Microsoft announced Dev Box back in May as a way for developers to get access to preconfigured environments to write code without worrying about architecture.
Back then, this new service was only available with a waitlist in private preview.
It is now in public preview.
Announcing its availability, Redmond talks about how this solution not only gives developers the flexibility that they need to be productive but also reduces headaches for IT admins when it comes to resource onboarding and hardware procurement, compliancy, and security.
These workstations integrate with Azure Development Environments, Intune, and Endpoint Manager, allowing you to get up and running in no time with existing project templates.
The company explains this new service best:
“With Microsoft Dev Box, developers can focus on writing the code only they can write instead of trying to get a working environment that can build and run the code. Dev boxes are ready-to-code and preconfigured by the team with all the tools and settings developers need for their projects and tasks. Developers can create their own dev boxes whenever they need to quickly switch between projects, experiment on a proof-of-concept, or kick off a full build in the background while they move on to the next task.
Microsoft Dev Box supports any developer IDE, SDK, or tool that runs on Windows. Developers can target any development workload that can be built from Windows including desktop, mobile, IoT, and web applications. Microsoft Dev Box even supports building cross-platform apps thanks to Windows Subsystem for Linux and Windows Subsystem for Android. Remote access gives developers the flexibility to securely access dev boxes from any device, whether it’s Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, or a web browser.”
Developers have the option of working with virtual machines ranging from a 4 vCPU / 16GB SKU up to a 32 vCPU / 128GB SKU.
Security is at the heart of the product too, since developers will be dealing with sensitive code. Dev boxes are kept up to date using expediate quality updates to deploy 0-day patches across the organization, as well as compromised device isolation.
Pricing for the service is based on hourly usage and is highly dependent on your resource consumption. During the preview period, organizations can get the first 15 hours for free every month.
You can learn more about Microsoft Dev Box here on this dedicated page.
