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VSCode

Visual Studio Code is a popular development tool that is widely used by our researchers.

Warning

To protect the security of the data, the use of Cursor and GitHub Copilot on the Milgram cluster is not permitted.

Choosing a Method

There are several ways to use Visual Studio Code with the YCRC clusters, depending on your specific application and/or preferences:

  • Code Server (Recommended): A web-based VSCode instance running on a compute node, accessed through your browser via Open OnDemand. This is the recommended method for most users as it provides a stable connection and requires no local configuration.

  • Remote Tunnel: For advanced users who want to use their local VSCode installation. Uses GitHub authentication to tunnel to a compute node. Note: Not permitted on Milgram due to security requirements.

  • Remote SSH: An alternative for users who want to use their local VSCode installation but cannot use the Remote Tunnel method. Requires SSH configuration and connecting through login nodes to compute nodes.

  • Remote Desktop: A legacy method that runs VSCode in a graphical Remote Desktop session on Open OnDemand. Not recommended due to graphics responsiveness issues.

Code Server

This is the recommended method for most users.

The Code Server app launches an open source version of VSCode in a job on a compute node and opens in your web browser.

Getting Started

  1. Connect to one of the cluster Web Portals
  2. Choose "Code Server" from the Interactive Apps menu
  3. Follow the instructions for launching an interactive app
  4. Once the job starts, click "Connect to Code Server" to open VSCode in your browser

This method works on all YCRC clusters.

Remote Tunnel

This method allows you to use your local VSCode installation and connect to a VSCode server running on a cluster compute node via GitHub authentication. This is suitable for advanced users who prefer to use their desktop VSCode with their own extensions and settings.

Warning

Due to data security requirements, the Remote Tunnel method is not permitted on Milgram.

Note

We do not recommend connecting your Remote Tunnel session directly to the login nodes, as this can result in instability and undue burden on the login nodes. Please follow the below instructions to connect to a compute node.

Setup Instructions

  1. Create a vscode server batch script called vscode_slurm.sh and submit it to the queue with sbatch vscode_slurm.sh. The script source code is below.

  2. After this script successfully starts running, check the last line of the logfile vscode_slurm.txt (in the directory you submitted the job from). The last line will look like: 

    To grant access to the server, please log into https://github.com/login/device and use code XXXX-XXXX

  3. Open your web browser and navigate to the GitHub device login URL shown in the log file. Enter the code to authenticate.

  4. Run your local VSCode app. Then, connect to the server from within the app as follows:

    • Press F1 or Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P to open the Command Palette
    • Type "Remote-Tunnel: Connect to Tunnel" and select it
    • Select the "GitHub" option for authentication, and log in if needed.
    • Select the tunnel listed, typically by its hostname.
    • VSCode will connect through a secure tunnel to the compute node and automatically start the VSCode server

vscode_slurm.sh Script

#!/bin/bash

#SBATCH --partition=devel
#SBATCH -t 6:00:00
#SBATCH -c 1
#SBATCH --mem=10G
#SBATCH --output=vscode_slurm.txt

# vscode_slurm.sh

# Usage:
# sbatch vscode_slurm.sh

# After this script successfully starts running, use the last line of the
# logfile 'vscode_slurm.txt' (in the directory you submitted the job from)
# to set up a connection from the cluster to your own VSCode app on a remote computer.
# An example last line will look like:

######################
# vscode_slurm.txt
######################
# ...
# To grant access to the server, please log into https://github.com/login/device and use code ​XXXX-XXXX
######################

module load VSCode
code tunnel

Remote SSH via Compute Node (Advanced Users)

This method allows you to use your local VSCode installation with the Remote-SSH extension to connect directly to a compute node. This is an alternative for users who want to use their local VSCode but cannot or prefer not to use the Remote Tunnel method with GitHub authentication.

Important

Do not connect directly to login nodes with VSCode Remote-SSH. VS Code can initiate computationally expensive processes (compilers, language servers, etc.) that put undue burden on the login nodes where resources are limited. Always connect to a compute node as described below.

Prerequisites

Method 1: Using salloc for Interactive Sessions

  1. Request a compute node interactively: 

    salloc --partition=devel --time=6:00:00 --cpus-per-task=1 --mem=10G

  2. Once the job is allocated, note the compute node hostname by running: 

    hostname
    This will return something like r209u11n04.mccleary.ycrc.yale.edu, a11231u01n01.mghpcc.ycrc.yale.edu, etc.

  3. Configure your local SSH setup (see SSH Configuration section below).

  4. Connect from VSCode using the Remote-SSH extension.

  5. Keep your terminal session open - if you exit the salloc session, the compute node allocation will end and your VSCode connection will be lost.

Method 2: Using a Batch Job for Longer Sessions

  1. Create a batch script called vscode_ssh.sh: 

    #!/bin/bash
#SBATCH --partition=devel
#SBATCH --time=6:00:00
#SBATCH --cpus-per-task=1
#SBATCH --mem=10G
#SBATCH --output=vscode_ssh-%J.log

# Print the hostname to the log file
echo "VSCode SSH session ready on node: $(hostname -s)"
echo "Full hostname: $(hostname)"

# Keep the job alive
# VSCode will connect via SSH and start its server automatically
sleep 6h

  2. Submit the job: 

    sbatch vscode_ssh.sh

  3. Check the log file to get the compute node hostname: 

    cat vscode_ssh-[JOBID].log

  4. Configure your local SSH setup with the compute node name (see below).

SSH Configuration

You need to configure SSH on your local machine to connect through the login node to the compute node.

macOS and Linux

Add the following to your ~/.ssh/config file on your local machine:

# Connection to cluster login node (example for Grace cluster)
Host grace
    HostName grace.ycrc.yale.edu
    User YOUR_NETID
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/SSH_KEY_FILE

# Connection to compute node via login node
Host grace-compute
    HostName COMPUTE_NODE_NAME
    User YOUR_NETID
    ProxyJump grace

Replace: - YOUR_NETID with your Yale NetID - COMPUTE_NODE_NAME with the full hostname from step 2 or 3 (e.g., r209u10n01.grace.ycrc.yale.edu) - SSH_KEY_FILE with the path to the SSH key file you created for the cluster (e.g., ~/.ssh/id_rsa)

Modify the Host and HostName as needed for the cluster you are using.

Windows

Add the following to your SSH config file on your local Windows machine. The config file is typically located at C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\.ssh\config (you may need to create this file if it doesn't exist):

# Connection to cluster login node
Host grace
    HostName grace.ycrc.yale.edu
    User YOUR_NETID
    IdentityFile C:\Users\YOUR_USERNAME\.ssh\SSH_KEY_FILE

# Connection to compute node via login node
Host grace-compute
    HostName COMPUTE_NODE_NAME
    User YOUR_NETID
    ProxyJump grace

Replace: - YOUR_USERNAME with your Windows username - YOUR_NETID with your Yale NetID - COMPUTE_NODE_NAME with the full hostname from step 2 or 3 (e.g., r209u10n01.grace.ycrc.yale.edu) - SSH_KEY_FILE with the name of your SSH key file (e.g., id_rsa)

Modify the Host and HostName as needed for the cluster you are using.

Creating the config file on Windows

If the .ssh folder or config file doesn't exist, you can create it:

  1. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt
  2. Run: mkdir $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh (if the folder doesn't exist)
  3. Run: notepad $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\config
  4. This will open Notepad where you can paste the configuration and save the file

Connecting from VSCode

  1. Open VSCode on your local machine
  2. Press F1 or Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P to open the Command Palette
  3. Type "Remote-SSH: Connect to Host" and select it
  4. Choose grace-compute (or whatever you named the host in your config)
  5. VSCode will connect through the login node to your compute node and automatically start the VSCode server

When VSCode connects, it will automatically install and start the VSCode server on the compute node. Your files, terminal, and all VSCode features will be running on the compute node.

Not Recommended

This method is no longer recommended. We strongly recommend using Code Server instead for a better experience.

  1. Use the Open OnDemand web portal to start a Remote Desktop interactive session
  2. As noted in our Remote Desktop documentation, we recommend adjusting the image quality slider bar all the way to the right if this is not the default
  3. In a terminal window within your Remote Desktop session, run: 
    module load VSCode
vscode
Last update: October 21, 2025