{"slug": "code-server", "name": "code-server", "category": "selfhosted", "category_name": "Self-hosted and home server", "description": "", "recommenders": 2, "commenters": 2, "warners": 0, "score": 1.702, "rising": -0.65, "first": "2026-01-05", "latest": "2026-04-02", "why": "code-server, instead of VSCode. I can build my own podman image on top of it with whatever dev tools I need", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 2, "neutral": 0, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": false, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "code-server, instead of VSCode. I can build my own podman image on top of it with whatever dev tools I need", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": "github.com/coder/code-server", "official_url": "https://github.com/coder/code-server", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["code-server"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 761869856, "item_id": 47616866, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47616866", "by": "4oo4", "date": "2026-04-02", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Since VSCode just a becomes another self-hosted web app this way, it's pretty much the exact same experience no matter where I'm connecting from.", "excerpt": "Yes and no, in this case you don't need a local vscode instance to connect to your vscode container, just a browser. It's more similar to self-hosted Github Codespaces, and but I believe code-server was actually released first. Personally I've fiddled enough with podman that that part of it doesn't bother me, and I don't like Docker/Podman desktop (which I think is what devcontainers assume the setup is) and just wan", "context": "", "use_case": "self-hosted browser VS Code", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What dev tools do you rely on that nobody talks about?"}, {"id": 761698768, "item_id": 47606173, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47606173", "by": "4oo4", "date": "2026-04-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "code-server, instead of VSCode. I can build my own podman image on top of it with whatever dev tools I need", "excerpt": "code-server, instead of VSCode. I can build my own podman image on top of it with whatever dev tools I need for whatever languages I'm working with, and if I have to install something weird or something breaks I can just restart the container. Especially on my work machine that isn't Linux, I have this running in a VM and can just use in my browser and don't have to jump through hoops to get the dev environment I wan", "context": "work machine isn't Linux", "use_case": "browser-based dev environment", "switched_from": "VSCode", "story": "Ask HN: What dev tools do you rely on that nobody talks about?"}, {"id": 744047536, "item_id": 46502971, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46502971", "by": "jaredcwhite", "date": "2026-01-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I've been running \"VSCode\" via code-server as a self-hosted solution so I can fire up an IDE on any device including my iPad.", "excerpt": "I've been running \"VSCode\" via code-server as a self-hosted solution so I can fire up an IDE on any device including my iPad. I still use code-server, but increasingly when I'm at my Mac/Linux desktops (yes I have both!) I have been using Zed and it's gotten really good. The only major feature I miss is a visual Git Graph, but since I can still load code-server when I need that, no biggie. I was genuinely surprised t", "context": "uses Mac and Linux desktops", "use_case": "remote IDE on any device", "switched_from": "", "story": "I switched from VSCode to Zed"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "4oo4", "context": "work machine isn't Linux", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47606173", "date": "2026-04-01"}, {"by": "jaredcwhite", "context": "uses Mac and Linux desktops", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46502971", "date": "2026-01-05"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["self-hosted browser vs code", "browser-based dev environment", "remote ide on any device"], "compared": [{"slug": "visual-studio-code", "name": "Visual Studio Code", "co": 2, "switched_from": 1, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "podman", "name": "Podman", "co": 3, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "dev-containers", "name": "Dev Containers", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47602040", "title": "Ask HN: What dev tools do you rely on that nobody talks about?", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46498735", "title": "I switched from VSCode to Zed", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 761869856, "item_id": 47616866, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47616866", "by": "4oo4", "date": "2026-04-02", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Since VSCode just a becomes another self-hosted web app this way, it's pretty much the exact same experience no matter where I'm connecting from.", "excerpt": "Yes and no, in this case you don't need a local vscode instance to connect to your vscode container, just a browser. It's more similar to self-hosted Github Codespaces, and but I believe code-server was actually released first. Personally I've fiddled enough with podman that that part of it doesn't bother me, and I don't like Docker/Podman desktop (which I think is what devcontainers assume the setup is) and just wan", "context": "", "use_case": "self-hosted browser VS Code", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What dev tools do you rely on that nobody talks about?"}, {"id": 761698768, "item_id": 47606173, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47606173", "by": "4oo4", "date": "2026-04-01", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "code-server, instead of VSCode. I can build my own podman image on top of it with whatever dev tools I need", "excerpt": "code-server, instead of VSCode. I can build my own podman image on top of it with whatever dev tools I need for whatever languages I'm working with, and if I have to install something weird or something breaks I can just restart the container. Especially on my work machine that isn't Linux, I have this running in a VM and can just use in my browser and don't have to jump through hoops to get the dev environment I wan", "context": "work machine isn't Linux", "use_case": "browser-based dev environment", "switched_from": "VSCode", "story": "Ask HN: What dev tools do you rely on that nobody talks about?"}, {"id": 744047536, "item_id": 46502971, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46502971", "by": "jaredcwhite", "date": "2026-01-05", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I've been running \"VSCode\" via code-server as a self-hosted solution so I can fire up an IDE on any device including my iPad.", "excerpt": "I've been running \"VSCode\" via code-server as a self-hosted solution so I can fire up an IDE on any device including my iPad. I still use code-server, but increasingly when I'm at my Mac/Linux desktops (yes I have both!) I have been using Zed and it's gotten really good. The only major feature I miss is a visual Git Graph, but since I can still load code-server when I need that, no biggie. I was genuinely surprised t", "context": "uses Mac and Linux desktops", "use_case": "remote IDE on any device", "switched_from": "", "story": "I switched from VSCode to Zed"}]}