Code-Server

FnKit includes a built-in code-server integration — VS Code in the browser. Access a full development environment from anywhere, with automatic HTTPS via the Caddy proxy.

Architecture 

Browser → Caddy (code.example.com, auto-TLS) → fnkit-code:8443 (code-server)
                                                      ├── Full VS Code IDE
                                                      ├── Integrated terminal
                                                      ├── Host filesystem access
                                                      ├── Docker CLI + fnkit CLI
                                                      └── Persistent config & extensions

Code-server runs on fnkit-network and is accessed directly through Caddy — it bypasses the API gateway since it has its own password authentication.

What’s Included

Code-server starts with full host access out of the box:

Feature How
Host filesystem Your home directory is mounted as the workspace
Docker CLI Docker socket mounted — run docker ps, docker logs
fnkit CLI Auto-installed from GitHub releases on first startup
Extensions Persisted in Docker volume across restarts

When you open code-server, you’ll see your host files directly:

📁 fnkit/
📁 fnkit-cache/
📁 fnkit-gateway/
📁 fnkit-proxy/
📁 fnkit-runner/
📁 ...

And from the integrated terminal:

fnkit container ls          # manage containers
fnkit cache start           # start services
docker ps                   # docker access

Quick Start 

# Create code-server project files
fnkit code init

# Configure passwords
cd fnkit-code
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your passwords

# Start code-server
fnkit code start --password your-secret

# Access at http://localhost:8443

Setup

1. Initialize 

fnkit code init

Creates a fnkit-code/ directory with:

File Purpose
docker-compose.yml code-server container configuration
.env.example Environment variable template
README.md Code-server-specific documentation

2. Start 

# With default password ("changeme")
fnkit code start

# With a custom password
fnkit code start --password your-secret

# With all options
fnkit code start --password your-secret --sudo-password your-sudo --tz Europe/London

# Mount a specific host directory as workspace
fnkit code start --workspace /home/deploy
Option Description
--password Password to access code-server (default: changeme)
--sudo-password Sudo password inside the container
--workspace Host directory to mount as workspace (default: /root)
--tz Timezone (default: Europe/Madrid)

On first start, code-server automatically:

  1. Mounts your host directory as the workspace
  2. Mounts the Docker socket for container management
  3. Installs the fnkit CLI binary from GitHub releases
  4. Installs the Docker CLI inside the container

3. Add a Domain (optional)

Route a domain through the Caddy proxy for automatic HTTPS:

fnkit code proxy code.example.com

This adds a Caddy route directly to fnkit-code:8443 (not through the gateway). Make sure the proxy is running:

fnkit proxy init    # if not already done
cd fnkit-proxy && docker compose up -d

Then reload Caddy:

docker exec fnkit-proxy caddy reload --config /etc/caddy/Caddyfile

4. Stop 

fnkit code stop

Data persists in the fnkit-code-config Docker volume.

Configuration

Variable Default Description
PASSWORD changeme Password to access code-server
SUDO_PASSWORD changeme Sudo password inside the container
TZ Europe/Madrid Container timezone
WORKSPACE /root Host directory to mount as workspace

Host Access

Filesystem

The host’s home directory (default /root) is bind-mounted into the container at /config/workspace. This is set as the default workspace, so code-server opens directly into your host files.

Docker

The Docker socket (/var/run/docker.sock) is mounted into the container. This means you can run any Docker command from code-server’s integrated terminal:

docker ps                    # list containers
docker logs fnkit-gateway    # view logs
docker restart fnkit-cache   # restart services

fnkit CLI

The fnkit binary is automatically downloaded from GitHub releases and installed to /usr/local/bin/fnkit on container startup. It’s updated on each restart.

fnkit --version              # check version
fnkit container ls           # list fnkit containers
fnkit cache start            # start cache
fnkit deploy status          # check deploy status

Persistent Data

All configuration and workspace files are stored in the fnkit-code-config Docker volume:

  • /config/workspace — Mounted host directory (your home)
  • /config/data — VS Code settings, extensions, state
  • /config/.config — code-server configuration
  • /config/custom-cont-init.d/ — Startup scripts (fnkit + docker install)

Data survives container restarts and upgrades.

Docker Compose

For teams that prefer docker compose, the generated docker-compose.yml can be used directly:

cd fnkit-code
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env
docker compose up -d

Notes

  • Code-server has its own password authentication (separate from the fnkit gateway)
  • The proxy routes directly to code-server (bypasses the gateway)
  • Runs as root (PUID=0) so fnkit and docker commands work without permission issues
  • The Docker socket is mounted so you can manage all containers from the terminal
  • fnkit is pulled from GitHub releases and auto-updated on each container restart
  • Extensions are persisted in the config volume
  • To reset everything: docker volume rm fnkit-code-config
  • Uses the linuxserver/code-server image