VS Code Tunnel Docker image

This container image includes the VS Code CLI along with useful build dependencies and tools (Git, Java, Maven, NodeJS, Python, Docker CLI, kubectl, helm, gcloud, ...).

When run without arguments, it will automatically start in tunnel mode and await authentication. Make sure to check the logs if you are running it in the background and follow the displayed instructions.

After that you can connect to this container as a remote tunnel from anywhere on the web or desktop and develop in an isolated environment.

Usage

The following commands can be used to start a tunnel from a machine with Docker installed.

# Create a dedicated volume for persistence
docker volume create vscode-tunnel

# Start tunnel in the background
docker run -d --name vscode-tunnel -v vscode-tunnel:/home/vscode ghcr.io/fcrespel/vscode-tunnel:master

# Check the logs for authentication and connection instructions
docker logs -f vscode-tunnel

# Stop tunnel after usage
docker stop vscode-tunnel

# Start again existing tunnel
docker start vscode-tunnel

# Delete container and data
docker stop vscode-tunnel
docker rm vscode-tunnel
docker volume rm vscode-tunnel

As an alternative, you may also want to use a Docker Compose file such as the following.

services:
  vscode-tunnel:
    image: ghcr.io/fcrespel/vscode-tunnel:master
    restart: unless-stopped
    hostname: vscode-tunnel
    volumes:
      - vscode-tunnel:/home/vscode
volumes:
  vscode-tunnel:

Build arguments

The following arguments can be used during the build phase to configure the image.

Argument	Description	Default value
CLOUDSDK_VERSION	Google Cloud SDK version to install	484.0.0
DOCKER_VERSION	Docker CLI version to install	27.0.3
HELM_VERSION	Helm version to install	3.15.3
KUBECTL_VERSION	kubectl version to install	1.30.3
MAVEN_VERSION	Maven version to install	3.9.8
ROOT_CA_URL	Additional root certificate authority URL to install
TF_VERSION	Terraform version to install	1.9.2
USER_GID	Group ID of the user to create	100
USER_UID	User ID of the user to create	1000
VSCODE_VERSION	VS Code CLI version to install	1.91.1

Volumes

The following container paths can be used to mount a dedicated volume.

Path	Description
/home/vscode	User configuration and data