How to Install Code-Server on Windows 11

Code-Server is an open-source tool that allows developers to access and use a full-featured version of Visual Studio Code on a remote server or a cloud-based environment such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform. This tutorial will guide you on how to install Code-Server on Windows 11 using the command line.

Prerequisites

Before we start, make sure that you have the following requirements:

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Open the command line interface on your Windows 11 machine. You can do this by pressing the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box. Then, type "cmd" or "powershell" and hit Enter.

  2. Clone the Code-Server repository from GitHub by running the following command:

    git clone https://github.com/coder/code-server.git
    

    This will create a local copy of the Code-Server repository on your machine.

  3. Install Node.js by downloading the installer from the official website (https://nodejs.org/en/download/) and running it on your machine.

  4. Once you have installed Node.js, navigate to the Code-Server directory and install the dependencies by running the following commands:

    cd code-server
    npm install
    
  5. After the installation completes, you can start Code-Server by running the following command:

    npm run start
    

    This will start Code-Server on the default port 8080. If you want to specify a different port, you can run the command:

    npm run start -- --port=XXXX
    

    Replace "XXXX" with the desired port number.

  6. Once the server is running, open your web browser and go to "http://localhost:8080". You should see the Code-Server login page.

  7. To log in, enter your GitHub account credentials or create a new account. Once you are logged in, you can use Code-Server as you would use Visual Studio Code.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you have successfully installed Code-Server on your Windows 11 machine. You can now access and use Visual Studio Code on any device with an Internet connection. Enjoy coding on the cloud!

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