NAS DevBox — Development Box

Run a full Linux development environment on your NAS — safely inside a container — without modifying the NAS operating system.

NAS DevBox turns your NAS into a remote Linux workstation while keeping Docker and storage on the host.

Key features

• Full Ubuntu environment accessible via SSH
• No changes to the NAS OS
• Projects stored directly on NAS storage
• Manage host Docker from inside the dev container
• Isolated, disposable development environment

Ideal for homelabs, self-hosted setups, and lightweight remote development.

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Architecture

Your PC ── SSH ──► Dev Container (Ubuntu)
                       │
                       ▼
                 Docker Engine (NAS)
                       │
                       ▼
                 Project Containers

How it works

• The NAS runs Docker normally
• DevBox runs an Ubuntu container with development tools
• Your projects live on the NAS and are mounted into /workspace
• The container controls host Docker via the Docker socket

No changes to the NAS firmware or OS are required.

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Requirements

• NAS with Docker installed
• SSH access to the NAS
• A directory for projects on the NAS (e.g. /volume1/projects)

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Quick Start

1. Create a projects directory on the NAS

mkdir -p /volume1/projects

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2. Clone the repository

mkdir -p /volume1/home/devbox
cd /volume1/home/devbox
git clone https://github.com/loglux/NAS-DevBox.git .

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3. Start the development container

Choose:

• a username
• an SSH port (must not be 22)
• your projects directory

./devbox.sh \
  --user dev \
  --pass 'changeme' \
  --ssh-port 2202 \
  --projects-dir /volume1/projects

What devbox.sh does:

• passes your parameters to Docker build/runtime
• builds or rebuilds the DevBox image
• starts the container in background mode
• mounts your NAS projects directory to /workspace
• connects container to host Docker via /var/run/docker.sock
• if --recreate is used, removes old container before fresh start

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4. Connect via SSH

ssh dev@NAS_IP -p 2202

Your projects will be available inside the container at:

/workspace

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Default credentials

• Username: as specified with --user
• Password: changeme

changeme is an intentional bootstrap placeholder required for first login. Change it immediately after installation.

From the NAS host:

docker exec -it devbox passwd dev

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Basic Usage

Check access to host Docker

Inside the container:

docker ps

You should see containers running on the NAS host.

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Optional: Passwordless sudo

Inside the container:

sudo visudo

Add:

dev ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL

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Recreate the Container

Recreate removes the existing container and builds a fresh one.

Important:

• DevBox does not remember previous settings
• You must pass all required parameters again
• The password resets unless --pass is specified
• Existing project data is safe (stored on NAS)

Recommended recreate command

./devbox.sh --recreate \
  --user dev \
  --ssh-port 2202 \
  --projects-dir /volume1/projects

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Password behaviour

If --pass is not provided, the password resets to changeme. Change it again after recreation.

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Configuration

DevBox can be configured via command-line flags or environment variables.

Variable	Description	Default
DEVBOX_USER	Container username	dev
DEVBOX_PASS	User password	changeme
DEVBOX_SSH_PORT	SSH port	2202
DOCKER_GID	Docker group ID	1000
DEVBOX_PROJECTS_DIR	Projects path on NAS	required
DEVBOX_CONTAINER_NAME	Container name	devbox

Flags override environment variables.

Running ./devbox.sh without flags uses defaults from the script and does not reuse previous values.

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Security Notes

• The container has access to the host Docker socket
• Anyone with container access can control host containers
• Use strong passwords or SSH keys
• Consider restricting network exposure

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When to use NAS DevBox

This setup is useful if you want to:

• Develop directly on NAS storage
• Keep your NAS OS untouched
• Run disposable dev environments
• Use NAS as a remote build machine
• Manage Docker workloads remotely

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License

MIT