VS Code Tunnel#

The VS Code Tunnel app provides tunnel access to an interactive job from your locally installed VS Code application. This is handy if you already have many extensions installed locally, or if you want to easily switch between local and remote work within a single application. The downside is the number of steps involved to connect (although mostly point-and-click and authentication).

Usage of the VS Code Tunnel app is very similar to the VS Code Server app.

How to connect#

To connect to the VS Code tunnel, follow these steps:

  1. In the web portal, under the ‘Interactive Apps’ menu, choose ‘VS Code Tunnel’, select the resources and click the Launch button to launch your job. Once your job has started, click the Connect button to connect.

  2. A first browser tab or window opens, showing a terminal session, and you are asked ‘How would you like to log in to Visual Studio Code?’. Select ‘Microsoft Account’ using the arrow keys on your keyboard and press Enter.

  3. An URL and an authentication code are shown, which you will need to sign in to VS Code. Copy the code by holding the Shift key while selecting it, and click the URL to open it.

  4. A second browser tab or window opens. Enter the copied code, select your Microsoft account, and click the continue button. The tunnel is now ready to be used.

  5. Launch VS Code on your local computer, and click the blue button in the bottom left of the window that says ‘Open a Remote Window’.

  6. In the command palette, you are asked to ‘Select an option to open a Remote Window’. Select ‘Tunnel’, which will automatically install the ‘Remote - Tunnels’ extension. If the extension was already installed, click ‘Connect to Tunnel..’.

  7. Again in the command palette, you are asked ‘What type of account did you use to start this tunnel?’. Select ‘Microsoft Account’.

  8. In the pop-up that says “The extension ‘Remote - Tunnels’ wants to sign in using Microsoft”, click Allow.

  9. A third browser tab or window opens. Again, select your Microsoft account.

  10. Again in the command palette, select the tunnel with the format vsc-<VSC-id>-<cluster>, where <VSC-id> is your VSC-id, and <cluster> is the cluster that you selected in the resources form.

  11. That’s it, you are now connected to your VS Code Tunnel session!

Note

  • In case of authentication problems, it may be necessary to tick the ‘Cleanup previous VS Code Tunnel login data’ checkbox in the resources form.

  • To close the remote connection, click again the blue button in the bottom left, and select ‘Close Remote Connection’ in the command palette.

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