💻 Portable Remote Development Station

A production-ready, containerized Integrated Development Environment (IDE) accessible via any web browser. Designed to standardize tooling across devices and provide seamless access to NAS-hosted projects.

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📖 Overview

This repository defines a Development-as-Code environment. Instead of manually installing compilers and tools on every new laptop or tablet, this setup deploys a fully configured VS Code Server instance inside a Docker container.

It bridges the gap between local comfort and remote power, allowing for:

• Consistency: The exact same GCC version and Python libraries, everywhere.
• Portability: Code from an iPad, a low-power laptop, or a library computer.
• Centralization: All source code and data remain securely stored on the NAS, never synced to temporary devices.

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⚡ Tech Stack & Features

Component	Technology	Description
Core IDE	code-server	VS Code running on a remote server, accessible via HTTP.
Container	Docker	Isolates the dev environment from the host OS.
Languages	Python 3, C++	Pre-installed compilers (GCC/G++) and interpreters.
Version Control	Git	Integrated terminal access for full Git workflows.
Storage	Bind Mounts	Direct access to the host's physical project directories.

🛠️ Pre-Installed Toolchain

The container automatically provisions the following tools on startup:

• Python 3.x + pip
• Build Essentials: make, gcc, g++, gdb
• Git for version control
• Sudo privileges for package management (apt)

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🚀 Deployment Guide

1. Prerequisites

• A server or NAS running Docker Engine & Docker Compose.
• (Optional) Tailscale for secure remote access without port forwarding.

2. Installation

Clone the repository to your host machine:

git clone [https://github.com/kimzam30/RemoteDevSetupWithNAS.git](https://github.com/kimzam30/RemoteDevSetupWithNAS.git)
cd RemoteDevSetupWithNAS

3. Configuration

Create the environment file. This is critical for security and permissions.

cp .env.example .env

Open .env and configure your settings:

# User Permissions (Run 'id' on host to find these)
PUID=1000
PGID=1000

# Security
PASSWORD=secure_dev_password

# Host Paths
PROJECTS_ROOT=/home/kimzam30/projects  # Where your actual code lives

4. Launch

Spin up the environment:

docker-compose up -d

🌐 Secure Remote Access (Tailscale)

This environment is designed to be accessed via Tailscale, a private mesh VPN. This allows you to connect securely from anywhere (coffee shop, hotel, etc.) without opening ports on your router.

How to Connect

1. Host Side: Ensure Tailscale is running on your NAS/Server.
   • Tip: Run tailscale ip on your host to find its private IP (starts with 100.x.x.x).
2. Client Side: Install the Tailscale app on your remote device (iPad, Laptop, Phone).
3. Access: Open your browser and navigate to:

   http://<YOUR-TAILSCALE-IP>:8443
   

   (Example: http://100.86.212.92:8443)

Security Note: Because we bind the service to 0.0.0.0 in Docker, it is technically accessible on your local network too. Using Tailscale ensures you can access it safely even when you are miles away.

🖥️ Usage

• Access: Navigate to http://:8443 in your browser.
• Login: Enter the password defined in your .env file.

Develop:

• Your project files are available in the /home/coder/project directory.

• Open the integrated terminal (Ctrl+`) to run python or g++ commands.

Installing Extensions

Extensions install directly from the Open VSX Registry.

• Python: Search for "Python" and install the Microsoft extension.
• C++: Search for "C/C++" (IntelliSense).

Note: Extensions and user settings are persisted in the config/ folder on your host, so they survive container restarts.

📂 Directory Structure

RemoteDevSetupWithNAS/
├── config/
│   └── code-server/      # Persistent data (Extensions, User Settings)
├── .env.example          # Configuration template
├── .gitignore            # Security rules
└── docker-compose.yaml   # Container definition

🤝 Contributing

This is a personal development environment, but forks and suggestions are welcome.

1. Fork the Project
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/NewTool)
3. Commit your Changes (git commit -m 'Add Golang support')
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/NewTool)
5. Open a Pull Request

maintained by kimzam