# What kind of compatibility do we expect for dev containers?

**URL:** <https://discuss.python.org/t/what-kind-of-compatibility-do-we-expect-for-dev-containers/72366>\
**Category:** Core Development\
**Created:** [November 25, 2024, 7:44pm UTC](https://discuss.python.org/t/what-kind-of-compatibility-do-we-expect-for-dev-containers/72366 "2024-11-25T19:44:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![brettcannon](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discuss.python.org/brettcannon/32/34895_2.png) [@brettcannon](https://discuss.python.org/u/brettcannon)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2024, 7:44pm UTC](https://discuss.python.org/t/what-kind-of-compatibility-do-we-expect-for-dev-containers/72366/1 "2024-11-25T19:44:05Z")

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[GitHub - python/cpython-devcontainers: Repository for devcontainers of CPython](https://github.com/python/cpython-devcontainers) has the various containers we use for development in some form (right now it’s the container that’s used to keep autoconf working and another to make it easier for folks to contribute). But one thing that hasn’t been widely discussed is what sort of compatibility do we expect for these containers?

Using the dev container as an example, do we expect such a container to be compatible at all times with all versions of Python? Or do we expect a certain container build to stay compatible once we branch off for a beta? Or put another way, would we expect to always have the `latest` label work for the dev container for all actively maintained Python versions, or would we want to set it once we branch for beta to a specific version and leave it there?

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**Author:** ![corona10](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discuss.python.org/corona10/32/9943_2.png) [@corona10](https://discuss.python.org/u/corona10)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 1:32am UTC](https://discuss.python.org/t/what-kind-of-compatibility-do-we-expect-for-dev-containers/72366/2 "2024-11-26T01:32:10Z")

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Maybe @hugovk is interested in this topic.

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**Author:** ![hugovk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discuss.python.org/hugovk/32/14505_2.png) [@hugovk](https://discuss.python.org/u/hugovk)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2024, 8:44am UTC](https://discuss.python.org/t/what-kind-of-compatibility-do-we-expect-for-dev-containers/72366/3 "2024-11-26T08:44:31Z")

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If we’re encouraging these for people to contribute with and use at sprints, then I think bugfix and newer branches (right now, 3.12+) sounds reasonable for compatibility.