--- title: Devcontainers with Kotlin and IntelliJ | daily.dev description: A step-by-step walkthrough shows how to set up a Kotlin development environment using Dev Containers in IntelliJ IDEA, using a GitHub template repo... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/devcontainers-with-kotlin-and-intellij-fsgbkyee0 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Devcontainers with Kotlin and IntelliJ | daily.dev og:description: A step-by-step walkthrough shows how to set up a Kotlin development environment using Dev Containers in IntelliJ IDEA, using a GitHub template repo... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/devcontainers-with-kotlin-and-intellij-fsgbkyee0 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/FSgBkYee0.png og:image:alt: Devcontainers with Kotlin and IntelliJ og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Devcontainers with Kotlin and IntelliJ **[Medium](https://daily.dev/sources/medium_js)** · 3 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A step-by-step walkthrough shows how to set up a Kotlin development environment using Dev Containers in IntelliJ IDEA, using a GitHub template repo preconfigured with Java 21, Kotlin, and Gradle. The guide explains the basic setup flow (clone repo, open in IntelliJ, select Remote Development, build the container) and briefly describes what each config file (devcontainer.json, build.gradle.kts, settings.gradle.kts) does, aimed at making JVM environment setup reproducible across machines. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How do I set up a devcontainer for Kotlin development in IntelliJ IDEA? Install IntelliJ, Docker, and git, then clone a Kotlin starter template repo containing a .devcontainer/devcontainer.json file. In IntelliJ, choose Remote Development, then Dev Containers, then New Dev Container from Local Project, and point it at the devcontainer.json file to build the container. The setup takes about 5-10 minutes and configures gradle, Java 21, kotlinc, and the IDE automatically. _daily.dev surfaces practical setup guides for developers standardizing their Kotlin and JVM tooling._ ### What does the devcontainer.json file configure in a Kotlin JVM project? It specifies what gets installed in the new Docker environment, including git, Java 21, and kotlinc. Alongside it, build.gradle.kts defines the entry point and plugins, settings.gradle.kts sets project-level settings like the project name, and source code lives under src/main/kotlin with gradle wrapper files included for reproducible builds. _Developers configuring reproducible JVM environments can find similar practical breakdowns on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [IntelliJ Series](https://daily.dev/posts/intellij-series-vetpyltcr) · Baeldung · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Kubernetes Made Simple: A Guide for JVM Developers](https://daily.dev/posts/kubernetes-made-simple-a-guide-for-jvm-developers-rxakzp1bn) · JetBrains · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [Getting Started With Kotlin for Java Developers](https://daily.dev/posts/getting-started-with-kotlin-for-java-developers-a33xzm0gd) · JetBrains · 3 upvotes · 0 comments - [Dockerizing a Java 26 Project with Docker Init](https://daily.dev/posts/dockerizing-a-java-26-project-with-docker-init-n0yaflgv8) · Foojay.io · 30 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#devtools](https://daily.dev/tags/devtools), [#docker](https://daily.dev/tags/docker), [#kotlin](https://daily.dev/tags/kotlin), [#gradle](https://daily.dev/tags/gradle) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/devcontainers-with-kotlin-and-intellij-fsgbkyee0) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Devcontainers with Kotlin and IntelliJ","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/devcontainers-with-kotlin-and-intellij-fsgbkyee0","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/devcontainers-with-kotlin-and-intellij-fsgbkyee0"},"datePublished":"2026-08-20T07:26:25.903Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T06:30:03.407Z","description":"A step-by-step walkthrough shows how to set up a Kotlin development environment using Dev Containers in IntelliJ IDEA, using a GitHub template repo...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--VDukGCjf--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2002","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--VDukGCjf--/f_auto/v1722860399/public/Placeholder%2002","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Medium","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Medium","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/t_logo,f_auto/v1/logos/medium","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/medium_js"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/devcontainers-with-kotlin-and-intellij-fsgbkyee0","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"devtools,docker,kotlin,gradle","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Medium","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/medium_js"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Devcontainers with Kotlin and IntelliJ"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/devcontainers-with-kotlin-and-intellij-fsgbkyee0#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do I set up a devcontainer for Kotlin development in IntelliJ IDEA?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Install IntelliJ, Docker, and git, then clone a Kotlin starter template repo containing a .devcontainer/devcontainer.json file. 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