BadgerDock

BadgerDock is an independent native Visual Studio Code extension for building, publishing, pulling and deploying container images. It does not require Microsoft Container Tools or a separate Desk server.

Early release: the native extension host has been verified on macOS. Windows, Linux, Intel/Apple Silicon runtime parity, real registry pushes and complete production deployments have not all been verified. Container debugging, Compose scaffolding, Podman selection and a Kubernetes resource explorer are planned; they are not included in this release.

Requirements

• VS Code 1.100 or later, running as a desktop UI extension.
• Docker CLI and a running Docker endpoint for image operations.
• kubectl and an existing kubeconfig for Kubernetes manifest deployment.
• Git for cloning repositories and optional managed source builds.
• Optional BadgerFlow bundle workflows additionally require compatible, checksum-verified seed bundles and Python 3, OpenSSH, openssl, zstd, tar and platform tools appropriate to the selected operation.

No separate Node installation or npm install is required for normal extension use. Operations use tools on the local computer, including in Remote SSH windows. Restricted Mode and virtual workspaces do not support execution.

Build

Open the BadgerDock Activity Bar. The Build view discovers workspace Dockerfiles; click one to open it in the editor. Right-click and choose Build Image, or use the Build toolbar action. Review the context folder, image tag and target architecture. The operation runs as a Docker task in the integrated terminal and records the full image identity only after a successful build.

Publish

Choose a project or a verified bundle. Publish normally lists only that source's images, including bundle dependencies. It checks full image IDs and architecture before tagging/pushing and rechecks after destination confirmation. Missing or changed tags are blocked. Docker's existing registry login is used; credentials are not stored in extension settings. Show All Local Images is an explicit, optional override and is off by default.

Pull

Enter a registry tag or digest, or select a recent reference, to run docker pull. This works without local publishing history. Recent references are not a full remote registry catalog.

Deploy

Choose a kubeconfig context and a Kubernetes YAML file, then confirm the target. BadgerDock runs kubectl with an explicit context and streams output to the terminal. The manifest must provide its own intended images, namespaces, configuration and image-pull credentials. Pulling an image alone does not deploy an application. The Deploy view lists contexts; it is not a Kubernetes resource browser.

Optional BadgerFlow bundles

Open BadgerFlow Workflow for specialized bundle build, verified inventory, GHCR publish/pull, Docker Desktop Kubernetes and RHEL VM operations. These are compatible-bundle workflows, not general-purpose release orchestration.

Set Bundle Root and Source Repository explicitly before using managed builds. Fresh installations do not select a private source repository or VM account. Configure the VM host, SSH account and browser IP yourself; saved connections are retained. VM passwords use native masked input and are not saved. Changed SSH host identities are blocked. Fresh rehearsal accounts receive unique generated passwords; existing installations must reuse their saved private credentials. Rehearsals use development infrastructure and are not production security setups.

The native backend runs in an isolated worker without an HTTP listener. Closing VS Code stops owned access forwards; already-started CLI jobs may continue. Inspect saved job state and logs before retrying. Do not run competing operations against the same target from another application.

Updating from the private 0.0.1 release

The extension identifier remains influenceai-tech.badgerdock. Update under the same identifier to retain VS Code global storage and existing receiver connection state. Retain private state and bundle folders; do not copy them into the extension installation. A new version does not reset an existing deployment's credentials. Reload the window after changing Bundle Root. Removing the extension does not remove your Docker images, cluster resources, bundles or external deployment state.

Privacy and support

The extension uses local CLI tools and your existing credential stores. Invoked operations may contact the source repository, registry, Kubernetes cluster or SSH target you select. Private state is kept in VS Code global storage and the existing receiver state location. No credentials, private state, container images or models are included in the release package. Review operation output before sharing logs.

Report reproducible issues through your organization's BadgerDock repository contact. The source repository may require authorization; it is not a public support portal. Include extension/VS Code/OS versions and sanitized output.

License

Copyright (c) 2026 influenceai-tech. All rights reserved. BadgerDock is proprietary; installation and use of official releases is permitted under LICENSE.txt. Ownership is retained by influenceai-tech. Public availability is not an open-source license.

Building a VSIX

Run npm test, then npm run package. For reproducible archives, set SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH to the timestamp of the source commit before packaging. Review the archive contents and SHA-256 checksum before publishing. Installing or downloading the extension does not grant permission to redistribute its code or publish modified copies.