Docker Dev Environment & Cloud IDE on a VPS

This guide walks you through setting up a Docker-based development environment on a VPS, complete with a cloud IDE (VS Code Server) so you can code from any browser. You’ll get a reproducible setup, isolated containers for each project, and a persistent workspace — all on your own server.

What You’ll Need

A VPS with at least 2GB RAM (4GB recommended), running Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 (or Debian 11/12).
SSH access to the server (root or a user with sudo privileges).
A domain name (optional but recommended for HTTPS). If you don’t have one, you can use the server’s IP address for HTTP.
Basic familiarity with the command line.

Step-by-Step

Connect to your VPS via SSH: ssh user@your_server_ip

Update the system and install prerequisites:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y curl git ufw

Install Docker using the official convenience script (or follow the manual install for your distro):
```
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sudo sh get-docker.sh
```
Add your user to the docker group so you can run docker without sudo:
```
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker
```
Install Docker Compose plugin (usually included with the convenience script, but verify):
```
docker compose version
```
If not present, install it via sudo apt install docker-compose-plugin.
Create a directory for your projects and set permissions:
```
mkdir -p ~/projects
cd ~/projects
```

Create a docker-compose.yml for the cloud IDE (VS Code Server). Use this as a starting point:

services:
  code-server:
    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/code-server:latest
    container_name: code-server
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Etc/UTC
      - PASSWORD=your_strong_password
      - DEFAULT_WORKSPACE=/config/workspace
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config
      - ./projects:/config/workspace
    ports:
      - "8443:8443"
    restart: unless-stopped

Replace your_strong_password with a real password. The ./projects folder will be your workspace.

Start the IDE container:
```
docker compose up -d
```
Open the IDE in your browser at http://your_server_ip:8443. Log in with the password you set.

Set up a reverse proxy with Nginx (optional but recommended for HTTPS and a clean URL). Install Nginx:

sudo apt install -y nginx

Create a config file for your domain:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/code-server

Add:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your_domain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8443;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Accept-Encoding gzip;
    }
}

Enable the site and restart Nginx:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/code-server /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Add HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt using Certbot:
```
sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d your_domain.com
```
Follow the prompts. Your IDE will now be accessible at https://your_domain.com.
Create a project-specific Dockerfile (optional but useful). For example, a Node.js environment:
```
mkdir -p ~/projects/myapp
cd ~/projects/myapp
nano Dockerfile
```
Add:
```
FROM node:20
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install
COPY . .
CMD ["npm", "start"]
```
Now you can build and run this container alongside your IDE.
Set up a firewall to only allow necessary ports:
```
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
sudo ufw enable
```
If you’re not using Nginx, allow port 8443 instead.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to add your user to the docker group — you’ll have to use sudo for every docker command, which can cause permission issues in scripts.
Using a weak password for code-server — anyone can access your IDE if it’s exposed to the internet. Use a strong password or better, set up OAuth.
Not enabling the firewall — leaving port 8443 open to the world is a security risk. Use a reverse proxy and firewall rules.
Mounting the wrong volume path — if you mount ./projects to /config/workspace, make sure the IDE’s default workspace matches that path, otherwise you’ll see an empty folder.
Ignoring container logs — if something fails, check docker logs code-server for errors.

Tips

Use a dedicated non-root user for Docker and your projects. This limits the blast radius if a container is compromised.
Persist your Docker volumes — always use named volumes or bind mounts to keep data across container recreations.
Set up a swap file if your VPS has low RAM. This prevents OOM kills when running multiple containers.
Use a domain name — it makes HTTPS and certificates much easier, and you avoid browser warnings about insecure connections.
Regularly update your base images — run docker compose pull and docker compose up -d to get security patches.

Troubleshooting

Can’t access the IDE at port 8443 — Check if the container is running (docker ps). If it’s not, check logs (docker logs code-server). Also verify the firewall allows the port (if you didn’t set up Nginx).
HTTPS certificate fails — Make sure your domain resolves to your VPS IP. Also check that port 80 is open in the firewall for the HTTP-01 challenge.
Docker permission denied — Run newgrp docker after adding your user, or log out and back in.
IDE shows an empty workspace — Check that the volume mount path matches the DEFAULT_WORKSPACE environment variable. Also verify the host folder exists and has correct permissions.
Container keeps restarting — Look at the logs. Often it’s a misconfigured environment variable or a permission issue on the mounted volume.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use this setup for multiple projects?

Yes. Each project can have its own directory under ~/projects, and you can run separate containers for each. The IDE can open any folder in the workspace.

Is it safe to expose a cloud IDE to the internet?

It’s safer than exposing a raw SSH port, but you should still use a strong password, enable HTTPS, and consider adding a VPN or IP whitelist for extra security.

What if I need a database for my project?

Add a database service (like PostgreSQL or MySQL) to your docker-compose.yml. You can link it to your app container via Docker’s internal network.

Can I use the IDE for Python, Go, or other languages?

Yes. VS Code Server supports any language with extensions. You can install extensions from the IDE’s Extensions panel, or pre-install them in the Dockerfile.

How do I back up my work?

Since your projects are stored in ~/projects on the VPS, you can use rsync, git, or a cloud backup service to copy that folder to your local machine or another server.

What if I want to use a different cloud IDE, like Eclipse Theia?

The same steps apply. Just replace the image in docker-compose with the one for Theia (e.g., theiaide/theia), and adjust the port and volume paths accordingly.

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