Visual Studio Code extension of SSH connection other than "Remote SSH"

Question

Probably the most famous extension for Visual Studio Code for SSH connection is "Remote SSH", but it requires installing "vscode-server" in the remote server, which restricts my use of it (e.g., connection to old servers, connection to servers with limited resources).

Are there any extension for Visual Studio Code for SSH connection satisfying all of the followings?

• No installation of software in the remote server
• Installation done only with Visual Studio Code (no software installation outside is required)
• GUI file manager of remote files integrated in Visual Studio Code is required
• Management of remote servers to be connected is required (i.e., saving server names and being selected in the extension)
• No need of server-side-specific functionalities (e.g., code completion referring files in the server)

Answer 1

If you want to connect to remote servers in VS Code without installing anything on the server and still have an integrated file manager and server management:

• Best choice: SSH FS : mounts remote directories via SSH, provides a GUI file explorer, and lets you save/manage multiple servers.
• Alternative: SFTP : syncs files over SSH but doesn’t give a live file explorer.

Answer 2

I finally succeeded in connecting to a server using SSH FS https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Kelvin.vscode-sshfs.

I got stuck because it is a Windows environment -- if we use a private key authentication in SSH FS + VSCode on Windows, a small preparation is required. (ref. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/61229991/use-ssh-agent-with-ssh-fs-and-vscode-without-password-prompts) Technically, the use of SSH Agent seems to be mandatory. I present the way to use Windows-default SSH Agent.

First, run the following commands in PowerShell as an administrator to enable SSH Agent: (ref. https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/remote/troubleshooting#_setting-up-the-ssh-agent)

Set-Service ssh-agent -StartupType Automatic
Start-Service ssh-agent
Get-Service ssh-agent

Then, run the following command in PowerShell or Command Prompt as the user using SSH FS to register the private key:

ssh-add path\to\your_private_key

Finally, in the configuration of SSH FS, set the option "Agent" as //./pipe/openssh-ssh-agent (provided as an option in the drop-down list), which refers the SSH Agent above.

Answer 3

Thanks for reaching out!

 
Currently, the "Remote - SSH" extension is the most widely recommended extension for establishing SSH connections, but as you mentioned, it requires installation on the remote server. Unfortunately, there are very few alternatives that meet all your criteria without any server-side installation.

 
That said, you may consider using more general-purpose SSH clients outside of Visual Studio Code that do not require modifications on the remote server. Yet, these options wouldn't integrate within VS Code and may not provide the GUI file manager and management of remote servers as you desire.

 

Here is alternative approach:
1.FileZilla or WinSCP for file transfer to manage files remotely with a GUI. These clients do not require installation on the server and allow you to connect and manage files easily.
2.Custom Solutions: If you have coding capability, you could create a simple extension or script that leverages existing SSH capabilities in Python or another language, but this would also be a custom approach rather than an established extension.

Unfortunately, none of the available solutions seem to fit your needs entirely within Visual Studio Code.

 

Let me know if you need any further help with this. We'll be happy to assist.

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