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Required software

Before you can use the TurtleBot3 ROS2 Jazzy Dev Container, you need to install the following software on your host machine:

Docker

Container runtime for building and running the development environment

VS Code

Code editor with Dev Containers extension support

Dev Containers

VS Code extension for working inside containers

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Docker

Docker is required to build and run the containerized development environment. Windows/macOS:
  • Download and install Docker Desktop
  • Docker Desktop includes everything you need in a single installer
Linux:
  • Install Docker Engine following the official guide for your distribution
  • Docker Compose is included with modern Docker installations
On Windows, Docker Desktop requires WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux 2). The installer will help you set this up if it’s not already enabled.

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VS Code

Visual Studio Code is the recommended editor for working with dev containers.

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Dev Containers extension

The Dev Containers extension enables VS Code to work seamlessly with Docker containers.
1

Open VS Code

Launch Visual Studio Code on your system
2

Open Extensions

Click the Extensions icon in the sidebar or press Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+X (macOS)
3

Search and install

Search for “Dev Containers” and install the extension by Microsoft
4

Reload if needed

Reload VS Code if prompted after installation
The Dev Containers extension ID is ms-vscode-remote.remote-containers. Make sure you install the official Microsoft extension.

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System requirements

Your computer needs sufficient resources to run Docker containers and simulate a robot environment.

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Minimum requirements

These are the bare minimum specs. The container will run but performance may be limited.
  • CPU: 4 cores
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Disk Space: 20 GB free
  • OS: Windows 10/11, macOS 10.15+, or any modern Linux distribution
These specs will provide smooth performance for development and simulation.
  • CPU: 6+ cores
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • Disk Space: 50 GB free
  • GPU: Optional but recommended for better Gazebo performance
  • OS: Windows 10/11, macOS 11+, or Linux with kernel 4.x+

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Supported operating systems

Windows:
  • Windows 10 version 21H2 or later
  • Windows 11 (any version)
  • WSL 2 must be enabled for Docker Desktop
macOS:
  • macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later
  • Both Intel and Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) are supported
Linux:
  • Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, 24.04
  • Debian 11+
  • Fedora 37+
  • Any distribution with Docker support and kernel 4.x or later

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Hardware considerations

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GPU support

The container can use your GPU for hardware-accelerated graphics in Gazebo:
  • Linux: Native GPU support via /dev/dri device passthrough
  • Windows: Limited GPU support through WSL 2
  • macOS: No direct GPU support, uses software rendering
If you experience graphics issues, the container automatically falls back to software rendering. You can force software rendering by setting LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1.

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Disk space breakdown

Here’s what uses disk space in the container:
  • Ubuntu 24.04 base image: ~1 GB
  • ROS2 Jazzy packages: ~2 GB
  • Gazebo Harmonic: ~500 MB
  • TurtleBot3 source code: ~50 MB
  • Build artifacts: ~500 MB
  • Container overhead: ~200 MB
Total: Approximately 4-5 GB for the container plus workspace files

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Memory allocation

Docker Desktop (Windows/macOS) limits container memory by default:
1

Open Docker Desktop settings

Click the Docker icon in your system tray and select Settings
2

Navigate to Resources

Go to Resources → Advanced (Windows) or Resources (macOS)
3

Adjust memory

Set Memory to at least 8 GB (16 GB recommended)
4

Adjust CPUs

Allocate at least 4 CPU cores (6+ recommended)
5

Apply changes

Click “Apply & Restart” to save the changes
On Linux, Docker uses your system resources directly without limits. No additional configuration is needed.

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Network requirements

The container requires internet access during the initial build:
  • Docker Hub: To download the base image (osrf/ros:jazzy-desktop-full-noble)
  • GitHub: To clone TurtleBot3 repositories
  • Ubuntu/ROS repositories: To install packages
  • OSRF repositories: To install Gazebo Harmonic
After the initial build, the container can run offline. Only rebuilding or updating packages requires internet access.

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Port forwarding

The container forwards these ports to your host:
PortServiceDescription
6080noVNCBrowser-based desktop access
5901VNCDirect VNC client access
If port 6080 is already in use on your system, you’ll need to modify .devcontainer/devcontainer.json to use a different port.

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Verification checklist

Before proceeding to installation, verify you have:
  • Docker installed and running
  • VS Code installed
  • Dev Containers extension installed in VS Code
  • At least 8 GB RAM allocated to Docker (16 GB recommended)
  • At least 20 GB free disk space (50 GB recommended)
  • Internet connection for initial setup
  • Ports 6080 and 5901 available
You can verify Docker is working by running docker --version and docker run hello-world in your terminal.

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Next steps

Once you’ve verified all prerequisites are met, proceed to the installation guide to set up the project.

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