podspawnQuick Start
From zero to a dev container in under a minute
Three commands. No server, no SSH, no configuration.
Install podspawn
curl -sSfL https://podspawn.dev/up | bashThe installer runs a setup wizard that asks about your use case, shell, base image, and services. Every question is a numbered menu, so there's nothing to type. Hit Enter at each prompt to accept the defaults, or answer "n" to skip the wizard entirely.
The wizard creates two files:
~/.podspawn/config.yaml-- local defaults (image, shell, cpus, memory)~/.podspawn/podfile.yaml-- a starting Podfile with packages and services
You can edit these files anytime. See the Podfile reference for all options.
Create a container
podspawn create devGet a shell
podspawn shell devYou're inside a container as a non-root user with passwordless sudo. The prompt shows username@machinename. Do your work, then exit.
Explore
podspawn list # see what's running
podspawn run scratch # one-shot throwaway containerStop the container
podspawn stop devThat's local mode. For the full walkthrough, see the Tutorial.
For teams sharing a Linux server. Three commands on the server, then users SSH in.
Install and configure the server
curl -sSfL https://podspawn.dev/up | bash
sudo podspawn server-setup
sudo podspawn add-user alice --github aliceConnect from any machine
ssh alice@yourserver.comAlice lands in a container as a non-root user (alice@yourserver:~$). SFTP, port forwarding, and agent forwarding all work because sshd handles the protocol.
For the full server walkthrough, see the Tutorial.
What happened under the hood
Local mode:
podspawn create dev
→ docker run (detached, sleep infinity)
→ create non-root user (UID 1000, passwordless sudo)
podspawn shell dev
→ docker exec -it (interactive shell as non-root user)
podspawn stop dev
→ docker rm -fServer mode:
ssh alice@yourserver.com
→ sshd calls: podspawn auth-keys alice
→ key matches → sshd forces: podspawn spawn --user alice
→ container created, I/O piped through
→ exit → grace period → container destroyedNext steps
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