I wouldn’t say dev containers, Devbox, or similar tools are strictly “better”. It really depends on your needs. That said, here are a few reasons people might choose them over language specific tools:
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System-level dependencies: you can manage compilers, libraries, shells, databases, CLI tools, etc., all in one place alongside your language tooling (like you mentioned).
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Easier onboarding: language-specific tools usually don’t handle system-level requirements, so it’s pretty common to run into issues when setting up a dev environment for a new project.
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Developer experience: sometimes it just comes down to preferring the workflow these tools offer.
Personally, I like the idea of frictionless, reproducible environments and using the same tools everywhere, no matter what language a project is built in.