diff --git a/.devcontainer/Dockerfile b/.devcontainer/Dockerfile
index 96e491f4c..231f6ecf4 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/Dockerfile
+++ b/.devcontainer/Dockerfile
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ ARG PYTHON_PACKAGE_MANAGER=conda
 FROM ${BASE} as pip-base
 
 ENV DEFAULT_VIRTUAL_ENV=rapids
+ENV RAPIDS_LIBUCX_PREFER_SYSTEM_LIBRARY=true
 
 RUN apt update -y \
  && DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt install -y \
diff --git a/.devcontainer/cuda11.8-conda/devcontainer.json b/.devcontainer/cuda11.8-conda/devcontainer.json
index d67f9ee2a..d59e9e3a3 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/cuda11.8-conda/devcontainer.json
+++ b/.devcontainer/cuda11.8-conda/devcontainer.json
@@ -5,17 +5,17 @@
     "args": {
       "CUDA": "11.8",
       "PYTHON_PACKAGE_MANAGER": "conda",
-      "BASE": "rapidsai/devcontainers:24.12-cpp-cuda11.8-mambaforge-ubuntu22.04"
+      "BASE": "rapidsai/devcontainers:25.02-cpp-cuda11.8-mambaforge-ubuntu22.04"
     }
   },
   "runArgs": [
     "--rm",
     "--name",
-    "${localEnv:USER:anon}-rapids-${localWorkspaceFolderBasename}-24.12-cuda11.8-conda"
+    "${localEnv:USER:anon}-rapids-${localWorkspaceFolderBasename}-25.02-cuda11.8-conda"
   ],
   "hostRequirements": {"gpu": "optional"},
   "features": {
-    "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/rapids-build-utils:24.12": {}
+    "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/rapids-build-utils:25.2": {}
   },
   "overrideFeatureInstallOrder": [
     "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/rapids-build-utils"
diff --git a/.devcontainer/cuda11.8-pip/devcontainer.json b/.devcontainer/cuda11.8-pip/devcontainer.json
index 626af5a54..05d14095e 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/cuda11.8-pip/devcontainer.json
+++ b/.devcontainer/cuda11.8-pip/devcontainer.json
@@ -5,24 +5,24 @@
     "args": {
       "CUDA": "11.8",
       "PYTHON_PACKAGE_MANAGER": "pip",
-      "BASE": "rapidsai/devcontainers:24.12-cpp-cuda11.8-ucx1.15.0-openmpi-ubuntu22.04"
+      "BASE": "rapidsai/devcontainers:25.02-cpp-cuda11.8-ucx1.17.0-openmpi-ubuntu22.04"
     }
   },
   "runArgs": [
     "--rm",
     "--name",
-    "${localEnv:USER:anon}-rapids-${localWorkspaceFolderBasename}-24.12-cuda11.8-pip"
+    "${localEnv:USER:anon}-rapids-${localWorkspaceFolderBasename}-25.02-cuda11.8-pip"
   ],
   "hostRequirements": {"gpu": "optional"},
   "features": {
-    "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/cuda:24.12": {
+    "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/cuda:25.2": {
       "version": "11.8",
       "installcuBLAS": true,
       "installcuSOLVER": true,
       "installcuRAND": true,
       "installcuSPARSE": true
     },
-    "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/rapids-build-utils:24.12": {}
+    "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/rapids-build-utils:25.2": {}
   },
   "overrideFeatureInstallOrder": [
     "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/cuda",
diff --git a/.devcontainer/cuda12.5-conda/devcontainer.json b/.devcontainer/cuda12.5-conda/devcontainer.json
index 8f4db8c4a..66276192d 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/cuda12.5-conda/devcontainer.json
+++ b/.devcontainer/cuda12.5-conda/devcontainer.json
@@ -5,17 +5,17 @@
     "args": {
       "CUDA": "12.5",
       "PYTHON_PACKAGE_MANAGER": "conda",
-      "BASE": "rapidsai/devcontainers:24.12-cpp-mambaforge-ubuntu22.04"
+      "BASE": "rapidsai/devcontainers:25.02-cpp-mambaforge-ubuntu22.04"
     }
   },
   "runArgs": [
     "--rm",
     "--name",
-    "${localEnv:USER:anon}-rapids-${localWorkspaceFolderBasename}-24.12-cuda12.5-conda"
+    "${localEnv:USER:anon}-rapids-${localWorkspaceFolderBasename}-25.02-cuda12.5-conda"
   ],
   "hostRequirements": {"gpu": "optional"},
   "features": {
-    "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/rapids-build-utils:24.12": {}
+    "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/rapids-build-utils:25.2": {}
   },
   "overrideFeatureInstallOrder": [
     "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/rapids-build-utils"
diff --git a/.devcontainer/cuda12.5-pip/devcontainer.json b/.devcontainer/cuda12.5-pip/devcontainer.json
index d970002d6..d909f8b6c 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/cuda12.5-pip/devcontainer.json
+++ b/.devcontainer/cuda12.5-pip/devcontainer.json
@@ -5,24 +5,24 @@
     "args": {
       "CUDA": "12.5",
       "PYTHON_PACKAGE_MANAGER": "pip",
-      "BASE": "rapidsai/devcontainers:24.12-cpp-cuda12.5-ucx1.17.0-openmpi-ubuntu22.04"
+      "BASE": "rapidsai/devcontainers:25.02-cpp-cuda12.5-ucx1.17.0-openmpi-ubuntu22.04"
     }
   },
   "runArgs": [
     "--rm",
     "--name",
-    "${localEnv:USER:anon}-rapids-${localWorkspaceFolderBasename}-24.12-cuda12.5-pip"
+    "${localEnv:USER:anon}-rapids-${localWorkspaceFolderBasename}-25.02-cuda12.5-pip"
   ],
   "hostRequirements": {"gpu": "optional"},
   "features": {
-    "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/cuda:24.12": {
+    "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/cuda:25.2": {
       "version": "12.5",
       "installcuBLAS": true,
       "installcuSOLVER": true,
       "installcuRAND": true,
       "installcuSPARSE": true
     },
-    "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/rapids-build-utils:24.12": {}
+    "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/rapids-build-utils:25.2": {}
   },
   "overrideFeatureInstallOrder": [
     "ghcr.io/rapidsai/devcontainers/features/cuda",
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr.yaml b/.github/workflows/pr.yaml
index 60c4b43bb..d996fe554 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr.yaml
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ jobs:
           - '!notebooks/**'
   devcontainer:
     secrets: inherit
-    uses: rapidsai/shared-workflows/.github/workflows/build-in-devcontainer.yaml@branch-24.12
+    uses: rapidsai/shared-workflows/.github/workflows/build-in-devcontainer.yaml@branch-25.02
     with:
       arch: '["amd64"]'
       cuda: '["12.5"]'
diff --git a/ci/release/update-version.sh b/ci/release/update-version.sh
index f6a8f1218..e5e2a2e6c 100755
--- a/ci/release/update-version.sh
+++ b/ci/release/update-version.sh
@@ -62,7 +62,13 @@ for FILE in .github/workflows/*.yaml; do
   sed_runner "/shared-workflows/ s/@.*/@branch-${NEXT_SHORT_TAG}/g" "${FILE}"
 done
 
-sed_runner "s/branch-[0-9][0-9].[0-9][0-9]/branch-${NEXT_SHORT_TAG}/" ./docs/nx-cugraph/source/nx_cugraph/nx_cugraph.md
+# .devcontainer files
+find .devcontainer/ -type f -name devcontainer.json -print0 | while IFS= read -r -d '' filename; do
+    sed_runner "s@rapidsai/devcontainers:[0-9.]*@rapidsai/devcontainers:${NEXT_SHORT_TAG}@g" "${filename}"
+    sed_runner "s@rapidsai/devcontainers/features/cuda:[0-9.]*@rapidsai/devcontainers/features/cuda:${NEXT_SHORT_TAG_PEP440}@" "${filename}"
+    sed_runner "s@rapidsai/devcontainers/features/rapids-build-utils:[0-9.]*@rapidsai/devcontainers/features/rapids-build-utils:${NEXT_SHORT_TAG_PEP440}@" "${filename}"
+    sed_runner "s@rapids-\${localWorkspaceFolderBasename}-[0-9.]*@rapids-\${localWorkspaceFolderBasename}-${NEXT_SHORT_TAG}@g" "${filename}"
+done
 
 # issue templates
 for FILE in ./.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/*.yaml; do