There are several authentication methods into a VM, including an SSH public/private key pair or a username and password. Choose Ubuntu Server 18.04 LTS for this example, but you can choose recent versions of other Linux distros and look at VS Code's supported SSH servers. Now you can specify details of your VM, such as the name, the size, and the base image. Note: In this tutorial, we are using Azure, but your Linux VM can be hosted anywhere, as long as the Linux distribution meets these prerequisites. From there, you can select your Azure subscription and create a new resource group, if you don't already have one. In the Azure portal, search for 'Virtual Machines', and choose Add. If you don't have an existing Linux virtual machine, you can create a new VM through the Azure portal.

The Remote Status bar item can quickly show you in which context VS Code is running (local or remote) and clicking on the item will bring up the Remote - SSH commands. With the Remote - SSH extension installed, you will see a new Status bar item at the far left. The Remote - SSH extension is used to connect to SSH hosts.

Have an Azure subscription (If you don't have an Azure subscription, create a free account before you begin).

Install an OpenSSH compatible SSH client (PuTTY is not supported).

To get started, you need to have done the following steps:

Note: Your Linux VM can be hosted anywhere - on your local host, on premise, in Azure, or in any other cloud, as long as the chosen Linux distribution meets these prerequisites. You'll create a Node.js Express web app to show how you can edit and debug on a remote machine with VS Code just like you could if the source code was local. This tutorial walks you through creating and connecting to a virtual machine (VM) on Azure using the Visual Studio Code Remote - SSH extension. Configure IntelliSense for cross-compiling.

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