You're absolutely right that DevContainers share similarities with Docker Compose - both use containerization to manage development environments. However, DevContainers offer several distinct advantages that go beyond traditional containerization, particularly when it comes to IDE integration and developer experience.
The most significant advantage of DevContainers over plain Docker Compose is their deep integration with Visual Studio Code[1]. While Docker Compose can spin up containers, DevContainers create a full-featured development environment within VSCode that includes:
Seamless Extension Management: DevContainers automatically install and configure VSCode extensions inside the container environment[1][2]. This means your linting tools, debuggers, and other development extensions work directly within the containerized environment, not just on your host machine.