Version Management

Overview#

DevOps-OS provides a comprehensive version management system for dev containers that allows you to:

Track and manage versions of programming languages and tools via environment variables
Receive security recommendations for outdated or vulnerable versions
Use LTS or latest versions based on your release strategy
Persist version preferences to .env files for team consistency
Update versions programmatically via MCP tools

Environment Variables#

All version configuration uses the DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_ prefix for environment variables. Set these in your shell profile, Docker environment, or .env file.

Supported Tools and Default Versions#

Programming Languages#

Tool	Default	Latest	LTS Versions
python	3.12	3.13	3.12, 3.11, 3.10
node	22	23	22, 20, 18
java	21	23	21, 17, 11
go	1.25.0	1.25.0	1.25.0, 1.24.0
rust	1.81.0	1.81.0	1.81.0
ruby	3.3	3.4	3.3, 3.2
csharp	8.0	8.0	8.0
php	8.3	8.3	8.3

CI/CD and DevOps Tools#

Tool	Default	Latest	LTS Versions
docker	27.0.0	27.0.0	27.0.0, 26.0.0
kubectl	1.31.0	1.31.0	1.31.0, 1.30.0
helm	3.16.0	3.16.0	3.16.0, 3.15.0
terraform	1.9.0	1.9.0	1.9.0, 1.8.0
prometheus	3.5.1	3.5.1	3.5.1, 3.4.0
grafana	12.4.2	12.4.2	12.4.2, 11.5.0

Setting Environment Variables#

Option 1: Shell Profile#

Add to your .bashrc, .zshrc, or similar:

export DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_PYTHON=3.12
export DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_GO=1.25.0
export DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_NODE=22
export DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_DOCKER=27.0.0

Option 2: .env File#

Create a .env file in your project:

# Programming Languages
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_PYTHON=3.12
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_NODE=22
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_JAVA=21
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_GO=1.25.0
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_RUST=1.81.0
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_RUBY=3.3

# DevOps Tools
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_DOCKER=27.0.0
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_KUBECTL=1.31.0
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_TERRAFORM=1.9.0

Option 3: Docker Build Args#

In your devcontainer.json:

{
  "build": {
    "dockerfile": "Dockerfile",
    "args": {
      "DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_PYTHON": "3.13",
      "DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_GO": "1.25.0",
      "DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_NODE": "22"
    }
  }
}

Using MCP Tools for Version Management#

Get Current Version Configuration#

Retrieve the currently configured versions for any tool:

get_version_config(tools="python,go,node")

Response:

{
  "current_versions": {
    "python": "3.12",
    "go": "1.25.0",
    "node": "22"
  },
  "tools_info": {
    "python": {
      "current": "3.12",
      "default": "3.12",
      "latest": "3.13",
      "lts": ["3.12", "3.11", "3.10"],
      "status": "lts"
    },
    "go": {
      "current": "1.25.0",
      "default": "1.25.0",
      "latest": "1.25.0",
      "lts": ["1.25.0", "1.24.0"],
      "status": "latest"
    }
  }
}

Check for Available Updates#

Find out which tools have newer versions available:

check_version_updates(tools="python,java,docker")

Response:

{
  "available_updates": {
    "python": {
      "tool": "python",
      "current": "3.10",
      "latest": "3.13",
      "can_update": true,
      "can_update_lts": true,
      "status": "stable",
      "security_level": "deprecated"
    },
    "java": {
      "tool": "java",
      "current": "21",
      "latest": "23",
      "can_update": true,
      "status": "lts",
      "security_level": "stable"
    }
  },
  "security_updates": {
    "python": {
      "current": "3.10",
      "current_security": "deprecated",
      "recommended": "3.13",
      "urgency": "medium",
      "reason": "Current version has deprecated security issues"
    }
  },
  "summary": {
    "tools_checked": 3,
    "updates_available": 2,
    "security_issues": 1
  }
}

Get Version Suggestions#

Get recommended versions based on your release strategy:

# Get latest stable versions
suggest_versions(tools="python,java,node", prefer_lts=false)

# Get LTS versions
suggest_versions(tools="python,java,node", prefer_lts=true)

Response:

{
  "suggested_versions": {
    "python": "3.13",
    "java": "23",
    "node": "23"
  },
  "current_versions": {
    "python": "3.12",
    "java": "21",
    "node": "22"
  },
  "strategy": "latest-stable",
  "recommendations": [
    {
      "tool": "python",
      "current": "3.12",
      "suggested": "3.13",
      "rationale": "Latest stable version for python"
    }
  ]
}

Update Tool Versions#

Update versions in your environment variables:

update_versions('{"python": "3.13", "go": "1.25.0", "docker": "27.0.0"}')

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "updates": {
    "python": {
      "requested": "3.13",
      "success": true
    },
    "go": {
      "requested": "1.25.0",
      "success": true
    },
    "docker": {
      "requested": "27.0.0",
      "success": true
    }
  },
  "new_versions": {
    "python": "3.13",
    "go": "1.25.0",
    "docker": "27.0.0"
  },
  "errors": []
}

Check Security Issues#

Identify critical security issues in your tool versions:

check_security_issues(tools="python,java,docker")

Response:

{
  "security_assessment": {
    "critical": {
      "python": {
        "current": "3.8",
        "current_security": "critical",
        "recommended": "3.13",
        "urgency": "critical"
      }
    },
    "high": {},
    "medium": {
      "java": {
        "current": "11",
        "current_security": "deprecated",
        "recommended": "21",
        "urgency": "medium"
      }
    },
    "low": {}
  },
  "summary": {
    "tools_checked": 3,
    "with_issues": 2,
    "critical_count": 1,
    "high_count": 0
  },
  "current_versions": {
    "python": "3.8",
    "java": "11",
    "docker": "27.0.0"
  }
}

Security Status Levels#

Understanding version security status helps you prioritize updates:

Status Definitions#

Status	Meaning	Action Required
latest	Current release version	Optional update, typically safe
lts	Long-Term Support version	Stable, recommended for production
stable	Supported release	Stable, safe to use
deprecated	Older version, still supported	Update recommended within 6-12 months
eol	End-of-Life, no longer supported	Update immediately

Security Levels#

Level	Urgency	Description	Action
stable	Low	No known security issues	No action needed
high	High	Known high-severity vulnerabilities	Update within weeks
deprecated	Medium	Version approaching EOL	Plan upgrade within months
critical	Critical	Active, exploitable vulnerabilities	Update immediately

Common Workflows#

1. Audit Current Versions#

Check what versions are currently configured:

get_version_config()  # Get all tools
get_version_config(tools="python,go")  # Specific tools

2. Plan Security Updates#

Identify and plan security updates:

check_security_issues()  # Check all
check_security_issues(tools="python,java,docker")  # Specific tools

3. Upgrade to LTS Versions#

Get LTS version recommendations and update:

suggest_versions(prefer_lts=true)  # Get LTS suggestions
update_versions('{"python": "3.12", "java": "21", "node": "22"}')

4. Adopt Latest Stable Versions#

Stay up-to-date with latest releases:

check_version_updates()  # See what's available
suggest_versions(prefer_lts=false)  # Get latest suggestions
update_versions('{"python": "3.13", "java": "23", "go": "1.25.0"}')

5. Configure Team Standards#

Create a .env file for your team to ensure consistency:

# .env - Team DevOps Standards
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_PYTHON=3.12
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_NODE=22
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_JAVA=21
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_GO=1.25.0
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_DOCKER=27.0.0
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_KUBECTL=1.31.0
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_TERRAFORM=1.9.0
DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_PROMETHEUS=3.5.1

Commit this to your repository and load it in your dev container.

Integration with scaffold_devcontainer#

When generating a dev container configuration, version environment variables are automatically respected:

scaffold_devcontainer(
  languages="python,go,java",
  cicd_tools="docker,github_actions",
  python_version="3.13",  # Override default
  go_version="1.25.0",
  java_version="21"
)

The tool will:

Check for environment variables (DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_*)
Use provided parameters if specified
Fall back to defaults from the version database
Generate the dev container with specified versions

Version Validation#

The version manager validates versions against the known version database:

✓ Exact versions (e.g., “3.12”, “1.25.0”) are validated
✓ LTS versions can be queried
✓ Version comparison handles multi-part versions
✗ Arbitrary versions are rejected
✗ EOL versions trigger security warnings

Example validation:

update_versions('{"python": "3.15"}')  # Invalid - not in database
# Response: {"success": false, "errors": [{"tool": "python", "message": "Failed to update python"}]}

update_versions('{"python": "3.13"}')  # Valid
# Response: {"success": true, ...}

Persisting Configuration#

Save your version configuration to a .env file for persistence:

from mcp_server.version_manager import VersionManager

vm = VersionManager()
versions = {
    "python": "3.13",
    "go": "1.25.0",
    "java": "21",
    "node": "22",
    "docker": "27.0.0"
}
vm.save_env_file(".env", versions)

Then load it in your dev container:

RUN if [ -f .env ]; then set -a && source .env && set +a; fi

Best Practices#

Use LTS versions for production - They receive security updates longer
Keep versions synchronized across teams - Use .env files in git
Check security issues regularly - Use check_security_issues() weekly
Test before upgrading major versions - Use suggest_versions() for planning
Document version choices - Add comments to your .env file explaining why
Automate version updates - Use MCP tools in CI/CD pipelines
Review security advisories - Monitor updates from tool maintainers

Troubleshooting#

Environment Variables Not Loading#

Ensure variables are exported before using MCP tools:

export DEVOPS_OS_VERSION_PYTHON=3.13
source .env  # If using .env file

Invalid Version Error#

Check that the version exists in the database:

get_version_config(tools="python")  # See available versions
# The "lts" and "latest" fields show valid versions

Version Not Changing#

Verify the update was successful:

update_versions('{"python": "3.13"}')  # Returns success status
get_version_config(tools="python")  # Verify new version

MCP Setup Guide - Configure MCP for dev containers
Language Guides - Language-specific configuration
Development Containers - Overview of dev container setup

Overview#

Environment Variables#

Supported Tools and Default Versions#

Programming Languages#

CI/CD and DevOps Tools#

Setting Environment Variables#

Option 1: Shell Profile#

Option 2: .env File#

Option 3: Docker Build Args#

Using MCP Tools for Version Management#

Get Current Version Configuration#

Check for Available Updates#

Get Version Suggestions#

Update Tool Versions#

Check Security Issues#

Security Status Levels#

Status Definitions#

Security Levels#

Common Workflows#

1. Audit Current Versions#

2. Plan Security Updates#

3. Upgrade to LTS Versions#

4. Adopt Latest Stable Versions#

5. Configure Team Standards#

Integration with scaffold_devcontainer#

Version Validation#

Persisting Configuration#

Best Practices#

Troubleshooting#

Environment Variables Not Loading#

Invalid Version Error#

Version Not Changing#

Related Documentation#