A lightweight, open-source orchestrator to spin up ephemeral remote development environments in seconds using Docker. Work from anywhere on any device while maintaining full control of your infrastructure.
Modern development demands consistent, reproducible environments—yet cloud-based IDE services often come with hefty price tags and restrictive data policies. Litepod changes that.
Instead of expensive SaaS solutions, Litepod empowers developers to:
- 🏠 Host their own development pods on personal infrastructure (VPS, Raspberry Pi, local Linux machines)
- 🔐 Keep full control of their code, data, and resources
- 🌍 Work from anywhere with just a web browser
- 💰 Reduce costs dramatically compared to traditional cloud IDEs
- ⚡ Set up in seconds instead of hours
| Feature | Benefit |
|---|---|
| One-Click Setup | Spin up a complete dev environment with a single CLI command |
| Persistent Storage | Your files and configurations remain safe between sessions |
| Custom Environments | Pre-configured Docker images for Go, Rust, Node.js, Python, and more |
| Browser-Ready IDE | Seamless VS Code integration via code-server |
| Lightweight | Uses resource-efficient Docker containers, not heavy VMs |
| Multi-User Ready | Host multiple development pods simultaneously |
| SSH Access | Direct terminal access for power users |
| Zero Setup Overhead | No complex configuration required to get started |
- Docker (v20.10+)
- Docker Compose (v2.0+)
- Linux-based host (WSL2 on Windows, native on macOS with Lima)
Via Binary (Recommended)
# Download the latest release
curl -sSL https://github.com/Arnel-rah/litepod/releases/latest/download/litepod-linux-x86_64 \
-o litepod && chmod +x litepod && sudo mv litepod /usr/local/bin/Via Source
git clone https://github.com/Arnel-rah/litepod.git
cd litepod
make build
sudo mv ./dist/litepod /usr/local/bin/Via Package Manager
# Homebrew (macOS)
brew tap Arnel-rah/litepod
brew install litepod
# Arch Linux
yay -S litepod
# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install litepod# Basic: Create a development pod from current directory
litepod up
# Advanced: Specify project path and custom image
litepod up ./my-project --image golang:latest
# List running pods
litepod list
# Connect via browser
open http://localhost:3000
# Stop a pod
litepod down pod-name
# Clean up all pods
litepod down --alllitepod up ./my-app --image node:18-bullseyelitepod up ./rust-project --image rust:latestlitepod up ./data-analysis --image python:3.11-slim --resources cpu=2,memory=4Glitepod up ./project \
--name my-dev-env \
--image ubuntu:22.04 \
--port 3000 \
--volume /home/user/projects:/workspace \
--env NODE_ENV=development \
--resources cpu=4,memory=8GCreate a .litepod.yml in your project root for persistent settings:
name: my-project
image: node:18-bullseye
port: 3000
volume:
- /home/user/projects:/workspace
environment:
NODE_ENV: development
DEBUG: true
resources:
cpu: 2
memory: 4G
persistence:
enabled: true
path: /var/lib/litepod/volumes- Installation Guide
- Configuration Reference
- Custom Docker Images
- Networking & Security
- Troubleshooting
- API Reference
- CLI Reference
| Feature | Litepod | Cloud IDE | Local Dev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 🟢 Free | 🔴 $$$/month | 🟢 Free |
| Data Privacy | 🟢 Full Control | 🔴 Third-party | 🟢 Local |
| Setup Time | 🟢 <30 seconds | 🟢 <1 minute | 🔴 Hours |
| Device Flexibility | 🟢 Browser-based | 🟢 Browser-based | 🔴 Fixed machine |
| Resource Control | 🟢 Full | 🔴 Limited | 🟢 Full |
| Collaboration | 🟡 Partial | 🟢 Built-in | 🔴 Complex |
| Infrastructure | 🟢 Self-hosted | 🔴 Vendor-locked | 🟢 Local |
Litepod works with any Docker image, but comes with optimized templates for:
- Go - Go 1.21+
- Rust - Latest stable
- Node.js - 16, 18, 20
- Python - 3.9, 3.10, 3.11, 3.12
- Java - OpenJDK 17, 21
- PHP - 8.1, 8.2, 8.3
- Ruby - 3.1, 3.2, 3.3
- C/C++ - GCC, Clang
- Isolated Containers: Each pod runs in its own isolated Docker container
- Network Segmentation: Pods are isolated by default
- User Authentication: Built-in authentication layer
- Encrypted Communication: TLS/SSL support
- No Data Sharing: Your code never leaves your infrastructure
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your Server/Machine │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Litepod Daemon │
│ ├── Pod Manager │
│ ├── Docker Integration │
│ ├── Volume Manager │
│ └── Network Manager │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Docker Containers (Dev Pods) │
│ ├── Pod 1 (code-server + tools) │
│ ├── Pod 2 (code-server + tools) │
│ └── Pod N (code-server + tools) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
↑
Browser Access (HTTP/HTTPS)
↑
Your Laptop, Tablet, Phone
We love contributions! Here's how to get started:
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - Make your changes and add tests
- Commit with clear messages (
git commit -m 'Add amazing feature') - Push to your fork (
git push origin feature/amazing-feature) - Open a Pull Request
git clone https://github.com/Arnel-rah/litepod.git
cd litepod
make dev # Install dependencies and build
make test # Run test suite
make fmt # Format code
make lint # Run linter- Follow existing code style
- Write tests for new features
- Update documentation accordingly
- Ensure all tests pass before submitting PR
See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.
- Report bugs: GitHub Issues
- View roadmap: Roadmap
- Request features: Discussions
- Kubernetes integration
- Web-based file manager
- Built-in collaboration tools
- Automated backups
- Health monitoring dashboard
- Multi-region support
- GPU support for ML workloads
# Run all tests
make test
# Run specific test
make test TEST=TestPodCreation
# Run with coverage
make test-coverageLitepod is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.
This means you can freely use, modify, and distribute Litepod for any purpose, including commercial projects.
- GitHub Issues: Report bugs or request features
- GitHub Discussions: Ask questions & share ideas
- Discord: Join our community (Coming soon)
- Twitter: @litepod_dev (Coming soon)
- 🎯 First time? Start with the Quick Start
- ❓ Have questions? Check FAQ
- 🐛 Found a bug? Open an issue
- 💡 Have ideas? Start a discussion
Litepod is inspired by the amazing work of:
- code-server - VS Code in the browser
- Docker - Container platform
- Devpod - Developer environments as code
- Podman - Container engine
- Container startup time: < 5 seconds
- IDE responsiveness: < 100ms latency
- Memory footprint: ~300MB per pod
- Disk usage: ~2GB per pod (base image)
Made with ❤️ by the Litepod community
Start contributing today: GitHub