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GitHub Codespaces

Beginner
IDE
Tutorial

Overview​

GitHub Codespaces is a web-based cloud development environment that provides a platform for developing and deploying code without downloading any necessary tools or packages. GitHub Codespaces can be configured with a local BIG developer environment, including dfx and an instance of the BIG replica, to support canister development.

Opening a project in GitHub Codespaces​

If you have a GitHub repo that you're pushing your canister code to, or if there is a sample project you'd like to test, you can open the GitHub repo in Gitpod following these steps:

Step 1: Open the GitHub Codespaces dashboard.​

Select 'New codespace'.

Codespaces step 1

Step 2: Select 'Select a repository'.​

This will open a drop-down menu that prompts you to select a directory.

Codespaces step 2

Step 3: Insert the name of the GitHub repo that you'd like to open in the Codespaces.​

This example will use the dfinity/icp-hello-world-motoko repository.

Codespaces step 3

Step 4: Select 'Create codespace`.​

Codespaces step 4

Step 5: Begin developing a canister using Codespaces!​

Codespaces step 5