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46 changes: 16 additions & 30 deletions README.md
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Expand Up @@ -6,72 +6,58 @@ Run [VS Code](https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode) on any machine anywhere and a

## Highlights

- **Code everywhere**
- Code on your Chromebook, tablet, and laptop with a consistent development environment.
- Develop on a Linux machine and pick up from any device with a web browser.
- **Server-powered**
- Take advantage of large cloud servers to speed up tests, compilations, downloads, and more.
- Preserve battery life when you're on the go as all intensive tasks run on your server.
- Make use of a spare computer you have lying around and turn it into a full development environment.
- Code on any device with a consistent development environment
- Use cloud servers to speed up tests, compilations, downloads, and more
- Preserve battery life when you're on the go; all intensive tasks run on your server

## Getting Started

For a full setup and walkthrough, please see [./doc/guide.md](./doc/guide.md).
There are two ways to get started:

### Quick Install
1. Using the [install script](./install.sh), which automates most of the process. The script uses the system package manager (if possible)
2. Manually installing code-server; see [Installation](./doc/install.md#quick-install) for instructions applicable to most use cases

We have a [script](./install.sh) to install code-server for Linux, macOS and FreeBSD.

It tries to use the system package manager if possible.

First run to print out the install process:
If you choose to use the install script, you can preview what occurs during the install process:

```bash
curl -fsSL https://code-server.dev/install.sh | sh -s -- --dry-run
```

Now to actually install:
To install, run:

```bash
curl -fsSL https://code-server.dev/install.sh | sh
```

The install script will print out how to run and start using code-server.

### Manual Install
When done, the install script prints out instructions for running and starting code-server.

Docs on the install script, manual installation and docker image are at [./doc/install.md](./doc/install.md).
We also have an in-depth [setup and configuration](./doc/guide.md) guide.

### Alpha Program 🐣

We're working on a cloud platform to make deploying and managing code-server easier. If you don't want to worry about
We're working on a cloud platform that makes deploying and managing code-server easier. Consider [joining our alpha program](https://codercom.typeform.com/to/U4IKyv0W) if you don't want to worry about

- TLS
- Authentication
- Port Forwarding

consider [joining our alpha program](https://codercom.typeform.com/to/U4IKyv0W).

## FAQ

See [./doc/FAQ.md](./doc/FAQ.md).

## Contributing
## Want to help?

See [./doc/CONTRIBUTING.md](./doc/CONTRIBUTING.md).
See [CONTRIBUTING](./doc/CONTRIBUTING.md) for additional details.

## Hiring

We ([@cdr](https://github.com/cdr)) are looking for engineers to help maintain
code-server, innovate on open source and streamline dev workflows.
We ([@cdr](https://github.com/cdr)) are looking for engineers to help [maintain
code-server](https://jobs.lever.co/coder/e40becde-2cbd-4885-9029-e5c7b0a734b8), innovate on open source, and streamline dev workflows.

Our main office is in Austin, Texas. Remote is ok as long as
you're in North America or Europe.

Please get in [touch](mailto:[email protected]) with your resume/github if interested.

We're also hiring someone specifically to help maintain code-server.
See the listing [here](https://jobs.lever.co/coder/e40becde-2cbd-4885-9029-e5c7b0a734b8).
Please get in [touch](mailto:[email protected]) with your resume/GitHub if interested.

## For Organizations

Expand Down
117 changes: 57 additions & 60 deletions doc/CONTRIBUTING.md
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Expand Up @@ -8,42 +8,45 @@
- [Build](#build)
- [Structure](#structure)
- [VS Code Patch](#vs-code-patch)
- [Currently Known Issues](#currently-known-issues)

<!-- END doctoc generated TOC please keep comment here to allow auto update -->

- [Detailed CI and build process docs](../ci)

## Pull Requests

Please link to the issue each PR solves.
If there is no existing issue, please first create one unless the fix is minor.
Please create a [GitHub Issue](https://github.com/cdr/code-server/issues) for each issue
you'd like to address unless the proposed fix is minor.

Please make sure the base of your PR is the master branch. We keep the GitHub
default branch the latest release branch to avoid confusion as the
documentation is on GitHub and we don't want users to see docs on unreleased
features.
In your Pull Requests (PR), link to the issue that the PR solves.

Please ensure that the base of your PR is the **master** branch. (Note: The default
GitHub branch is the latest release branch, though you should point all of your changes to be merged into
master).

## Requirements

Please refer to [VS Code's prerequisites](https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode/wiki/How-to-Contribute#prerequisites).
The prerequisites for contributing to code-server are almost the same as those for
[VS Code](https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode/wiki/How-to-Contribute#prerequisites).
There are several differences, however. You must:

Differences:
- Use Node.js version 12.x (or greater)
- Have [nfpm](https://github.com/goreleaser/nfpm) (which is used to build `.deb` and `.rpm` packages and [jq](https://stedolan.github.io/jq/) (used to build code-server releases) installed

- We require a minimum of node v12 but later versions should work.
- We use [nfpm](https://github.com/goreleaser/nfpm) to build `.deb` and `.rpm` packages.
- We use [jq](https://stedolan.github.io/jq/) to build code-server releases.
- The [CI container](../ci/images/debian10/Dockerfile) is a useful reference for all our dependencies.
The [CI container](../ci/images/debian8/Dockerfile) is a useful reference for all
of the dependencies code-server uses.

## Development Workflow

```shell
yarn
yarn vscode
yarn watch
# Visit http://localhost:8080 once the build completed.
# Visit http://localhost:8080 once the build is completed.
```

To develop inside of an isolated docker container:
To develop inside an isolated Docker container:

```shell
./ci/dev/image/run.sh yarn
Expand All @@ -53,35 +56,35 @@ To develop inside of an isolated docker container:

`yarn watch` will live reload changes to the source.

If changes are made to the patch and you've built previously you must manually
reset VS Code then run `yarn vscode:patch`.
If you introduce changes to the patch and you've previously built, you
must (1) manually reset VS Code and (2) run `yarn vscode:patch`.

## Build

You can build with:
You can build using:

```shell
./ci/dev/image/run.sh ./ci/steps/release.sh
```

Run your build with:

```
```shell
cd release
yarn --production
# Runs the built JavaScript with Node.
node .
```

Build release packages (make sure you run `./ci/steps/release.sh` first):
Build the release packages (make sure that you run `./ci/steps/release.sh` first):

```
```shell
IMAGE=centos7 ./ci/dev/image/run.sh ./ci/steps/release-packages.sh
# The standalone release is in ./release-standalone
# .deb, .rpm and the standalone archive are in ./release-packages
```

The `release.sh` script is the equivalent of:
The `release.sh` script is equal to running:

```shell
yarn
Expand All @@ -91,73 +94,67 @@ yarn build:vscode
yarn release
```

And `release-packages.sh` is:
And `release-packages.sh` is equal to:

```
```shell
yarn release:standalone
yarn test:standalone-release
yarn package
```

For a faster release build you can also run:
For a faster release build, you can run instead:

```
```shell
KEEP_MODULES=1 ./ci/steps/release.sh
node ./release
```

## Structure

The `code-server` script serves an HTTP API to login and start a remote VS Code process.
The `code-server` script serves an HTTP API for login and starting a remote VS Code process.

The CLI code is in [./src/node](./src/node) and the HTTP routes are implemented in
[./src/node/app](./src/node/app).

Most of the meaty parts are in our VS Code patch which is described next.
Most of the meaty parts are in the VS Code patch, which we described next.

### VS Code Patch

Back in v1 of code-server, we had an extensive patch of VS Code that split the codebase
into a frontend and server. The frontend consisted of all UI code and the server ran
the extensions and exposed an API to the frontend for file access and everything else
that the UI needed.
In v1 of code-server, we had a patch of VS Code that split the codebase into a front-end
and a server. The front-end consisted of all UI code, while the server ran the extensions
and exposed an API to the front-end for file access and all UI needs.

This worked but eventually Microsoft added support to VS Code to run it in the web.
They have open sourced the frontend but have kept the server closed source.

So in interest of piggy backing off their work, v2 and beyond use the VS Code
web frontend and fill in the server. This is contained in our
Over time, Microsoft added support to VS Code to run it on the web. They have made
the front-end open source, but not the server. As such, code-server v2 (and later) uses
the VS Code front-end and fills in with the server. You can find this in
[./ci/dev/vscode.patch](../ci/dev/vscode.patch) under the path `src/vs/server`.

Other notable changes in our patch include:

- Add our own build file which includes our code and VS Code's web code.
- Allow multiple extension directories (both user and built-in).
- Modify the loader, websocket, webview, service worker, and asset requests to
use the URL of the page as a base (and TLS if necessary for the websocket).
- Send client-side telemetry through the server.
- Allow modification of the display language.
- Make it possible for us to load code on the client.
- Make extensions work in the browser.
- Make it possible to install extensions of any kind.
- Fix getting permanently disconnected when you sleep or hibernate for a while.
- Add connection type to web socket query parameters.

Some known issues presently:
- Adding our build file, which includes our code and VS Code's web code
- Allowing multiple extension directories (both user and built-in)
- Modifying the loader, websocket, webview, service worker, and asset requests to
use the URL of the page as a base (and TLS, if necessary for the websocket)
- Sending client-side telemetry through the server
- Allowing modification of the display language
- Making it possible for us to load code on the client
- Making extensions work in the browser
- Making it possible to install extensions of any kind
- Fixing issue with getting disconnected when your machine sleeps or hibernates
- Adding connection type to web socket query parameters

- Creating custom VS Code extensions and debugging them doesn't work.
- Extension profiling and tips are currently disabled.
As the web portion of VS Code matures, we'll be able to shrink and possibly
eliminate our patch. In the meantime, upgrading the VS Code version requires us to ensure that the patch is applied and works as intended. In the future, we'd like to run VS
Code unit tests against our builds to ensure that features work as expected.

As the web portion of VS Code matures, we'll be able to shrink and maybe even entirely
eliminate our patch. In the meantime, however, upgrading the VS Code version requires
ensuring that the patch still applies and has the intended effects.
To generate a new patch, run `yarn vscode:diff`

To generate a new patch run `yarn vscode:diff`.
**Note**: We have [extension docs](../ci/README.md) on the CI and build system.

**note**: We have extension docs on the CI and build system at [./ci/README.md](../ci/README.md)
If the functionality you're working on does NOT depend on code from VS Code, please
move it out and into code-server.

If functionality doesn't depend on code from VS Code then it should be moved
into code-server otherwise it should be in the patch.
### Currently Known Issues

In the future we'd like to run VS Code unit tests against our builds to ensure features
work as expected.
- Creating custom VS Code extensions and debugging them doesn't work
- Extension profiling and tips are currently disabled