OpenVSCode Server

Key Features

• Full Visual Studio Code interface accessible through any modern web browser
• Native support for VS Code extensions including language servers, debuggers, and themes
• Built-in terminal with shell access for command-line operations and Git workflows
• Token-based authentication system for secure remote access control
• Persistent workspace storage maintaining files, settings, and project state
• NGINX reverse proxy providing HTTP request optimization and static asset caching
• Multi-user workspace isolation through container user mapping
• Real-time file synchronization between browser interface and container filesystem

Common Use Cases

• 1Remote development teams needing consistent IDE environments across different operating systems
• 2Educational institutions providing standardized coding environments for students on various devices
• 3Developers working on resource-intensive projects requiring powerful server hardware
• 4Organizations implementing zero-trust security models with centralized development infrastructure
• 5Freelancers and consultants accessing client codebases from multiple locations and devices
• 6Code review workflows where reviewers need full IDE functionality without local setup
• 7Development on locked-down corporate networks where desktop software installation is restricted

Prerequisites

• Docker Engine 20.10+ and Docker Compose V2 for container orchestration
• Minimum 2GB RAM allocation for OpenVSCode Server container operations
• Available ports 3000 and 80 for OpenVSCode Server and NGINX respectively
• Modern web browser with WebSocket support for real-time IDE functionality
• Basic understanding of VS Code extension management and workspace configuration
• File system permissions for volume mounting if using custom project directories

docker-compose.yml

1services: 
2  openvscode-server: 
3    image: gitpod/openvscode-server:latest
4    container_name: openvscode-server
5    restart: unless-stopped
6    ports: 
7      - "${VSCODE_PORT:-3000}:3000"
8    environment: 
9      - CONNECTION_TOKEN=${CONNECTION_TOKEN}
10    volumes: 
11      - vscode_home:/home/workspace
12      - ${PROJECT_PATH:-./projects}:/home/workspace/projects
13    user: "1000:1000"
14
15  nginx: 
16    image: nginx:alpine
17    container_name: vscode-nginx
18    restart: unless-stopped
19    ports: 
20      - "${NGINX_PORT:-80}:80"
21    volumes: 
22      - ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf:ro
23
24volumes: 
25  vscode_home: 

.env Template

1# OpenVSCode Server
2VSCODE_PORT=3000
3CONNECTION_TOKEN=your_secure_token
4PROJECT_PATH=./projects
5NGINX_PORT=80

Usage Notes

Individual Services(2 services)

Copy individual services to mix and match with your existing compose files.

openvscode-server:
  image: gitpod/openvscode-server:latest
  container_name: openvscode-server
  restart: unless-stopped
  ports:
    - ${VSCODE_PORT:-3000}:3000
  environment:
    - CONNECTION_TOKEN=${CONNECTION_TOKEN}
  volumes:
    - vscode_home:/home/workspace
    - ${PROJECT_PATH:-./projects}:/home/workspace/projects
  user: "1000:1000"

nginx:
  image: nginx:alpine
  container_name: vscode-nginx
  restart: unless-stopped
  ports:
    - ${NGINX_PORT:-80}:80
  volumes:
    - ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf:ro

Quick Start

1# 1. Create the compose file
2cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
3services:
4  openvscode-server:
5    image: gitpod/openvscode-server:latest
6    container_name: openvscode-server
7    restart: unless-stopped
8    ports:
9      - "${VSCODE_PORT:-3000}:3000"
10    environment:
11      - CONNECTION_TOKEN=${CONNECTION_TOKEN}
12    volumes:
13      - vscode_home:/home/workspace
14      - ${PROJECT_PATH:-./projects}:/home/workspace/projects
15    user: "1000:1000"
16
17  nginx:
18    image: nginx:alpine
19    container_name: vscode-nginx
20    restart: unless-stopped
21    ports:
22      - "${NGINX_PORT:-80}:80"
23    volumes:
24      - ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf:ro
25
26volumes:
27  vscode_home:
28EOF
29
30# 2. Create the .env file
31cat > .env << 'EOF'
32# OpenVSCode Server
33VSCODE_PORT=3000
34CONNECTION_TOKEN=your_secure_token
35PROJECT_PATH=./projects
36NGINX_PORT=80
37EOF
38
39# 3. Start the services
40docker compose up -d
41
42# 4. View logs
43docker compose logs -f

One-Liner

Run this command to download and set up the recipe in one step:

1curl -fsSL https://docker.recipes/api/recipes/openvscode-server-stack/run | bash

Troubleshooting