Setting Up code-server on Android with Termux

Introduction:

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of setting up code-server, a web-based version of Visual Studio Code, on your Android device using Termux. Code-server allows you to code remotely using a web browser. You can access the code-server environment from your Android device or even from other devices on the same network. This setup provides you with a versatile coding environment right on your Android device.

Step-by-Step Setup:

Step 1: Install Termux

If you haven’t already, you need to install the Termux app from the Google Play Store or the F-Droid repository on your Android device.

Step 2: Open Termux

Launch the Termux app on your Android device. You’ll use this terminal emulator to install and run code-server.

Step 3: Update and Upgrade Packages

Run the following commands to ensure that your Termux packages are up to date:

pkg update
pkg upgrade

Step 4: Install Dependencies

You need to install the required dependencies, including Node.js, Python, Yarn, and Binutils. Use the following command:

pkg install nodejs python yarn binutils

Step 5: Install code-server

To install code-server, use the following commands. Please note that this example installs version 4.6.0:

v=$(node -v); v=${v#v}; v=${v%%.*};

FORCE_NODE_VERSION="$v" yarn global add code-server@4.6.0 --ignore-engines;

If you want to install a different version of code-server, replace 4.6.0 with the desired version number.

Step 6: Run code-server

Start code-server by entering the following command:

code-server

This command launches the code-server instance, and it will provide a URL that you can open in your web browser.

Step 7: Access code-server from Your Device

Open a web browser on your Android device and navigate to http://localhost:8080 or http://127.0.0.1:8080 to access code-server.

Step 8: Access code-server from Other Devices (Optional)

If you want to access code-server from other devices on the same Wi-Fi network, run code-server with the following command to bind to all network interfaces:

code-server --bind-addr 0.0.0.0:8080

Then, on another device’s web browser, use http://[your_phone's_internal_ip]:8080, replacing [your_phone's_internal_ip] with your Android device’s internal IP address.

Step 9: Access code-server from External Networks (Optional)

To access code-server from external networks, you may need to set up port forwarding on your home router to forward external traffic on a specific port (e.g., 8080) to your Android device’s internal IP address and port 8080.

That’s it! You should now have code-server up and running on your Android device, accessible from your device’s web browser or other devices on the same network.