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The TurtleBot3 ROS2 Jazzy Dev Container integrates multiple open-source technologies to create a complete robotics development environment. This page details each technology, its version, and its role in the stack.

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Container technologies

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Docker

Docker provides the containerization foundation for the entire environment. The container is built from the official OSRF (Open Source Robotics Foundation) ROS2 base image. Base image: osrf/ros:jazzy-desktop-full-noble
  • Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat)
  • Pre-installed ROS2 Jazzy desktop-full variant
  • Official OSRF-maintained image
Container configuration: 
"runArgs": [
  "--network=host",
  "--privileged",
  "--shm-size=2gb",
  "--device=/dev/dri:/dev/dri"
]
The --privileged flag and device mounting enable GPU acceleration for Gazebo and RViz2.

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VS Code Dev Containers

VS Code Dev Containers allow you to develop inside the Docker container with a native development experience. Installed extensions:
  • ms-python.python - Python language support
  • ms-vscode.cpptools - C/C++ IntelliSense and debugging
  • ms-vscode.cmake-tools - CMake integration
  • twxs.cmake - CMake language support
  • ms-iot.vscode-ros - ROS development tools
Features:
  • common-utils - Essential development utilities
  • desktop-lite - Lightweight desktop environment with noVNC

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noVNC desktop

Provides browser-based access to a full Linux desktop environment. Configuration:
  • Web port: 6080 (automatically opens in browser)
  • VNC port: 5901
  • Password: ros
  • Virtual display: :1
Access the desktop by navigating to http://localhost:6080 in any web browser. No additional VNC client needed.

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ROS2 framework

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ROS2 Jazzy Jalisco

ROS2 Jazzy is the latest LTS (Long Term Support) release of the Robot Operating System 2. Distribution: jazzy Base OS: Ubuntu 24.04 Noble Installation variant: desktop-full Included packages:
  • Core ROS2 libraries and tools
  • rviz2 - 3D visualization
  • rqt and rqt-common-plugins - Qt-based GUI tools
  • robot-state-publisher - Robot state publishing
  • joint-state-publisher - Joint state management
  • xacro - XML macro language for robot description
  • tf2-ros and tf2-tools - Transform library

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CycloneDDS

Data Distribution Service (DDS) middleware for ROS2 communication. Implementation: rmw_cyclonedds_cpp 
export RMW_IMPLEMENTATION=rmw_cyclonedds_cpp
CycloneDDS is selected for improved performance and reliability compared to the default FastDDS implementation, especially in containerized environments. The navigation stack provides autonomous navigation capabilities. Installed packages:
  • ros-jazzy-navigation2 - Core navigation framework
  • ros-jazzy-nav2-bringup - Launch configurations
Capabilities:
  • Path planning
  • Obstacle avoidance
  • Behavior trees
  • Recovery behaviors
  • Waypoint following

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Cartographer

SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) implementation. Installed packages:
  • ros-jazzy-cartographer - Core SLAM algorithm
  • ros-jazzy-cartographer-ros - ROS2 integration
Features:
  • Real-time mapping
  • Loop closure detection
  • 2D and 3D SLAM support

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Simulation stack

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Gazebo Harmonic

Gazebo is the physics-based 3D robot simulator. Version: Harmonic (latest stable release) Package: gz-harmonic 
export GZ_VERSION=harmonic
Capabilities:
  • Physics simulation (ODE, Bullet, Simbody engines)
  • Sensor simulation (lidar, cameras, IMU)
  • Actuator modeling
  • Material properties
  • Lighting and shadows
Installed worlds:
  • Empty world - Minimal testing environment
  • TurtleBot3 world - Obstacles and walls for navigation testing
  • House environment - Complex indoor space

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ROS-Gazebo bridge

Connects ROS2 and Gazebo for bidirectional communication. Package: ros-jazzy-ros-gz Functions:
  • Publishes Gazebo sensor data to ROS2 topics
  • Forwards ROS2 commands to Gazebo actuators
  • Synchronizes simulation time with ROS2 clock

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TurtleBot3 packages

TurtleBot3 is a low-cost, open-source mobile robot platform. Robot model: Burger (smallest variant) 
export TURTLEBOT3_MODEL=burger
Repositories cloned (all on jazzy branch):
  1. DynamixelSDK - Motor control library
  2. turtlebot3_msgs - Message definitions
  3. turtlebot3 - Core packages
  4. turtlebot3_simulations - Gazebo integration
All repositories are cloned on the jazzy branch during the post-create phase.

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Build system

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colcon

The official ROS2 build system. Package: python3-colcon-common-extensions Build command: 
colcon build --symlink-install
Workspace structure:
  • src/ - Source packages
  • build/ - CMake build files
  • install/ - Installed packages
  • log/ - Build logs

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rosdep

Dependency management for ROS packages. Package: python3-rosdep Usage: 
rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y
Automatically installs all package dependencies declared in package.xml files.

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vcstool

Version control system tool for managing multiple repositories. Package: python3-vcstool While not actively used in the default setup, it’s available for managing custom repository collections.

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Graphics stack

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OpenGL and Mesa

Provides 3D graphics rendering for Gazebo and RViz2. Installed packages:
  • mesa-utils - OpenGL testing utilities
  • libglx-mesa0 - GLX runtime library
  • libgl1-mesa-dri - DRI drivers
  • mesa-vulkan-drivers - Vulkan support
Rendering modes:
  1. Hardware acceleration (default when GPU available):
unset LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE
  1. Software rendering (fallback for compatibility):
export LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1
The post-create script automatically detects GPU capabilities and configures the appropriate rendering mode.

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Qt platform

Graphical framework used by RViz2 and rqt tools. 
export QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb
Configured to use the X11 windowing system through the XCB (X protocol C-language Binding) backend.

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Development tools

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Programming languages

Python 3.12
  • Default interpreter: /usr/bin/python3
  • Packages: setuptools, numpy, transforms3d
C++17
  • Compiler: GCC (Ubuntu 24.04 default)
  • Build tools: CMake, Make

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Version control

Git - Distributed version control system
  • Used to clone TurtleBot3 repositories
  • Available for custom package management

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Text editors

  • Vim - Terminal-based editor
  • VS Code - Primary IDE (runs on host, connects to container)

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Teleoperation tools

Keyboard teleoperation:
  • Package: ros-jazzy-teleop-twist-keyboard
  • Alias: tb3_teleop
  • Controls: i/j/k/l/,
Joystick teleoperation:
  • Package: ros-jazzy-teleop-twist-joy
  • Requires physical joystick device

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Environment variables

All key environment variables are set in devcontainer.json and configured in post-create.sh: 
ROS_DISTRO=jazzy                    # ROS2 version
ROS_DOMAIN_ID=30                    # Network isolation
TURTLEBOT3_MODEL=burger             # Robot model selection
RMW_IMPLEMENTATION=rmw_cyclonedds_cpp  # DDS middleware
GZ_VERSION=harmonic                 # Gazebo version
DISPLAY=:1                          # VNC display
QT_QPA_PLATFORM=xcb                 # Qt windowing

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License information

All components use open-source licenses:
  • ROS2 Jazzy: Apache 2.0
  • Gazebo: Apache 2.0
  • TurtleBot3: Apache 2.0
  • Ubuntu: Various open-source licenses
  • Docker: Apache 2.0

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