feat: added devcontainers

.devcontainer/Dockerfile

@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+# Nessie Development Container
+# Based on the project's requirements and existing Docker setup
+
+FROM openjdk:21-jdk-slim
+
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.source=https://github.com/pirate-baby/nessie
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.description="Nessie Development Container"
+LABEL org.opencontainers.image.licenses=Apache-2.0
+
+# Set environment variables
+ENV LANGUAGE='en_US:en'
+ENV JAVA_HOME=/usr/local/openjdk-21
+ENV PATH="${JAVA_HOME}/bin:${PATH}"
+
+# Install development tools and dependencies
+USER root
+
+# Update packages and install development essentials
+RUN apt-get update && \
+    apt-get install -y \
+    git \
+    curl \
+    wget \
+    findutils \
+    tar \
+    gzip \
+    unzip \
+    procps \
+    sudo \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# Install Docker CLI (for potential Docker-in-Docker scenarios)
+RUN curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/static/stable/x86_64/docker-24.0.7.tgz | \
+    tar -xz -C /tmp && \
+    mv /tmp/docker/docker /usr/local/bin/ && \
+    rm -rf /tmp/docker
+
+# Create nessie user for development (matching project's pattern)
+RUN groupadd --gid 10001 nessie && \
+    useradd --uid 10000 --gid nessie --create-home --shell /bin/bash nessie && \
+    usermod -aG sudo nessie && \
+    echo "nessie ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL" >> /etc/sudoers
+
+# Set up workspace directory
+RUN mkdir -p /workspace && \
+    chown -R nessie:nessie /workspace
+
+# Switch to nessie user
+USER nessie
+WORKDIR /workspace
+
+# Set user environment
+ENV USER=nessie
+ENV UID=10000
+ENV HOME=/home/nessie
+
+# Verify Java installation
+RUN java --version && javac --version
+
+# Set the default command
+CMD ["/bin/bash"]

.devcontainer/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+# Nessie Development Container
+
+This directory contains a development container configuration for Project Nessie that provides a consistent, containerized development environment with all necessary tools pre-installed.
+
+## What's Included
+
+- **Java 21 JDK** - Full OpenJDK development environment
+- **Gradle** - Build tool (downloaded automatically via wrapper)
+- **Git** - Version control
+- **Docker CLI** - For container operations
+- **Development tools** - curl, wget, unzip, and other essentials
+- **VS Code extensions** - Java development pack, Gradle support
+- **User setup** - Non-root `nessie` user with sudo access
+
+## Quick Start
+
+### Option 1: VS Code Dev Containers (Recommended)
+
+1. Install the [Dev Containers extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-containers)
+2. Open the project in VS Code
+3. When prompted, click "Reopen in Container" or use `Ctrl+Shift+P` → "Dev Containers: Reopen in Container"
+4. Wait for the container to build and start
+
+### Option 2: Manual Docker Usage
+
+```bash
+# Build the development container
+docker build -f .devcontainer/Dockerfile -t nessie-dev .
+
+# Run a shell in the container
+docker run -it --rm -v $(pwd):/workspace -w /workspace nessie-dev bash
+
+# Test the setup
+./gradlew --version
+java --version
+```
+
+## Development Workflow
+
+Once in the container, you can use all the standard Nessie development commands:
+
+```bash
+# Basic smoke test
+./gradlew sAp compileAll jar codeChecks
+
+# Run tests
+./gradlew test
+
+# Run integration tests  
+./gradlew intTest
+
+# Build and run the server
+./gradlew :nessie-quarkus:quarkusBuild
+java -jar servers/quarkus-server/build/quarkus-app/quarkus-run.jar
+```
+
+The Nessie server will be available at http://localhost:19120 (automatically forwarded in VS Code).
+
+## Why Use This Dev Container?
+
+This addresses the common issues mentioned in Nessie's contributing docs:
+
+- ✅ **No "development on the metal"** - Everything runs in a safe, isolated container
+- ✅ **Linux-first environment** - Even on macOS/Windows, you get a consistent Linux environment  
+- ✅ **No Podman conflicts** - Uses Docker with a standard Debian base
+- ✅ **Pre-configured toolchain** - Java 21, Gradle, and all dependencies ready to go
+- ✅ **VS Code integration** - Full IDE support with proper Java language server setup
+
+## Container Details
+
+- **Base Image**: `openjdk:21-jdk-slim` (Debian-based)
+- **User**: `nessie` (UID 10000, GID 10001) 
+- **Working Directory**: `/workspace`
+- **Port Forwarding**: 19120 (Nessie server)
+- **Java Home**: `/usr/local/openjdk-21`
+
+## Customization
+
+You can modify the configuration by editing:
+- `.devcontainer/devcontainer.json` - VS Code settings, extensions, port forwarding
+- `.devcontainer/Dockerfile` - Container image, installed packages, environment
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+**Container won't start**: Ensure Docker is running and you have sufficient disk space.
+
+**Gradle issues**: The container automatically downloads Gradle via the wrapper. Make sure you have network access.
+
+**Permission errors**: The container runs as user `nessie` with sudo access. Files should be automatically owned correctly.
+
+**VS Code Java issues**: The container includes proper Java language server configuration. Reload VS Code if needed.

.devcontainer/devcontainer.json

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+{
+  "name": "Nessie Development",
+  "build": {
+    "dockerfile": "Dockerfile",
+    "context": "."
+  },
+  "features": {
+    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/git:1": {},
+    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/github-cli:1": {}
+  },
+  "customizations": {
+    "vscode": {
+      "extensions": [
+        "vscjava.vscode-java-pack",
+        "redhat.java",
+        "vscjava.vscode-gradle",
+        "ms-vscode.vscode-json",
+        "streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker"
+      ],
+      "settings": {
+        "java.configuration.runtimes": [
+          {
+            "name": "JavaSE-21",
+            "path": "/usr/local/openjdk-21"
+          }
+        ],
+        "java.compile.nullAnalysis.mode": "automatic"
+      }
+    }
+  },
+  "containerEnv": {
+    "JAVA_HOME": "/usr/local/openjdk-21"
+  },
+  "remoteUser": "nessie",
+  "workspaceFolder": "/workspace",
+  "mounts": [
+    "source=${localWorkspaceFolder},target=/workspace,type=bind,consistency=cached"
+  ],
+  "forwardPorts": [19120],
+  "portsAttributes": {
+    "19120": {
+      "label": "Nessie Server",
+      "onAutoForward": "notify"
+    }
+  },
+  "postCreateCommand": "./gradlew --version",
+  "remoteEnv": {
+    "PATH": "${containerEnv:PATH}:/usr/local/openjdk-21/bin"
+  }
+}

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -150,6 +150,19 @@ non-obvious platform differences.
 
 TL;DR It is fine to build code on macOS and Windows, but the reference platform is Linux.
 
+#### Development Container
+
+If you prefer not to develop on the metal, Nessie provides a VSCode `devcontainers` development container
+configuration that creates an isolated Linux environment with all required tools pre-installed.
+
+**Quick Start:**
+(Assumes you are using [VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) with the [Dev Containers extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-containers) )
+1. Open the project in VS Code
+2. When prompted, click "Reopen in Container" or use `Ctrl+Shift+P` → "Dev Containers: Reopen in Container"
+3. Wait for the container to build and start developing!
+
+For detailed instructions and manual Docker usage, see [`.devcontainer/README.md`](.devcontainer/README.md).
+
 #### Running tests on macOS
 
 In our CI we use Podman for macOS, initialized using the following sequence of commands,