Dev Tools

Host code-server on VeloxaHost

code-server, from Coder, runs Visual Studio Code on a server and serves it to any browser, with the editor, terminal, Git and extensions working against the server's files. Developers use it to code from a laptop, tablet or borrowed machine while builds and tests run on a more capable remote server.

The one-click install uses code-server's official install script, which installs the .deb package on Ubuntu 24.04, along with git and build-essential. It runs code-server as root on port 8080 with password login and without TLS, so put HTTPS in front of it before you use it over the internet.

Install it yourself

  1. Preview what the official install script will do, then run it. On Ubuntu it installs the latest .deb release.

    curl -fsSL https://code-server.dev/install.sh | sh -s -- --dry-run
curl -fsSL https://code-server.dev/install.sh | sh

  2. Create an ordinary user to own your projects, rather than working as root.

    adduser dev

  3. Start code-server for that user. The first start writes ~/.config/code-server/config.yaml with a random password.

    systemctl enable --now code-server@dev

  4. Read the password. Keep bind-addr: 127.0.0.1:8080 in that file so code-server is reachable only through the proxy in the next step.

    grep password /home/dev/.config/code-server/config.yaml

  5. Install Caddy and point a domain you control at the server. Caddy obtains a Let's Encrypt certificate on its own.

    apt install -y caddy
printf 'code.example.com {\n  reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:8080\n}\n' > /etc/caddy/Caddyfile && systemctl reload caddy

  6. Open https://code.example.com and sign in with the password from step 4.

FAQ

What licence is code-server under?

code-server is released under the MIT licence. It is built from the MIT-licensed VS Code source code, not Microsoft's branded Visual Studio Code product.

Where do extensions come from?

code-server installs extensions from the Open VSX registry rather than Microsoft's Visual Studio Marketplace, whose terms limit it to Microsoft's own products. Most popular extensions are published on Open VSX, but a few Microsoft-only ones are not available.

Where do I find the password after a one-click deploy?

VeloxaHost replaces the install script's placeholder with a random password for every deploy and stores it encrypted. Owners and admins of the account can reveal it on the server's page in the console, and each reveal is recorded in the audit log. On the server it is in /root/.config/code-server/config.yaml; change it there and run systemctl restart code-server@root.

How do I upgrade code-server?

Run the install script again; it installs the newer package over the old one, and your settings and extensions in the user's home directory are kept. Restart the service afterwards. A VeloxaHost snapshot taken first lets you roll back if an update misbehaves.

Can I add more memory when builds get heavy?

Yes. Language servers, compilers and test runs use far more memory than the editor itself. VeloxaHost changes CPU and memory of a running container from the server page, and the change applies without a restart, so you can size up for a heavy task and back down afterwards.

Which VeloxaHost plan fits?

The recommended 2 vCPU, 4 GB of RAM and 30 GB of disk fit the Veloxa 2 VPS size: 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM and 80 GB disk for $20 a month, billed hourly and capped at that price. They also fit inside the 14-day trial allowance of 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM and 40 GB of disk.