/codeback

Script pair for efficiently opening remote vscode workspace

Primary LanguagePython

Codeback

Usage

  1. On your local machine:
connect remote-host 
# !! It is expected that your ssh config/key is properly setup that a username is not needed
# Now you can see you are ssh connected to the remote host
  1. On the remote host:
codeback ./workspace
# !! It is also expected that your remote host has a proper ssh config/key setup
# Now a vscode window should open up on your local machine with the remote workspace dir opened

Installation

Arch Linux users can just build and install the codeback package using the provided PKGBUILD:

  1. makepkg -i

The connect python script

The connect script works as the following:

  1. Given the remote hostname, it first ssh connects to it and try to find a free port for establishing a reverse ssh tunnel. The free port is found by executing netstat -tln on the remote host.
  2. Once the free port is found, the script substitutes itself using execvpe with an actual ssh connection to the remote host with the reverse tunnel established.

  • Alongwith the ssh connection, several envvars are passed to the remote host using ssh -oSendEnv, including:

    • CODEBACK_XAUTHORITY: contains a copy of local machine's XAUTHORITY envvar
    • CODEBACK_XDISPLAY: contains the local machine's DISPLAY envvar
    • CODEBACK_WAYLAND_DISPLAY: contains the local machine's WAYLAND_DISPLAY envvar
    • CODEBACK_SOURCE_ADDR : contains the hostname that the local used for connecting to the remote host
    • CODEBACK_REVERSE_PORT: contains the port number on the remote host where the reverse tunnel is established

  • For the remote host to accept the envvars, 99-codeback.conf has to be put inside /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/ directory.

The codeback python script

The codeback script, when executed on the remote host, opens up a local vscode remote window which connects to the remote host and opens the workspace dir specified in the remote command line.

This script works as the following:

  1. It first tries to gather the above listed envvars.
  2. It then ssh connect back through the ssh tunnel at localhost:CODEBACK_REVERSE_PORT to the local machine.
  3. Finally, it launches a code ssh session window on the local machine that opens up the given workspace dir. The local window can be broughtup correctly since the script would automaticaly set the necessaryXAUTHORITY, DISPLAY and WAYLAND_DISPLAY envvars.