code-server
$9.00 / month with a 7-day free trial and a $1.00 sign-up fee
Run VS Code in a browser tab — full extension support, integrated terminal, persistent dotfiles, accessible from any device including iPads and Chromebooks.
A managed instance of code-server on ElfHosted — full Visual Studio Code running on your subdomain, accessible from any browser. Same UI, same keybindings, same extension marketplace, same integrated terminal. The dev environment lives on the server, so an iPad / Chromebook / borrowed laptop becomes a full development environment in one URL. MIT-licensed; built by Coder.
The "VS Code that follows you" workflow — your editor, terminal, extensions, and dotfiles, available from any browser without "is my laptop with me?" friction.
What is code-server?
code-server is Visual Studio Code packaged to run on a server, served as a web app to your browser. Open a URL; get the full VS Code UI. The editor and terminal run on your remote machine; your laptop just renders the interface. Made by Coder (the company behind the broader cloud-dev-environment platform); the code-server project is MIT-licensed and self-hostable independent of Coder's commercial products.
The killer use case: development on devices that can't run a full local IDE. iPads, Chromebooks, locked-down work laptops, friend's borrowed machine — anything with a browser becomes a full dev box. Plus the persistent-environment angle: your shell history, dotfiles, installed dependencies, and open-tabs state survive switching devices.
Features
- 📝 Full VS Code experience — same editor, same keybindings, same UI, same theming. Settings sync between devices because there's only one device (the server).
- 🧩 Open VSX extension marketplace — install most VS Code extensions from Open VSX (the open-source equivalent to the Microsoft Marketplace). Most popular extensions are available; Microsoft-licensed extensions (Remote-SSH, Pylance, etc.) require a workaround.
- 🖥️ Integrated terminal — full bash/zsh terminal in the editor, running on the server. Run the dev server, watch logs, install dependencies, all from inside the editor.
- 📂 Persistent workspace — your files, dotfiles, npm-installed packages, Python venvs, and shell history all live on the server. Reconnect from a different device and pick up exactly where you left off.
- 📱 Touch-friendly — usable on tablets (iPad with a keyboard is a real dev environment); pinch-zoom, touch keyboard support.
- 🔐 Single-user auth — password or SSO via your ElfHosted account; integrates cleanly with the ElfHosted SSO layer.
- 🌐 Forwarding ports — local dev servers (npm run dev, python -m http.server, etc.) accessible from your browser via VS Code's port-forwarding feature.
- 🔓 FOSS & MIT-licensed — no paid tier, no telemetry, no vendor lock-in.
code-server vs Other Cloud-IDE Options
- vs. GitHub Codespaces — Codespaces is Microsoft's hosted version of basically the same idea, integrated into GitHub. Differences: Codespaces is per-hour billing tied to your GitHub account; code-server on ElfHosted is a flat-rate persistent environment that's actually yours. Codespaces gives you Microsoft-marketplace-only extensions; code-server uses Open VSX (different extension subset). Pick code-server for "I want my own persistent dev box"; Codespaces for "I want ephemeral environments per-PR".
- vs. Gitpod — Gitpod is similar to Codespaces (ephemeral per-repo environments). Same trade-offs.
- vs. Coder (the commercial product) — Coder is the productised multi-user version of this idea built by the same team. If you have 5+ developers and need org-level workspace management, Coder is the answer. For individual / small-team self-hosting, code-server is the right slice.
- vs. SSH + local VS Code's Remote-SSH extension — Remote-SSH gives you VS Code locally with files served from a remote machine. Works great if you can install VS Code locally. Falls apart on iPads, Chromebooks, locked-down corporate machines, or devices where you can't install software. code-server runs in any browser.
- vs. running an IDE on your local machine — local is faster (no network latency on keypresses) and works offline. The trade-off code-server makes is "follow-me access" — you don't need to bring the laptop everywhere.
Why Run code-server on ElfHosted?
code-server is straightforward to self-host but the operational details around a persistent dev environment matter:
- HTTPS with auto-renewing TLS — required for the modern web APIs VS Code uses (clipboard, notifications, file-drop) to work without browser warnings.
- Persistent workspace storage — your code, dotfiles, installed dependencies, and shell history survive reboots and updates.
- Server-grade CPU — language servers (TypeScript, Pylance via workaround, rust-analyzer) and build tasks are noticeably faster on a managed server than on a Pi or budget VPS.
- Updates handled — code-server tracks upstream VS Code releases regularly.
- SSO via your ElfHosted account.
- Single subscription: $9/month all-in.
Technical Specifications
- 🛠️ Software: code-server (FOSS, MIT)
- 📝 Editor: Visual Studio Code (full UI, all built-in features)
- 🧩 Extensions: Open VSX marketplace (most popular extensions; Microsoft-licensed extensions require manual install workaround)
- 🖥️ Terminal: bash / zsh / fish via integrated terminal
- 📂 Persistent storage: workspace, settings, extensions, shell history all persist on ElfHosted's storage
- 📱 Devices supported: any modern browser — desktop, iPad, Android tablet, Chromebook, work-locked laptop
- 🔐 Auth: ElfHosted SSO; password fallback
- 🌐 Port forwarding: built-in (VS Code's port-forward UI exposes local dev servers)
- 🔑 Subscription: $9/month — code-server itself is fully free
- 🌐 Access: HTTPS on your own ElfHosted subdomain
- 🔄 Updates: handled by ElfHosted; tracks upstream VS Code releases
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I run code-server without self-hosting it?
Add it to your ElfHosted subscription — this product is a managed code-server instance with HTTPS, persistent workspace storage, automatic updates, and SSO via your ElfHosted account. No Docker, no Cloudflare Tunnel setup.
Can I install all my favourite VS Code extensions?
Most. code-server uses Open VSX (open-source extension marketplace) which has the vast majority of popular extensions. Microsoft-licensed extensions (Pylance, Remote-SSH, Live Share, the C++ extension) aren't on Open VSX due to Microsoft's licensing — there's a documented manual-install workaround using the .vsix files but it's grey-area-ish. For most users, the Open VSX subset is fine.
Is the latency acceptable for typing?
Yes for normal coding; you might notice it briefly during heavy autocomplete on large projects. The biggest factor is your network round-trip time to ElfHosted's region. Typical home-broadband-to-managed-server latency is well under the threshold where typing feels "remote".
How do I run my dev server / preview?
VS Code's built-in port-forwarding handles this. Run `npm run dev` in the integrated terminal; VS Code shows the forwarded URL; click to open. Works for any local dev server (Python, Go, Rust, etc.).
Do my dotfiles sync?
The server has a persistent home directory; your `~/.bashrc`, `~/.gitconfig`, etc. are saved on the server and persist between sessions. To bring an existing dotfiles repo, clone it via the terminal once and run your install script.
Can I use this on an iPad?
Yes — that's actually one of the strongest use cases. iPad with a Magic Keyboard or an external Bluetooth keyboard becomes a full dev environment. Mouse / trackpad supported via standard iPad cursor.
How does this compare to GitHub Codespaces?
Codespaces is per-hour billing on Microsoft's infrastructure, ephemeral per-repo, and uses Microsoft's marketplace. code-server on ElfHosted is flat-rate, persistent, and uses Open VSX. Pick code-server if you want a single always-on dev environment that's yours; Codespaces if you want ephemeral per-PR boxes.
code-server is the dev-environment-anywhere setup — full VS Code in a browser tab, with persistent workspace, extensions, and shell history surviving every device switch. iPads, Chromebooks, locked-down laptops all become full development boxes. Hosted on ElfHosted with HTTPS, persistent storage, and managed updates for $9/month.
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