VS Code Server with Development Tools

A Docker container providing VS Code Server with web interface access and SSH connectivity. Provides a full Visual Studio Code development environment accessible through your browser or acts as a host for Remote-SSH from any desktop VS Code environment. This container is preloaded with development tools.

Features

• VS Code Server - Browser-based VS Code interface accessible at http://[IP]:8000/
• SSH Access - Secure remote terminal access via SSH password (port 2222)
• Development Tools - Python, Node.js, npm, Git, and Claude Code pre-installed
• Persistent Storage - VS Code settings, third party configs, and projects data persist across restarts
• Git Integration - Configurable git user name and email via environment variables

Quick Start

Option 1: Docker Compose

Use the provided docker-compose.yml file for easy setup:

version: '3.8'

services:
  vs-code-server:
    image: ctdgunner/vs-code-server:latest
    
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"  # VS Code Server web interface
      - "2222:22"    # SSH access (mapped to avoid conflicts with host SSH)
    
    volumes:
      # Projects Directory
      - ./projects/:/projects/
      
      # VS Code App Data  
      - ./vs-code-server/:/root/
      
      # Docker Socket 
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
    
    environment:
      # Set default shell
      - SHELL=/bin/bash
      
      # Timezone
      - TZ=UTC
      
      # Git configuration via environment variables
      - GIT_USER_NAME=
      - GIT_USER_EMAIL=
    
    restart: unless-stopped
    
    container_name: vs-code-server
    
    # Add hostname for easier identification
    hostname: vscode

Option 2: Manual Docker Run

If you prefer using docker run directly:

docker run -d \
  --name vs-code-server \
  --hostname vscode \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  -p 2222:22 \
  -v $(pwd)/projects:/projects \
  -v $(pwd)/vs-code-server:/root \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  -e SHELL=/bin/bash \
  -e TZ=UTC \
  -e SSH_PASSWORD=password \
  -e GIT_USER_NAME= \
  -e GIT_USER_EMAIL= \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  ctdgunner/vs-code-server:latest

Ports

Port	Service	Description
8000	VS Code Server	Browser-based VS Code interface
22/2222	SSH	Secure shell access (mapped to host port 2222)

Volume Mounts

Required

• ./projects/:/projects/ - Your development projects and workspace
• ./vs-code-server/:/root/ - VS Code app data, settings, extensions, and configuration

Optional

• /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock - This is needed to connect to Docker

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
SHELL	/bin/bash	Default shell environment
TZ	UTC	Container timezone
SSH_PASSWORD	password	SSH root password
GIT_USER_NAME		Git user name for commits (optional)
GIT_USER_EMAIL		Git user email for commits (optional)

Note: To have the timezone be Daylight Savings aware use a timezone syntax like America/New_York

Pre-installed Tools

• Git - Version control
• Python 3 - With pip and venv
• Node.js & npm - JavaScript runtime and package manager
• Claude Code - Anthropic's AI coding assistant
• VS Code Server - Browser-based development environment
• SSH Server - Secure remote access

SSH Configuration

The container uses password-based SSH authentication:

1. Credentials:

   • Username: root
   • Password: Set via SSH_PASSWORD environment variable (defaults to password)

2. Connect via SSH:

   ssh root@[IP] -p 2222

Suggested SSH Config Template

Host vs-code-server-RAVEN
  HostName 192.168.50.155
  User root
  Port 2222

VS Code Server Access

1. Open your browser to http://[IP]:8000
2. Your VS Code interface will load with all extensions and settings preserved
3. Use the integrated terminal or connect via SSH for command-line access

Development Workflow

1. Start the container: docker-compose up -d
2. Access VS Code: Open http://[IP]:8000 in your browser
3. SSH access: Use ssh root@[IP] -p 2222 with your configured password
4. Install extensions: Extensions persist in the ./vs-code-server volume
5. Develop: Your projects in ./projects are available at /projects

GitHub Actions

The repository includes automatic Docker image building:

• Triggers: Pushes to main/master, PRs, daily base image checks
• Registry: Docker Hub (docker.io)
• Base image monitoring: Automatically rebuilds when ahmadnassri/vscode-server:latest updates

The pre-built image is used by default in the provided docker-compose.yml.

Troubleshooting

SSH Connection Issues

• Verify the container is running: docker-compose ps
• Ensure port 2222 is not blocked by firewall
• Check your SSH_PASSWORD environment variable is set correctly

VS Code Server Issues

• Check logs: docker-compose logs vs-code-server
• Ensure port 8000 is not blocked by firewall
• Clear browser cache if the interface doesn't load

Permission Issues

• Ensure proper ownership of mounted volumes
• Run with proper user mapping if needed

Customization

Adding More Tools

Edit the Dockerfile to install additional packages:

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y your-package

Changing Ports

Update the docker-compose.yml port mappings:

ports:
  - "9000:8000"  # Change VS Code port
  - "2223:22"    # Change SSH port

Environment Variables

Add environment variables in docker-compose.yml:

environment:
  - SHELL=/bin/bash
  - TZ=UTC  # Set your timezone
  - SSH_PASSWORD=your_secure_password  # Set SSH password
  - GIT_USER_NAME=Your Name  # Set git user name
  - GIT_USER_EMAIL=your.email@example.com  # Set git user email

Security Notes

• SSH uses password authentication configured via SSH_PASSWORD environment variable
• Container runs as root (suitable for development environments)
• For production use, consider running as non-root user and using key-based authentication

License

This project extends ahmadnassri/vscode-server with additional development tools and SSH access.