vs-server-colab 1.1.0

Expose a code-server instance over ngrok

VS Server Colab

VS Server Colab provides a lightweight workflow to run a headless VS Code (code-server) inside environments such as Google Colab and expose it securely via ngrok. It streamlines installation, launching, and teardown so you can use Colab like a remote VS Code instance.

Key features

• Run VS Code (code-server) in cloud environments such as Colab.
• Expose the server securely with ngrok and support for auth tokens.
• Simple commands for install/setup, start, and teardown.
• Logs written to files for debugging and long-running sessions.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.6+ (for package installation and CLI).
• A working internet connection.
• A free or paid ngrok account (recommended) if you want persistent tunnels. Create an account at https://ngrok.com and add your auth token.

Quickstart

1. Install the package from PyPI:

pip install vs-server-colab

2. Configure ngrok (obtain your auth token at https://dashboard.ngrok.com/get-started/your-authtoken).

3. Run the setup (this runs the bundled install scripts in src/):

# setup (runs install scripts under src/)
vscolab setup

4. Start the server (a free port will be chosen automatically; provide your ngrok auth token):

vscolab start --auth-token YOUR_NGROK_TOKEN

5. When finished, teardown and remove installed artifacts:

vscolab teardown

Usage examples and flags

• vscolab setup — Run the installation scripts for code-server and ngrok.
• vscolab start --auth-token <TOKEN> — Start code-server and ngrok tunnel (writes logs to vscolab.log and ngrok.log).
• vscolab start --silent — Start ngrok in silent background mode.
• vscolab teardown — Remove installed binaries and perform cleanup.

Notes and best practices

• The package tries to pick an available port automatically. If you need a specific port, modify the code or start the server manually.
• Logs are written to vscolab.log (code-server) and ngrok.log by default. Inspect these when troubleshooting.
• Teardown currently removes installed binaries; it does not forcibly kill running processes by PID. If you need safer cleanup, consider adding PID files or system service integration.

Contributing

Contributions, issues and feature requests are welcome. Please open a GitHub issue or submit a pull request.

Connect

LinkedIn: Hasinthaka Piyumal

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.