Skip to content

Document differences between code-server and VS Code Web #18815

Open
@blink-so

Description

@blink-so

Summary

We need to document the key differences between code-server (from Coder) and VS Code Web (from Microsoft) to help users understand the benefits and trade-offs.

Background

This came up in discussions with [tech lead] and should be added to our documentation.

Key Differences to Document

  1. Settings Storage: code-server stores user settings on remote disk vs Code Web in browser
  2. Marketplace Configuration: code-server supports configurable marketplace via flags/env vars, uses Open VSX by default
  3. Telemetry: code-server allows configurable telemetry endpoint
  4. Web Views: Code Web uses Microsoft CDN, code-server is self-contained
  5. Proxy Integration: code-server integrates with Coder's proxy for ports panel
  6. External File Access: code-server allows opening files from web terminal
  7. Path-based State: code-server has fixes for state collisions with path-based routing
  8. File Operations: code-server has options to disable downloads/uploads
  9. Proposed API: Always enabled in code-server, restricted in Code Web
  10. Clipboard Integration: code-server supports piping text to clipboard from terminal
  11. Display Languages: Language pack extensions work in code-server, not Code Web
  12. Sourcemaps: code-server loads locally vs CDN (though currently broken)
  13. Authentication: code-server has optional login form
  14. Built-in Proxy: code-server includes development proxy (not needed with Coder)
  15. Health Endpoint: code-server provides /healthz endpoint

Acceptance Criteria

  • Create comprehensive documentation comparing code-server vs VS Code Web
  • Include practical implications for Coder users
  • Add to appropriate section of docs
  • Review with engineering team for accuracy

Metadata

Metadata

Assignees

No one assigned

    Labels

    docsArea: coder.com/docs

    Type

    No type

    Projects

    No projects

    Milestone

    No milestone

    Relationships

    None yet

    Development

    No branches or pull requests

    Issue actions