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Using VSCode

Introduction

Visual Studio Code is a lightweight but powerful source code editor which runs on your desktop. It provides a rich code editing experience with features like

  • syntax highlighting
  • auto-indentation
  • intelliSense (context-aware suggestions as you type)
  • linting for various programming languages
  • powerful debugging
  • Integrated Terminal

You can enhance its functionality by installing extensions from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace.

Facility-Specific Guides

For detailed setup instructions specific to each facility:

Remote-Tunnels

The Visual Studio Code Remote - Tunnels extension lets you connect to a remote machine, like a desktop PC or virtual machine (VM), via a secure tunnel.

You can connect to that machine from a VS Code client anywhere, without the requirement of SSH.

This can eliminate the need for source code to be on your VS Code client machine since the extension runs commands and other extensions directly on the remote machine.

VS Code can provide a local-quality development experience - including full IntelliSense (completions), code navigation, and debugging - regardless of where your code is hosted.

Requirements to Run Remote-Tunnels

To run Remote-Tunnels, it requires:

  • A GitHub account
  • VSCode CLI on the remote machine

So you can edit in VSCode on local machine browser the files on the remote machine.

But if you would like to use local VSCode client to edit the files on the remote machine, you still need:

  • VSCode client and extension Remote-Tunnels on the local machine

Setup Guide

Create a Secure Tunnel on the Remote Machine

You can grab the CLI through a standalone install.

Note

Some facilities may have the VSCode CLI pre-installed. Check your facility-specific guide for details.

Create a secure tunnel with the tunnel command:

code tunnel

It would print out something like:

* * Visual Studio Code Server * *
By using the software, you agree to
* the Visual Studio Code Server License Terms
  (https://aka.ms/vscode-server-license) and
* the Microsoft Privacy Statement
  (https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-US/privacystatement).
* To grant access to the server, please log into
  https://github.com/login/device and use code B45E-B1C0

On a browser, following the above instruction, visit login/device, input the code. On the next web page, click on the button of Authorize Visual-Studio-Code.

Afterward, the remote machine screen would prompt:

What would you like to call this machine?

Provide a descriptive name to the remote machine.

Then it would yield a link to access your tunnel:

[2023-09-25 22:22:51] info Creating tunnel with the name: my-machine

Open this link in your browser
https://vscode.dev/tunnel/my-machine/home/username

Now you can explore the files on the remote machine, and use VSCode to edit files:

  • Either on a browser, open the tunnel link
  • Or in VSCode client, open Remote Explorer, click on Remotes, then Tunnels, and choose your machine name

Upon opening a folder/file, you just click on the button of Yes, I trusted the authors.

Remote SSH Extension

The Visual Studio Code Remote - SSH extension lets you use any remote machine with an SSH server as your development environment. This is different from Remote Tunnels - it uses direct SSH connections to the remote host.

The Remote - SSH extension:

  • Runs commands and extensions directly on the remote machine
  • Provides a local-quality development experience with full IntelliSense, debugging, and terminal access
  • Requires SSH access to be configured (see our SSH Access Guide)

SSH Keys and Passphrases

When using the Remote - SSH extension, SSH keys with passphrases can require additional configuration. VS Code may have difficulty prompting for passphrases during connection.

You have two options:

  1. Use SSH Agent (recommended): Configure your SSH agent to cache your passphrase. See the SSH Access Guide for setup instructions.

  2. Use keys without passphrases: Generate a separate SSH key without a passphrase specifically for VS Code connections. Note that this is less secure.

For more details, see the VS Code SSH Git Authentication FAQ.

Disconnecting from a Remote Host

To close the connection when you finish editing files on the remote host:

  • Choose File > Close Remote Connection to disconnect from the host
  • The default configuration does not include a keyboard shortcut for this command
  • You can also simply exit VS Code to close the remote connection

Important: Background Jobs Continue Running

Closing VS Code Does NOT Terminate Jobs

Critical: Closing VS Code or disconnecting from an SSH session does NOT terminate jobs running on the remote machine. This includes:

  • Jupyter notebook kernels
  • Running scripts or processes
  • Background jobs
  • Interactive programs

You must explicitly terminate processes using commands like kill, pkill, or by using proper termination methods within your programs.

Common Misconceptions

Many users mistakenly believe that closing VS Code or their SSH session will clean up running jobs. This is not true. The SSH session is just a connection to the server - closing it does not affect processes running on the server.

Important keyboard shortcuts:

  • Control+C: Terminates the current process (sends SIGINT)
  • Control+Z: Suspends the current process (sends SIGTSTP) - does NOT terminate it

If you use Control+Z, the process is only suspended and will continue consuming resources. You must use kill or pkill to actually terminate suspended processes.

For more information on process control and session management, see the FAQs and Tips page.