Immich•2mo ago

Can't get hot reload to work in Development with Dev Containers

I’m having trouble with hot reload, when running Immich in Dev Containers. When I make changes in my frontend or backend source files, the app doesn’t reload automatically. No changes are detected by VITE or the backend service. Only when recreating the containers it will use the changes code. I followed the setup guide here: https://immich.app/docs/developer/devcontainers Environment: Windows 11 , Visual Studio Code (1.103.1), Docker Desktop v4.44.2, WSL2. Did not change any compose related files. docker-compose.dev.yml is pointing to immich-server-dev:latest (at time of writing 19-8-2025). Has anyone run into this before? Any tips on how to debug or fix it?

9 Replies

Immich•2mo ago

:wave: Hey @MrHitman, Thanks for reaching out to us. Please carefully read this message and follow the recommended actions. This will help us be more effective in our support effort and leave more time for building Immich :immich:. References - Container Logs: docker compose logs docs - Container Status: docker ps -a docs - Reverse Proxy: https://immich.app/docs/administration/reverse-proxy - Code Formatting https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/210298617-Markdown-Text-101-Chat-Formatting-Bold-Italic-Underline#h_01GY0DAKGXDEHE263BCAYEGFJA Checklist I have... 1. :blue_square: verified I'm on the latest release(note that mobile app releases may take some time). 2. :blue_square: read applicable release notes. 3. :blue_square: reviewed the FAQs for known issues. 4. :blue_square: reviewed Github for known issues. 5. :blue_square: tried accessing Immich via local ip (without a custom reverse proxy). 6. :blue_square: uploaded the relevant information (see below). 7. :blue_square: tried an incognito window, disabled extensions, cleared mobile app cache, logged out and back in, different browsers, etc. as applicable (an item can be marked as "complete" by reacting with the appropriate number) Information In order to be able to effectively help you, we need you to provide clear information to show what the problem is. The exact details needed vary per case, but here is a list of things to consider: - Your docker-compose.yml and .env files. - Logs from all the containers and their status (see above). - All the troubleshooting steps you've tried so far. - Any recent changes you've made to Immich or your system. - Details about your system (both software/OS and hardware). - Details about your storage (filesystems, type of disks, output of commands like fdisk -l and df -h). - The version of the Immich server, mobile app, and other relevant pieces. - Any other information that you think might be relevant. Please paste files and logs with proper code formatting, and especially avoid blurry screenshots. Without the right information we can't work out what the problem is. Help us help you ;) If this ticket can be closed you can use the /close command, and re-open it later if needed.

Alex Tran•2mo ago

I think @shadow uses this often, do you have any suggestion?

Sergey Katsubo•2mo ago

@MrHitman Is this specific to Immich? Does it work for other projects? Two more things to check 1. Windows-specific behavior https://dev.to/simplifycomplexity/solving-hot-reload-issues-in-vs-code-dev-containers-on-windows-with-wsl2-16d5 2. Are you modifying the source files in the same VSCode window that runs devcontainer? In my experience, though on MacOS, if I edit files in another VSCode window, devcontainer does not hot-reload.

shadow•2mo ago

I’ll take a look soon.

MrHitmanOP•2mo ago

@Sergey Katsubo this is my first time working with Dev Containers. I will have a look at https://dev.to/simplifycomplexity/solving-hot-reload-issues-in-vs-code-dev-containers-on-windows-with-wsl2-16d5. I'm pretty sure I'm changing the files in the running container. Thanks for the tips.

MrHitmanOP•2mo ago

Just tried it again. Saving a .svelte file did give some popup like this. And Output 'Server' in VSCode shows some error regarding File Watcher.

2025-08-21 18:03:38.310 [info] Extension host agent started.
2025-08-21 18:03:38.340 [debug] No extensions are marked as removed.
2025-08-21 18:03:38.392 [info] [127.0.0.1][bc2bd90d][ManagementConnection] New connection established.
2025-08-21 18:03:38.456 [info] Log level changed to info
2025-08-21 18:03:38.990 [info] [127.0.0.1][9b0f327f][ExtensionHostConnection] New connection established.
2025-08-21 18:03:38.995 [info] [127.0.0.1][9b0f327f][ExtensionHostConnection] <328> Launched Extension Host Process.
2025-08-21 18:04:38.411 [error] [File Watcher ('parcel')] Unexpected error: No such file or directory (EUNKNOWN) (path: /workspaces/immich)
2025-08-21 18:04:38.411 [error] [File Watcher (universal)] No such file or directory
2025-08-21 18:17:47.082 [info] [127.0.0.1][bc2bd90d][ManagementConnection] The client has disconnected gracefully, so the connection will be disposed.
2025-08-21 18:17:49.151 [info] [127.0.0.1][9b0f327f][ExtensionHostConnection] <328> Extension Host Process exited with code: 0, signal: null.
2025-08-21 18:17:50.683 [info] [127.0.0.1][6fd895a3][ManagementConnection] New connection established.
2025-08-21 18:17:51.082 [info] [127.0.0.1][92c89543][ExtensionHostConnection] New connection established.
2025-08-21 18:17:51.085 [info] [127.0.0.1][92c89543][ExtensionHostConnection] <11363> Launched Extension Host Process.
2025-08-21 18:17:54.304 [error] Error: connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:3000
    at TCPConnectWrap.afterConnect [as oncomplete] (node:net:1637:16)
2025-08-21 18:21:51.692 [error] Error: connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:3000
    at TCPConnectWrap.afterConnect [as oncomplete] (node:net:1637:16)
2025-08-21 18:22:11.528 [error] Error: connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:3000
    at TCPConnectWrap.afterConnect [as oncomplete] (node:net:1637:16)

2025-08-21 18:03:38.310 [info] Extension host agent started.
2025-08-21 18:03:38.340 [debug] No extensions are marked as removed.
2025-08-21 18:03:38.392 [info] [127.0.0.1][bc2bd90d][ManagementConnection] New connection established.
2025-08-21 18:03:38.456 [info] Log level changed to info
2025-08-21 18:03:38.990 [info] [127.0.0.1][9b0f327f][ExtensionHostConnection] New connection established.
2025-08-21 18:03:38.995 [info] [127.0.0.1][9b0f327f][ExtensionHostConnection] <328> Launched Extension Host Process.
2025-08-21 18:04:38.411 [error] [File Watcher ('parcel')] Unexpected error: No such file or directory (EUNKNOWN) (path: /workspaces/immich)
2025-08-21 18:04:38.411 [error] [File Watcher (universal)] No such file or directory
2025-08-21 18:17:47.082 [info] [127.0.0.1][bc2bd90d][ManagementConnection] The client has disconnected gracefully, so the connection will be disposed.
2025-08-21 18:17:49.151 [info] [127.0.0.1][9b0f327f][ExtensionHostConnection] <328> Extension Host Process exited with code: 0, signal: null.
2025-08-21 18:17:50.683 [info] [127.0.0.1][6fd895a3][ManagementConnection] New connection established.
2025-08-21 18:17:51.082 [info] [127.0.0.1][92c89543][ExtensionHostConnection] New connection established.
2025-08-21 18:17:51.085 [info] [127.0.0.1][92c89543][ExtensionHostConnection] <11363> Launched Extension Host Process.
2025-08-21 18:17:54.304 [error] Error: connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:3000
    at TCPConnectWrap.afterConnect [as oncomplete] (node:net:1637:16)
2025-08-21 18:21:51.692 [error] Error: connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:3000
    at TCPConnectWrap.afterConnect [as oncomplete] (node:net:1637:16)
2025-08-21 18:22:11.528 [error] Error: connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:3000
    at TCPConnectWrap.afterConnect [as oncomplete] (node:net:1637:16)

shadow•2mo ago

are you running the dev container locally (in vscode) or in codespaces or someplace else? also, which branch are you using?

MrHitmanOP•2mo ago

I'm running it locally in VSCode. Using main branch on 19-8-2025, so a few days old.

shadow•2mo ago

I recently tested hot reload on Mac and Linux hosts. I’m gonna do some windows testing later today

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Can't get hot reload to work in Development with Dev Containers

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