For years, I used the same PowerShell script to spin up Business Central containers. I didn't write it. Someone shared it with me, and I just kept using it.
It worked fine most of the time. But every time I needed a new container, I had to open the script, change a few values, and figure things out again. I always felt there should be an easier way.
So I built one.
BC Docker Manager
A VS Code extension that lets you create and manage BC Docker containers without PowerShell scripts, without Docker Desktop, and without BcContainerHelper.
Features:
- Browse every BC version from the Microsoft CDN (Sandbox and OnPrem)
- Create containers in 3 clicks with a guided wizard
- Generate launch.json, compile AL apps inside the container, publish with one click
- One click environment setup for Hyper-V and Docker Engine
- Manage users, databases, networking, and SSL
- Save and load container profiles for different projects
- Live monitoring with container stats, logs, and event log viewer
- Database backup and restore
- Bulk operations to start, stop, or remove multiple containers
Why now?
Microsoft announced that BcContainerHelper is being retired. If your workflow depends on it, this is a good time to look at other options.
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