Develop Faster with VS Code + Remote SSH

VS Code's Remote - SSH extension lets you keep the editor on your laptop while the files, the terminal and the running code live on a Linux server. You get IntelliSense, linting, debugging and an integrated terminal, all working against the server's real operating system and dependencies. This guide sets it up with an SSH key, and explains how it fits a Domain India VPS and our shared hosting.

1. How Remote - SSH works

When you connect, VS Code logs in over SSH and installs a small VS Code Server in ~/.vscode-server on the remote machine. Extensions that read your code (language servers, linters, debuggers) run there; the interface stays on your laptop. Nothing about your project is copied to your computer.

The server side needs a reasonably modern Linux: current VS Code releases require glibc 2.28 or newer, which means Ubuntu 20.04 or later, Debian 10 or later, or AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux 8 or later. Older systems such as CentOS 7 are no longer supported.

2. Where this fits on Domain India

On shared hosting you work inside a jailed (CageFS) shell: your own home folder and a limited set of tools, with no root and no sudo. We have not tested the VS Code server inside the jail, so treat it as "try it and see". If it is slow or keeps disconnecting, use the lighter workflow in section 8.

3. Install VS Code and the extension

4. Create an SSH key

Run this on your laptop, press Enter to accept the default location, and set a passphrase:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "laptop-key"

On Windows, start the SSH agent once so you don't retype the passphrase (PowerShell as Administrator):

Get-Service ssh-agent | Set-Service -StartupType Automatic
Start-Service ssh-agent
ssh-add $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519

On macOS and Linux, ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 does the same. More detail is in how to generate SSH keys.

5. Put your public key on the server

Only ever copy the file ending in .pub. The private key never leaves your laptop.

• Your VPS: from macOS or Linux, ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub user@your-server-ip. On Windows, paste the contents of id_ed25519.pub as one line into ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the server (folder 700, file 600). See how to access your VPS using SSH.
• cPanel shared hosting: in cPanel, open Security › SSH Access › Manage SSH Keys, choose Import Key, paste the public key, then click Manage and Authorize. An imported key that is not authorised will not work.
• DirectAdmin and Webuzo: create .ssh/authorized_keys in your home folder with the File Manager and paste the key as one line, or send support your public key.

Your username, server IP and panel URL for shared hosting are on the Access tab of your hosting account in your hosting services. The full setup is in enabling and accessing jailed SSH.

6. Save a host entry

Add an entry to ~/.ssh/config on your laptop (C:\Users\you\.ssh\config on Windows):

Host mysite
    HostName yourdomain.com
    User yourusername
    Port 22
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
    IdentitiesOnly yes
    ServerAliveInterval 30

Test it in a terminal first with ssh mysite. If that works, VS Code will work too. On Domain India shared hosting SSH is always port 22; port 2222 on DirectAdmin servers is the control panel, not SSH.

7. Connect and open your project

Port forwarding (VPS). If your app listens on port 3000 on the server, open the Ports view and forward 3000; VS Code gives you http://localhost:3000 on your laptop, tunnelled over SSH. You can also debug Node.js or Python processes on the server from the Run and Debug view.

8. Working on shared hosting without hitting your limits

Everything the VS Code server does, including indexing files and running language servers, counts towards your account's CPU, memory and process limits, just like your website. See understanding hosting resource limits.

• Open one site folder, not your whole home folder.
• Exclude big folders from watching in .vscode/settings.json:

{
  "files.watcherExclude": {
    "**/node_modules/**": true,
    "**/vendor/**": true,
    "**/wp-content/uploads/**": true,
    "**/cache/**": true
  }
}

• Close the remote window when you finish rather than leaving it connected overnight.
• Don't run long-lived servers. Always-on apps don't suit shared hosting; use the App Platform or a VPS.

The lighter workflow. Edit locally, commit, and deploy with Git (available in the jail on our cPanel servers; see deploying with Git), or pack an archive and upload it: tar czf site.tgz site/, then scp site.tgz mysite:, then unpack it over SSH. rsync is not available in the jailed shell, but scp and SFTP are. Composer isn't pre-installed, so download composer.phar and run it with php over SSH, or build vendor/ locally and upload it.

9. Troubleshooting

Frequently asked questions

Ready to set it up? Ask support to enable jailed SSH on your shared hosting, or compare VPS plans for a server you fully control. For anything else, open a support ticket; support is on 24/7 live chat, and tickets get a first response within 15 minutes.