Deploy an Online Code Editor on a VPS (2025) - Complete Code-server Installation Guide

Make sure Docker and Docker Compose are installed on the VPS:

# 安装 Docker (如果还没装)
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

# 验证安装
docker --version
docker compose version

Before starting deployment, make sure the following ports are allowed in the VPS firewall or cloud provider security group:

• 80 (TCP): Let's Encrypt certificate validation
• 443 (TCP): HTTPS access

# UFW 示例
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw reload

Note: If you use a domestic provider such as Alibaba Cloud or Tencent Cloud, you also need to add rules in the console's "Security Group".

mkdir -p ~/code-server/{config,workspace}
cd ~/code-server

version: "3.8"

services:
  code-server:
    image: codercom/code-server:latest
    container_name: code-server
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:8443:8080"  # 只绑定本地，通过反向代理暴露
    environment:
      - PASSWORD=YourStrongPassword123!  # 修改为强密码
      - TZ=Asia/Shanghai
    volumes:
      - ./config:/home/coder/.config
      - ./workspace:/home/coder/project
    user: "1000:1000"  # 使用非 root 用户

Security tip: Binding the port to 127.0.0.1 is key! This prevents Code-server from being directly exposed to the public internet; all traffic must go through the reverse proxy.

docker compose up -d

Code-server is now running on local port 8443, but it is not yet accessible from outside. The next step is to configure HTTPS.

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt install -y debian-keyring debian-archive-keyring apt-transport-https curl
curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/caddy/stable/gpg.key' | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/caddy-stable-archive-keyring.gpg
curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/caddy/stable/debian.deb.txt' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/caddy-stable.list
sudo apt update
sudo apt install caddy

Go to Cloudflare (or your DNS provider) and add an A record:

类型: A
名称: code
值: 你的 VPS IP
代理状态: 仅 DNS（灰色云朵）  # 重要！SSL 由 Caddy 处理

Verify that DNS is in effect (you must confirm this before starting Caddy):

dig code.yourdomain.com +short
# 应该返回你的 VPS IP 地址

If no IP is returned, wait for DNS to take effect (usually a few minutes), otherwise the SSL certificate request will fail.

Edit /etc/caddy/Caddyfile:

code.yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:8443
    
    # 可选：添加基础认证双重保护
    # basicauth {
    #     admin $2a$14$... # caddy hash-password 生成的 bcrypt
    # }
}

sudo systemctl enable --now caddy
sudo systemctl reload caddy

After a few seconds, visit https://code.yourdomain.com and you will see the VS Code login screen! Enter the password set in docker-compose.yml to log in.

Set a complex password of at least 16 characters in docker-compose.yml, including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

sudo apt install fail2ban -y

Create /etc/fail2ban/jail.local:

[code-server]
enabled = true
port = http,https
filter = code-server
logpath = /var/log/caddy/access.log
maxretry = 5
bantime = 3600

cd ~/code-server
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

If you only access the server through Code-server, you can disable SSH password login and allow only key authentication.

tar -czvf code-server-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz ~/code-server

We recommend using Rclone to sync to cloud storage (S3/OneDrive/Google Drive). See: VPS automated backup solutions

If multiple people share one server, you can create a separate container for each user:

services:
  alice:
    image: codercom/code-server:latest
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:8444:8080"
    volumes:
      - ./alice:/home/coder
    environment:
      - PASSWORD=AlicePassword
      
  bob:
    image: codercom/code-server:latest
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:8445:8080"
    volumes:
      - ./bob:/home/coder
    environment:
      - PASSWORD=BobPassword

Then configure different subdomains in the Caddyfile to point to different ports.

After entering Code-server, press Ctrl+Shift+X to open the plugin marketplace. Recommended plugins:

• Python / Go / Rust Analyzer - Language support
• GitLens - Git enhancements
• Remote - SSH - Remote development (if you need to connect to other servers)
• Docker - Container management

• Make sure the VPS is in a low-latency region (such as Hong Kong or Japan)
• Upgrade to 2 cores and 2GB or more
• Use Cloudflare's Argo Tunnel to optimize the connection

• Check whether DNS resolution is in effect: dig code.yourdomain.com +short
• Make sure port 80 is open (required by Let's Encrypt)
• Cloudflare proxy must be turned off (gray cloud)

Yes, but note:

• The domain needs ICP filing
• Apply for the SSL certificate yourself (domestic providers may not support automation)