How to set up a Visual Studio Code server for remote development over Meshnet
Learn how to set up a Visual Studio Code server on Linux and macOS and access it remotely using Meshnet.
Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a free and open-source code editor. It is a more lightweight alternative to the Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE). VS Code provides a heavily customizable and easy-to-use interface for most development needs.
With traveling and work from anywhere (WFA) becoming more popular, the need for a centralized and easily accessible development environment is growing. With the combination of Meshnet and the open-source project code-server, you can host your own VS Code server and securely work on all of your projects using any device from anywhere in the world.
The code-server tool creates a VS Code instance that can be accessed using an internet browser. And Meshnet ensures an encrypted network tunnel between the connecting devices and the server. This network configuration allows you to work on your projects remotely and in a secure manner.
This article contains instructions on how you can install code-server on Linux and macOS and access the created VS Code server from remote devices over Meshnet.
Linux
macOS
Note
Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS distribution is used as an example in this article.
To install code-server on Linux:
- 1.Open Terminal.
- 2.Download and execute the installation script by running this command:curl -fsSL https://code-server.dev/install.sh | sh
- 3.Once the script finishes, enter this command to ensure that the code-server background process is started each time the system reboots:sudo systemctl enable --now code-server@$USER
Tip
If you want a preview of the installation process before proceeding, you can use this command:
curl -fsSL https://code-server.dev/install.sh | sh -s -- --dry-run
For convenient deployment and control, use the Homebrew package manager to install code-server on macOS.
- 1.Open Terminal.
- 2.Enter the following command to install Homebrew:/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
- 3.Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the Homebrew installation.
- 1.Install code-server by running the following command in the terminal:HOMEBREW_NO_INSTALL_FROM_API=1 brew install code-server
- 2.Generate the required configuration files by restarting code-server with this command:brew services restart code-server
- 3.Check the status of the code-server service using the provided command. The output should indicate that the service is started.brew services list
Some changes to the code-server configuration file are required to allow connections from other devices. By default, the server listens only on
127.0.0.1:8080. This means that no other devices can reach it.- 1.Open Terminal.
- 2.Open the code-server configuration file using the Nano text editor by running this command:nano ~/.config/code-server/config.yaml
- 3.Change the IP and port combination in the first line to
0.0.0.0:8080as shown:
- 4.Press Ctrl + X, Y, and Enter to save changes and exit the file.
Note
In the same
config.yaml file, you can find the login password for your VS Code server, which is necessary for every device that connects to the server.To change the password, edit the string following
password: in the config.yaml file.After altering the configuration file, you can restart the code-server process.
Linux
macOS
Run the following command to apply changes and restart the code-server process:
sudo systemctl restart code-server@$USER
Run the following command to apply changes and restart the code-server process:
brew services restart code-server
Your VS Code server is now up and running. Due to the changes in the
config.yaml file, the server can be reached from the same local area network (LAN) and by your Meshnet peer devices.To access your server using Meshnet:
- 1.Copy the Nord name of the VS Code server device from the NordVPN application.
- 2.Open your internet browser.
- 3.Paste the copied Nord name followed by
:8080/to the URL field and press Enter. Examplesecret.meerkat-fuji.nord:8080/
- 4.Enter the login password and click Submit.
- 5.Select the Trust the authors of all files in the parent folder checkbox and click Yes, I trust the authors.
- 6.Follow the on-screen guidelines to customize your VS Code interface.
You now have access to a fully functional VS Code instance and can work on your development projects directly from the internet browser. In addition, your Meshnet peer devices can connect to your VS Code server and work on the same project in real time.
