository

Open an Ubuntu terminal.

Create a workspace:

mkdir -p ~/projects
cd ~/projects

Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd <repository-name>

Open the project in VS Code:

code .

Verify that VS Code is connected to WSL:

WSL: Ubuntu

should appear in the lower-left corner.

5. Build the Development Container

Inside VS Code:

Ctrl + Shift + P

Run:

Dev Containers: Rebuild and Reopen in Container

VS Code will:

  1. Build the Docker image
  2. Start the development container
  3. Reopen the workspace inside the container

When finished, the lower-left corner should display:

Dev Container

6. Verify Tool Installation

Open a terminal inside VS Code and execute:

g++ --version
cmake --version
conan --version

All commands should return a version number.

7. Build the Project

Configure CMake:

cmake -B build -S .

Build:

cmake --build build

Expected output:

[100%] Built target my_app

8. Run the Application

Execute:

./build/my_app

Expected output:

Hello Dev Container!