Remote Machines
Connect to Remote Machines
Remote Development is a VS Code extension developed by Microsoft that lets you open any folder in a container, a remote machine, or in WSL and use all features of VS Code to edit files in that directory. This greatly simplifies development and troubleshooting. You can use all VS Code tools and the graphical user interfaces with SSH.
The extension adds a new button to the Activity Bar that shows all available remote servers. The extension runs commands and other extensions directly on the remote machine. You can navigate between folders on the remote machine and open files similar to your local machine. The Remote “Quick Access” status bar item helps you to find the most common commands and check the condition of the remote machine.
Connecting to WSL
If you are a Windows user but need Linux capabilities here and there, you probably have worked with Windows Subsystem Linux (WSL). WSL lets you run a Linux environment, including the terminal, directly on Windows. WSL helps developers to use Linux-first tools on Windows. The Remote - WSL Extension is an extension that helps you to connect to the WSL by selecting Remote-WSL in the Command Palette. You need to enable WSL to access it within VS Code.
Working with Containers
By installing Docker extension in VS Code, you can build, manage, and deploy a containerized application using the graphical interface of Visual Studio Code. The extension adds a new button to the activity bar that opens the Docker Explorer view. In this view, you can examine and manage Docker assets such as containers and images. With this extension, you do not need to run, stop, or remove containers or volumes in the terminal and you can perform all these tasks graphically.
To learn more about Docker and virtualization tools, start with the https://ubc-library-rc.github.io/intro-docker/ workshop offered by UBC. You should also download and install [Docker Desktop] on your system. Docker Hub has many useful Docker containers ready to use.
Connecting to Remote Containers
The Remote - Containers Extension lets you connect to a Docker container in VS Code. You can start or attach to a development container with this extension and view workspace files.