Remote Environments & VS Code

Why this lesson exists

Here’s the reality: most LLM CLI tools run best in a Linux environment. But most of you aren’t sitting in front of a Linux computer. You’re on a Mac laptop, a Windows machine, a university lab workstation, or a government-issued device.

That’s fine. You have several ways to get to a Linux shell, and this lesson covers all of them. By the end, you’ll have a working environment — and a mental model for understanding where your commands actually run.

The mental model: Local vs Remote

Before we set up anything, internalize this:

The key insight: when you type a command, it runs wherever your terminal is connected to — not necessarily on the machine you’re looking at. If you’re SSH’d into a server, ls shows files on that server, not your laptop.

This is why the “Where Am I?” check matters:

whoami      # What user?
hostname    # What machine?
pwd         # What directory?

Run these whenever you’re unsure. It takes 2 seconds and prevents real confusion.

Option 1: VS Code — The recommended cockpit

VS Code (Visual Studio Code) is a code editor that gives you a file explorer, a built-in terminal, and the ability to connect to remote machines — all in one window. It’s the single best tool for this course, regardless of your background.

Why VS Code?

• See your files AND type commands in the same window
• Works on Mac, Windows, and Linux
• Connect to remote servers with the Remote SSH extension — edit files on a server as if they were local
• Built-in terminal that matches your environment (WSL on Windows, bash on Mac/Linux)
• Port forwarding happens automatically — when you run a web server remotely, VS Code lets you view it in your local browser

Install VS Code

1. Go to code.visualstudio.com
2. Download for your OS and install
3. Open it — you’ll see a welcome tab

Open the integrated terminal

Press Ctrl+` (backtick) or go to View → Terminal. A terminal panel appears at the bottom. This is where you’ll type all your commands.

On Windows with WSL: VS Code automatically detects WSL. In the terminal dropdown (the + icon), select Ubuntu (WSL) or set it as your default terminal profile in settings.

Option 2: SSH — Connecting to a remote server

If your instructor has given you access to a remote Linux server (university cluster, cloud VM, training environment), you connect to it using SSH.

Connecting from your terminal

ssh yourname@server.example.edu

You’ll be asked for your password (or it’ll use your SSH key if configured). Once connected, you’re now running commands on that remote machine.

Connecting from VS Code (recommended)

1. Install the Remote - SSH extension in VS Code (search “Remote SSH” in the Extensions panel)
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+P → type “Remote-SSH: Connect to Host”
3. Enter yourname@server.example.edu
4. VS Code opens a new window connected to the remote server
5. Open a folder, open the terminal — you’re working on the server with the full VS Code experience

SSH without VS Code

If VS Code isn’t available, you can SSH from any terminal:

ssh yourname@server.example.edu

To view web content you generate on the server, use port forwarding:

ssh -L 8080:localhost:8080 yourname@server.example.edu

This maps port 8080 on the server to port 8080 on your laptop. Start a web server on the remote machine, then open localhost:8080 in your local browser.

Keep your session alive

If you close your laptop or lose network, your SSH session dies and any running process stops. Two solutions:

• tmux — a terminal multiplexer that keeps your session alive:

  tmux                    # Start a new session
  # ... do your work ...
  # Press Ctrl+B, then D to detach
  tmux attach             # Reconnect later

• VS Code Remote — reconnects automatically when your network comes back

Option 3: GitHub Codespaces — Zero install

If you can’t install anything on your machine (locked-down work computer, university lab, or you just want the fastest start), GitHub Codespaces gives you a full Linux development environment in your browser.

What it is

A cloud-hosted VS Code environment with a terminal, file explorer, and pre-installed tools. You get a real Linux shell with full internet access — no local installation needed.

How to use it

1. Go to github.com/codespaces
2. Click “New codespace”
3. Choose a blank template or your instructor’s template repository
4. Wait ~30 seconds — a full VS Code opens in your browser

You now have a Linux terminal at the bottom. Install tools exactly as you would on any Linux machine:

node --version    # Node.js is pre-installed
npm --version     # npm too

Option 4: WSL (already set up)

If you followed the Windows instructions in Lesson 2, you already have WSL. You can:

• Open Ubuntu from the Start menu
• Type wsl in any terminal
• Use the Ubuntu profile in Windows Terminal
• Set WSL as your default terminal in VS Code

WSL is a real Linux environment. Every command in this course works natively.

Which option should I use?

The clipboard problem

Copying and pasting between your local machine and a remote terminal can be tricky:

API key tip: When pasting API keys into a terminal prompt that hides input (like a password field), you won’t see anything appear. That’s normal — it’s hiding the text for security. Just paste and press Enter.

Preflight checklist

Before moving on, confirm these work in your environment:

whoami                  # Shows your username
hostname                # Shows your machine name
echo "Hello!"           # Prints text
ls                      # Lists files
pwd                     # Shows current directory

If all five work, your environment is ready. Let’s keep building.