Welcome
Capabilities of DevOps Loop
HCL DevOps Loop provides an integrated suite of capabilities such as Plan, Code, Control, Build, Test, Release, Deploy and Measure to manage every stage of the software development lifecycle within a connected, continuous loop.
Code
Code is a cloud-based IDE that is part of HCL DevOps Loop, allowing developers to write, compile, build, and debug code directly in the browser without requiring local setup.
Configuring dev containers
As a teamspace admin in Code, you can configure the dev containers so that they are available to the team members.
Loading extensions from local .vsix files
Using Code, you can install and activate extensions in an offline or air-gapped environment by loading them from local .vsix files specified in the dev container configuration.

Release Notes
This document includes information about the features introduced, a product overview, and installation instructions, as well as contact information of HCL Customer Support for this version of HCL DevOps Loop.
System Requirements
This document includes information about hardware and software requirements for HCL DevOps Loop.
Getting Started
HCL DevOps Loop is a platform designed to support the full DevOps lifecycle. The Getting Started section introduces key concepts and walks through the initial steps to help new users begin working with the platform.
Administration
This section provides information on administration, installation, configuration, and integrations and teamspace management.
Working with Loops
A loop is a workflow that connects DevOps activities of your team from planning and development through build, deployment, testing, and release phases.
Capabilities of DevOps Loop
HCL DevOps Loop provides an integrated suite of capabilities such as Plan, Code, Control, Build, Test, Release, Deploy and Measure to manage every stage of the software development lifecycle within a connected, continuous loop.
- Plan
  Plan is a change management software application within the DevOps Loop that supports seamless ticket creation, tracking, and comprehensive issue management. With customizable workflow automation, it helps teams to streamline and adapt processes to meet their unique business requirements while preparing work for the next stages of the loop.
- Code
  Code is a cloud-based IDE that is part of HCL DevOps Loop, allowing developers to write, compile, build, and debug code directly in the browser without requiring local setup.
  - Code overview
    Code is a cloud-based integrated development environment on HCL DevOps Loop, with which you can write, compile, build, and debug software applications in a so-called dev container, accessible directly from a web browser. The editor provides a completely configured development environment with preinstalled extensions, tools, and libraries. You can start coding without the need to set up the environment on your local machine.
  - User interface
    The Code user interface offers key features that are designed to facilitate navigation, file management, source control, debugging, and extension management within the browser IDE.
  - Switching to your teamspace
    You can switch to your teamspace to access team-specific development containers and their pre-configured settings.
  - Working with dev containers
    You can launch a dev container to load your specific development environment and begin active development tasks.
  - Dev containers
    You can use this information to understand why and when to choose between available dev containers. You should choose the Starter container when you need basic tasks, or a preconfigured container when your project requires a customized environment (like Node.js or Java) assigned by an administrator.
  - Git authentication for dev containers
    You can use Git within a dev container to ensure version control and collaboration while keeping your environment isolated.
  - Configuring dev containers
    As a teamspace admin in Code, you can configure the dev containers so that they are available to the team members.
    - Loading extensions from local .vsix files
      Using Code, you can install and activate extensions in an offline or air-gapped environment by loading them from local .vsix files specified in the dev container configuration.
    - Installing GitHub Copilot in dev containers
      As an admin, you can install the GitHub Copilot extension to enable AI-powered code suggestions, and chat assistance within your dev container.
  - Extensions
    You can use extensions to specialize the Code IDE, integrating tools for coding, debugging, version control, and more. You can deploy them during initial project setups or to ensure workflow consistency in containerized and offline environments.
  - Access applications via automatic port forwarding
    You can access applications running within your dev container from your local machine as Code automatically detects and forwards listening ports (7000–8000), to ensure uninterrupted interaction with containerized services.
  - File management features
    You can transfer files between your local computer and dev container, and simplify your development workflow.
- Control
  Control manages source code within the DevOps Loop using GitHub compatible APIs that integrate with existing developer tools, workflows, and automation. It supports version management, collaboration, and code governance as development progresses.
- Build
  Build is a build management platform within the DevOps Loop that supports application development, continuous integration, and artifact storage. Its template-driven approach helps teams standardize processes, enforce policies, and integrate testing into their workflows.
- Test
  Test Hub centralizes test data, environments, test runs, and reports in a single web based interface within the DevOps Loop. It streamlines test management, execution, and tracking, providing greater efficiency and visibility to ensure quality throughout the loop.
- Release
  Release standardizes and automates the software release lifecycle with the DevOps Loop, moving applications smoothly from preproduction to production. It provides predictable scheduling, integrates changes from planning tools, and gives stakeholders clear visibility into plans and milestones.
- Deploy
  Deploy standardizes and simplifies the rollout of software components across environments withing the DevOps Loop. Its release automation tools improve deployment speed and reliability, providing visibility into multi-tiered deployments and orchestrating complex processes across environments and approval gates.
- Measure
  Measure provides end-to-end visibility into the DevOps loop, giving teams to track how value is created throughout the work flow. It consolidates testing, security, and performance metrics to identify bottlenecks, team issues, and opportunities for improvement while strengthening governance across the organization.
Loop Genie - Tech Preview
Loop Genie is an AI-powered, multi-agent chatbot integrated into DevOps Loop. It performs tasks and retrieves information across multiple capabilities through a single conversational interface.
Troubleshooting
Offline Documentation (PDF)
You can access the following link to view or download the release notes, system requirements, and user documentation for DevOps Loop in a Portable Document Format (PDF) file.
Security Considerations
This document describes the actions that you can take to ensure that your installation is secure, customize your security settings, and set up user access controls in HCL DevOps Loop.
Notices
This document provides information about copyright, trademarks, terms and conditions for the product documentation.

Loading extensions from local `.vsix` files

Using Code, you can install and activate extensions in an offline or air-gapped environment by loading them from local .vsix files specified in the dev container configuration.

About this task

You can load extensions from a local .vsix file by specifying a relative path. This approach allows offline or air-gapped environments to activate extensions and is also necessary for proprietary extensions that should not be published publicly, without requiring access to the Open VSX registry.

Procedure

Place your .vsix extension files into a local folder, such as extensions/ inside a cloned .devopsconfig repository:
This allows offline environments to access the extensions without connecting to the Open VSX registry.

Reference the local .vsix files in your dev container configuration file (devcontainer.json):

devcontainer.json example:

{
  "name": "Node",
  "description": "Node codeserver environment with offline extensions",
  "build": {
    "dockerfile": "./Dockerfile"
  },
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": [
        "IBM.wca-core-1.6.2.vsix",
        "ms-python.python-2025.14.0.vsix"
      ]
    }
  }
}

You can specify the exact version of each extension you want to install and control updates centrally.

Update your Dockerfile to copy the extensions folder into the container during build:

Dockerfile example:

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/javascript-node:1-22-bookworm

ENV DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive

RUN apt-get update && \
    apt-get install -y sudo curl git gnupg pass pinentry-tty && \
    apt-get clean

RUN curl -fsSL https://github.com/git-ecosystem/git-credential-manager/releases/download/v2.6.1/gcm-linux_amd64.2.6.1.tar.gz -o gcm.tar.gz \
    && tar -xvf gcm.tar.gz -C /usr/local/bin \
    && rm -rf gcm.tar.gz \
    && git-credential-manager configure

RUN curl -fsSL https://code-server.dev/install.sh | sh -s -- --version=4.103.2

COPY extensions /opt/extensions/

USER 1001

CMD ["tail", "-f", "/dev/null"]

This ensures the extensions are installed automatically when the container is set up.

Build and run the dev container:
The extension manager will detect the local .vsix files and install them during container startup.

Results

You have successfully installed and activated extensions in your dev container using local .vsix files. The extensions are now immediately available for use.