Using Python linters with Docker in VS Code

Question

I'm trying to make Python linters to work in VS Code when Python and all packages are installed in a Docker container.

I didn't use linters before. But as far as I understand how linters work (at least in VS Code), I need to point VS Code to Python interpreter and set paths to packages if needed. And this becomes a problem if everything is installed in Docker container.

I'm trying to use only Docker features. What I came up with is the following:

1. Bind mount Python directory to some local folder
2. Select Python interpreter in VS Code from that folder
3. If needed, add directories for installed packages in a similar way (but I didn't manage to reach this stage yet)

I tried to implement everything using Django sample project from Docker docs, so my files looks like following

docker-compose.yml

version: '3'

services:
    db:
        image: postgres
    web:
        build: .
        command: python3 manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000
        volumes:
        - .:/code
        - ./.vscode/python:/usr/local/lib/python3.7  # The problem is here
        ports:
        - "8000:8000"
        depends_on:
        - db

Dockerfile

FROM python:3
ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED 1
RUN mkdir /code
WORKDIR /code
ADD requirements.txt /code/
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
ADD . /code/

requirements.txt

Django
psycopg2

Django project works when the line - ./.vscode/python:/usr/local/lib/python3.7 is commented. But when I am trying to bind mount Python folder the same way as /code folder mounted, I not only don't have content of this folder accessible locally, but Django project stops working.

Is it possible to mount Python executable in this way? Or maybe there is a better way to use arbitrary Python linters while using VS Code and Docker? It would be great to avoid:

• creating locally the same environment as in Docker container
• installing extensions that don't allow to use arbitrary linters

Answer 1

Not the Docker side, just some VS code considerations

VS Code relies on two mechanisms for resolving python highlighing: environment and linter.

For environment you can check https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/python/environments, which basically says either python is availsble on the system in path, or pick virtual environmrnt you create, or provide a path to python executable in json.

https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/python/linting tells to install linter with pip, runnable from environment you configured or provide a path to linter in json.

So it looks the only things you need to replicate VSCode python linting is python executabe, installation of pylint and json configuration for vscode.