code-server/docs/FAQ.md

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# FAQ

- [Questions?](#questions)
- [How should I expose code-server to the internet?](#how-should-i-expose-code-server-to-the-internet)
- [Can I use code-server on the iPad?](#can-i-use-code-server-on-the-ipad)
- [How does the config file work?](#how-does-the-config-file-work)
- [How do I make my keyboard shortcuts work?](#how-do-i-make-my-keyboard-shortcuts-work)
- [Why can't code-server use Microsoft's extension marketplace?](#why-cant-code-server-use-microsofts-extension-marketplace)
- [How can I request an extension that's missing from the marketplace?](#how-can-i-request-an-extension-thats-missing-from-the-marketplace)
- [How do I install an extension?](#how-do-i-install-an-extension)
- [How do I install an extension manually?](#how-do-i-install-an-extension-manually)
- [How do I use my own extensions marketplace?](#how-do-i-use-my-own-extensions-marketplace)
- [Where are extensions stored?](#where-are-extensions-stored)
- [How can I reuse my VS Code configuration?](#how-can-i-reuse-my-vs-code-configuration)
- [How does code-server decide what workspace or folder to open?](#how-does-code-server-decide-what-workspace-or-folder-to-open)
- [How do I access my Documents/Downloads/Desktop folders in code-server on macOS?](#how-do-i-access-my-documentsdownloadsdesktop-folders-in-code-server-on-macos)
- [How do I direct server-side requests through a proxy?](#how-do-i-direct-server-side-requests-through-a-proxy)
- [How do I debug issues with code-server?](#how-do-i-debug-issues-with-code-server)
- [What is the healthz endpoint?](#what-is-the-healthz-endpoint)
- [What is the heartbeat file?](#what-is-the-heartbeat-file)
- [How do I change the password?](#how-do-i-change-the-password)
- [Can I store my password hashed?](#can-i-store-my-password-hashed)
- [Is multi-tenancy possible?](#is-multi-tenancy-possible)
- [Can I use Docker in a code-server container?](#can-i-use-docker-in-a-code-server-container)
- [How do I disable telemetry?](#how-do-i-disable-telemetry)
- [What's the difference between code-server and Theia?](#whats-the-difference-between-code-server-and-theia)
- [What's the difference between code-server and VS Code Codespaces?](#whats-the-difference-between-code-server-and-vs-code-codespaces)
- [Does code-server have any security login validation?](#does-code-server-have-any-security-login-validation)
- [Are there community projects involving code-server?](#are-there-community-projects-involving-code-server)

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## Questions?

Please file all questions and support requests at
<https://github.com/cdr/code-server/discussions>.

## How should I expose code-server to the internet?

Please see [our instructions on exposing code-server safely to the
internet](./guide.md).

## Can I use code-server on the iPad?

See [iPad](./ipad.md) for information on using code-server on the iPad.

## How does the config file work?

When `code-server` starts up, it creates a default config file in `~/.config/code-server/config.yaml`:

```yaml
bind-addr: 127.0.0.1:8080
auth: password
password: mew...22 # Randomly generated for each config.yaml
cert: false
```

The default config defines the following behavior:

- Listen on the loopback IP port 8080
- Enable password authorization
- Do not use TLS

Each key in the file maps directly to a `code-server` flag (run `code-server --help` to see a listing of all the flags). Any flags passed to `code-server`
will take priority over the config file.

You can change the config file's location using the `--config` flag or
`$CODE_SERVER_CONFIG` environment variable.

The default location respects `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME`.

## How do I make my keyboard shortcuts work?

Many shortcuts will not work by default, since they'll be "caught" by the browser.

If you use Chrome, you can work around this by installing the progressive web
app (PWA):

1. Start the editor
2. Click the **plus** icon in the URL toolbar to install the PWA

For other browsers, you'll have to remap keybindings for shortcuts to work.

## Why can't code-server use Microsoft's extension marketplace?

Though code-server takes the open-source core of VS Code and allows you to run
it in the browser, it is not entirely equivalent to Microsoft's VS Code.

One major difference is in regards to extensions and the marketplace. The core
of VS code is open source, while the marketplace and many published Microsoft
extensions are not. Furthermore, Microsoft prohibits the use of any
non-Microsoft VS Code from accessing their marketplace. Per the [Terms of
Service](https://cdn.vsassets.io/v/M146_20190123.39/_content/Microsoft-Visual-Studio-Marketplace-Terms-of-Use.pdf):

> Marketplace Offerings are intended for use only with Visual Studio Products
> and Services, and you may only install and use Marketplace Offerings with
> Visual Studio Products and Services.

Because of this, we can't offer any extensions on Microsoft's marketplace.
Instead, we've created a marketplace offering open-source extensions. The
marketplace works by scraping GitHub for VS Code extensions and building them.

These are the closed-source extensions that are presently unavailable:

1. [Live Share](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/services/live-share). We may
   implement something similar (see
   [#33](https://github.com/cdr/code-server/issues/33))
1. [Remote Extensions (SSH, Containers,
   WSL)](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-remote-release). We may implement
   these again at some point, see
   ([#1315](https://github.com/cdr/code-server/issues/1315)).

For more about the closed source portions of VS Code, see [vscodium/vscodium](https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium#why-does-this-exist).

## How can I request an extension that's missing from the marketplace?

We are in the process of transitioning to [Open VSX](https://open-vsx.org/).
Once we've [implemented Open
VSX](https://github.com/eclipse/openvsx/issues/249), we can finalize this
transition. As such, we are not currently accepting new extension requests.

In the meantime, we suggest:

- [Switching to Open VSX](#how-do-i-configure-the-marketplace-url) now
- Downloading and [installing the extension manually](#installing-an-extension-manually)

## How do I install an extension?

You can install extensions from the marketplace using the extensions sidebar in
code-server or from the command line:

```console
code-server --install-extension <extension id>
# example: code-server --install-extension wesbos.theme-cobalt2

# From the Coder extension marketplace
code-server --install-extension ms-python.python

# From a downloaded VSIX on the file system
code-server --install-extension downloaded-ms-python.python.vsix
```

## How do I install an extension manually?

If there's an extension unavailable in the marketplace or an extension that
doesn't work, you can download the VSIX from its GitHub releases or build it
yourself.

Once you have downloaded the VSIX to the remote machine, you can either:

- Run the **Extensions: Install from VSIX** command in the Command Palette.
- Run `code-server --install-extension <path to vsix>` in the terminal

You can also download extensions using the command line. For instance,
downloading from OpenVSX can be done like this:

```shell
SERVICE_URL=https://open-vsx.org/vscode/gallery ITEM_URL=https://open-vsx.org/vscode/item code-server --install-extension <extension id>
```

## How do I use my own extensions marketplace?

If you own a marketplace that implements the VS Code Extension Gallery API, you
can point code-server to it by setting `$SERVICE_URL` and `$ITEM_URL`. These correspond directly
to `serviceUrl` and `itemUrl` in VS Code's `product.json`.

For example, to use [open-vsx.org](https://open-vsx.org), run:

```bash
export SERVICE_URL=https://open-vsx.org/vscode/gallery
export ITEM_URL=https://open-vsx.org/vscode/item
```

Though you can technically use Microsoft's marketplace in this manner, we
strongly discourage you from doing so since this is [against their Terms of Use](#why-cant-code-server-use-microsofts-extension-marketplace).

For further information, see [this
discussion](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/31168#issue-244533026)
regarding the use of the Microsoft URLs in forks, as well as [VSCodium's
docs](https://github.com/VSCodium/vscodium/blob/master/DOCS.md#extensions--marketplace).

## Where are extensions stored?

Extensions are store, by default, to `~/.local/share/code-server/extensions`.

If you set the `XDG_DATA_HOME` environment variable, the data directory will be
`$XDG_DATA_HOME/code-server/extensions`. In general, we try to follow the XDG directory spec.

## How can I reuse my VS Code configuration?

You can use the [Settings
Sync](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Shan.code-settings-sync)
extension for this purpose.

Alternatively, you can also pass `--user-data-dir ~/.vscode` or copy `~/.vscode`
into `~/.local/share/code-server` to reuse your existing VS Code extensions and
configuration.

## How does code-server decide what workspace or folder to open?

code-server tries the following in this order:

1. The `workspace` query parameter
2. The `folder` query parameter
3. The workspace or directory passed via the command line
4. The last opened workspace or directory

## How do I access my Documents/Downloads/Desktop folders in code-server on macOS?

Newer versions of macOS require permission through a non-UNIX mechanism for
code-server to access the Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Downloads, and other folders.

You may have to give Node.js full disk access, since it doesn't implement any of the macOS permission request features natively:

1. Find where Node.js is installed on your machine

   ```console
   $ which node
   /usr/local/bin/node
   ```

2. Grant Node.js full disk access. Open **System Preferences** > **Security &
   Privacy** > **Privacy** > **Full Disk Access**. Then, click the 🔒 to unlock,
   click **+**, and select the Node.js binary you located in the previous step.

See [#2794](https://github.com/cdr/code-server/issues/2794) for additional context.

## How do I direct server-side requests through a proxy?

> code-server proxies only server-side requests.

To direct server-side requests through a proxy, code-server supports the
following environment variables:

- `$HTTP_PROXY`
- `$HTTPS_PROXY`
- `$NO_PROXY`

```sh
export HTTP_PROXY=https://134.8.5.4
export HTTPS_PROXY=https://134.8.5.4
# Now all of code-server's server side requests will go through
# https://134.8.5.4 first.
code-server
```

- See
  [proxy-from-env](https://www.npmjs.com/package/proxy-from-env#environment-variables)
  for a detailed reference on these environment variables and their syntax (note
  that code-server only uses the `http` and `https` protocols).
- See [proxy-agent](https://www.npmjs.com/package/proxy-agent) for information
  on on the supported proxy protocols.

## How do I debug issues with code-server?

First, run code-server with the `debug` logging (or `trace` to be really
thorough) by setting the `--log` flag or the `LOG_LEVEL` environment variable.
`-vvv` and `--verbose` are aliases for `--log trace`.

First, run code-server with `debug` logging (or `trace` logging for more
thorough messages) by setting the `--log` flag or the `LOG_LEVEL` environment
variable.

```text
code-server --log debug
```

> Note that the `-vvv` and `--verbose` flags are aliases for `--log trace`.

Next, replicate the issue you're having so that you can collect logging
information from the following places:

1. The most recent files from `~/.local/share/code-server/coder-logs`
2. The browser console
3. The browser network tab

Additionally, collecting core dumps (you may need to enable them first) if
code-server crashes can be helpful.

## What is the healthz endpoint?

You can use the `/healthz` endpoint exposed by code-server to check whether
code-server is running without triggering a heartbeat. The response includes a
status (e.g., `alive` or `expired`) and a timestamp for the last heartbeat
(the default is `0`).

```json
{
  "status": "alive",
  "lastHeartbeat": 1599166210566
}
```

This endpoint doesn't require authentication.

## What is the heartbeat file?

As long as there is an active browser connection, code-server touches
`~/.local/share/code-server/heartbeat` once a minute.

If you want to shutdown code-server if there hasn't been an active connection
after a predetermined amount of time, you can do so by checking continuously for
the last modified time on the heartbeat file. If it is older than X minutes (or
whatever amount of time you'd like), you can kill code-server.

Eventually, [#1636](https://github.com/cdr/code-server/issues/1636) will make
this process better.

## How do I change the password?

Edit the `password` field in the code-server config file at
`~/.config/code-server/config.yaml`, then restart code-server:

```bash
sudo systemctl restart code-server@$USER
```

## Can I store my password hashed?

Yes, you can do so by setting the value of `hashed-password` instead of `password`. Generate the hash with:

```shell
echo -n "thisismypassword" | npx argon2-cli -e
$argon2i$v=19$m=4096,t=3,p=1$wst5qhbgk2lu1ih4dmuxvg$ls1alrvdiwtvzhwnzcm1dugg+5dto3dt1d5v9xtlws4
```

Replace `thisismypassword` with your actual password and **remember to put it
inside quotes**! For example:

```yaml
auth: password
hashed-password: "$argon2i$v=19$m=4096,t=3,p=1$wST5QhBgk2lu1ih4DMuxvg$LS1alrVdIWtvZHwnzCM1DUGg+5DTO3Dt1d5v9XtLws4"
```

The `hashed-password` field takes precedence over `password`.

## Is multi-tenancy possible?

If you want to run multiple code-servers on shared infrastructure, we recommend
using virtual machines (provide one VM per user). This will easily allow users
to run a Docker daemon. If you want to use Kubernetes, you'll want to
use [kubevirt](https://kubevirt.io) or
[sysbox](https://github.com/nestybox/sysbox) to give each user a VM-like
experience instead of just a container.

## Can I use Docker in a code-server container?

If you'd like to access Docker inside of code-server, mount the Docker socket in
from `/var/run/docker.sock`. Then, install the Docker CLI in the code-server
container, and you should be able to access the daemon.

You can even make volume mounts work. Let's say you want to run a container and
mount into `/home/coder/myproject` from inside the `code-server` container. You
need to make sure the Docker daemon's `/home/coder/myproject` is the same as the
one mounted inside the `code-server` container, and the mount will work.

## How do I disable telemetry?

Use the `--disable-telemetry` flag to disable telemetry.

> We use the data collected only to improve code-server.

## What's the difference between code-server and Theia?

At a high level, code-server is a patched fork of VS Code that runs in the
browser whereas Theia takes some parts of VS Code but is an entirely different
editor.

[Theia](https://github.com/eclipse-theia/theia) is a browser IDE loosely based
on VS Code. It uses the same text editor library
([Monaco](https://github.com/Microsoft/monaco-editor)) and extension API, but
everything else is different. Theia also uses [Open VSX](https://open-vsx.org)
for extensions.

Theia doesn't allow you to reuse your existing VS Code config.

## What's the difference between code-server and VS Code Codespaces?

Both code-server and VS Code Codespaces allow you to access VS Code via a
browser.

VS Code Codespaces, however, is a closed-source, paid service offered by
Microsoft. While you can self-host environments with VS Code Codespaces, you
still need an Azure billing account, and you must access VS Code via the
Codespaces web dashboard instead of connecting directly to it.

On the other hand, code-server is free, open-source, and can be run on any
machine with few limitations.

## Does code-server have any security login validation?

code-server supports setting a single password and limits logins to two per
minute plus an additional twelve per hour.

## Are there community projects involving code-server?

Visit the [awesome-code-server](https://github.com/cdr/awesome-code-server)
repository to view community projects and guides with code-server! Feel free to
add your own!