With VS code can now also be developed remotely on containers and VMs. A new Extension Pack is ready. The three extensions for the code editor are still in the preview phase; but the team behind VS Code has already introduced them.

VS Code gets a new way to use that goes beyond the current limits. Under the name “Remote Development” an extension pack is available as a preview for download, which should close the gaps in the usability of VS code. If you want to work with containers, VMs or Linux and Windows at the same time, you have come up against the limits when using VS code. According to the VS Code Team, this does not mean so few developers: When it comes, for example, to the development of projects with Python, the in many cases needed VMs could not be used so far. The development of big-data projects, whose database could not be made locally available, is an obstacle. Working remotely was not yet provided for in VS Code.

VS Code: Develop on the VM, in the container and from Windows in Linux

The Visual Studio Code Remote Development Extension Pack now renders the editor spread across two locations: While the dev tools are running on the local instance, the development services run on a separate physical or virtual machine. The package consists of three single extensions. With the Remote – SSH Package, folders can be opened in other locations to edit the code there. Remote containers load folders into containers, with remote WSL in the Windows Subsystem for Linux.

Currently, the packages can only be used by Visual Studio Code Insiders. The corresponding version is available for download – however, it is expressly warned that these are versions that might themselves be flawed. The Remote Development Extension Pack is available in the VS Code Marketplace . More information about the extensions and the motivation behind this project can be found in the VS Code Blog .