Developer tools

Deploying your first application

All new Software Engineers are encouraged to deploy their first application early in onboarding.

The Golden Path tutorials guide you through deploying your first Java, Node.js or Python application and making your first change to it:

• Golden path - Java
• Golden path - Node.js
• Golden path - Python

Docker Business Licence

To use Docker Desktop at HMCTS, you need a Docker Business licence linked to your Docker Hub account.

Docker Desktop version 4.4.0 and above redirects you to a web browser to sign in with SSO using your HMCTS email address.

To use the Docker CLI with your account, create a Personal Authentication Token (PAT).

See the Docker access token documentation.

You must be in one of the following groups:

• DTS Platform Operations
• DTS CFT Developers
• DTS SDS Developers
• DTS Docker Hub

Common tools

Software engineers commonly use:

• an IDE, such as IntelliJ or Visual Studio Code
• Azure CLI
• Docker
• Kubectl
• Helm CLI

Recommended reading

• Continuous Delivery
• How, when and where to ask for help?
• Trunk Based Development
• Kubernetes Basics
• Using Helm

This page was last reviewed on 29 July 2026. It needs to be reviewed again on 29 January 2027 by the page owner platops-build-notices .

This page was set to be reviewed before 29 January 2027 by the page owner platops-build-notices. This might mean the content is out of date.