SCC vs Dev Containers

This guide compares SCC’s purpose-built Claude Code sandboxing to using generic dev containers for AI-assisted development.

Different Goals

Dev Containers standardize your entire development environment—language runtimes, tools, extensions, and settings—in a reproducible container.

SCC specifically governs how Claude Code runs: isolation, plugin control, git safety, and team policies. It focuses on the AI coding assistant, not your full dev environment.

Quick Comparison

Aspect	SCC CLI	Dev Containers
Primary purpose	Sandbox and govern Claude Code	Standardize dev environment
Scope	Claude Code sessions only	Full development workflow
Claude-specific features	Safety Net, plugin governance, worktrees	None (runs Claude Code normally)
Configuration	Org/team JSON configs	devcontainer.json
IDE integration	CLI-based	VS Code, JetBrains, Codespaces

What SCC Provides

SCC focuses on Claude Code governance:

Safety Net Plugin

Blocks destructive git commands that could damage your repository:

• git push --force
• git reset --hard
• git branch -D
• git clean -fd

Plugin Governance

Organizations control which Claude Code plugins developers can use:

{
  "security": {
    "blocked_plugins": ["*experimental*", "*beta*"]
  },
  "defaults": {
    "enabled_plugins": ["scc-safety-net@sandboxed-code-official"]
  }
}

Team Profiles

Consistent Claude Code configuration across all team members:

{
  "profiles": {
    "backend": {
      "additional_plugins": ["java-analyzer@internal"],
      "session": { "timeout_hours": 8 }
    }
  }
}

Git Worktree Management

Built-in isolation for parallel AI tasks:

scc worktree create ~/project feature-auth
# AI work happens on isolated branch

What Dev Containers Provide

Dev containers standardize your full development environment:

• Language runtimes and versions
• Build tools and dependencies
• VS Code extensions
• Editor settings
• Port forwarding

Dev containers don’t provide Claude Code-specific governance—Claude Code runs inside them the same way it runs on your host.

Using Both Together

Many teams combine both approaches:

1. Dev Container defines the development environment (Node.js version, tools, extensions)
2. SCC governs Claude Code sessions within that environment

# Inside your dev container
scc setup --org https://example.com/org-config.json
scc start .

Note

Running SCC inside a dev container requires Docker access. Configure Docker-in-Docker or mount the host Docker socket in your devcontainer.json.

When to Use Each

Choose SCC When

• Your priority is governing Claude Code specifically
• You need Safety Net to protect against destructive git commands
• Organization must control Claude Code plugins
• Team needs consistent Claude Code policies (not just dev environment)

Choose Dev Containers When

• Your priority is standardizing the overall dev environment
• You need reproducible builds and consistent tooling
• IDE integration (VS Code, Codespaces) is important
• Claude Code governance isn’t a concern

Use Both When

• You want standardized dev environments AND Claude Code governance
• Your org has both general dev standards and AI-specific policies
• Different teams need different Claude Code configurations within similar dev environments

Next Steps

Quick Start Try SCC in minutes

Security Model Understand SCC's isolation layers

Team Profiles Configure team-specific profiles