coder/docs/user-guides/workspace-access/code-server.md

code-server

code-server is our supported method of running VS Code in the web browser.

Differences between code-server and VS Code Web

Some of the key differences between code-server and VS Code Web are:

Feature	code-server	VS Code Web
Authentication	Optional login form	No built-in auth
Built-in proxy	Includes development proxy (not needed with Coder)	No built-in development proxy
Clipboard integration	Supports piping text from terminal (similar to xclip)	More limited
Display languages	Supports language pack extensions	Limited language support
File operations	Options to disable downloads and uploads	No built-in restrictions
Health endpoint	Provides /healthz endpoint	Limited health monitoring
Marketplace	Open VSX by default, configurable via flags/env vars	Uses Microsoft marketplace; modify product.json to use your own
Path-based routing	Has fixes for state collisions when used path-based	May have issues with path-based routing in certain configurations
Proposed API	Always enabled for all extensions	Only Microsoft extensions without configuration
Proxy integration	Integrates with Coder's proxy for ports panel	Integration is more limited
Sourcemaps	Loads locally	Uses CDN
Telemetry	Configurable endpoint	Does not allow a configurable endpoint
Terminal access to files	You can use a terminal outside of the integrated one to interact with files	Limited to integrated terminal access
User settings	Stored on remote disk	Stored in browser
Web views	Self-contained	Uses Microsoft CDN

For more information about code-server, visit the code-server FAQ.