Compare5 min read
VS Code in the browser vs. on your desktop: what actually differs
Most of it is the editor you know. The differences are worth knowing before you rely on them.
The editor at /code/ is VS Code running on your machine, reached over the browser. Most of your muscle memory transfers without a thought. A few things differ, and they are worth knowing before you lean on them.
What is the same
The editor, the command palette, the integrated terminal, the file tree, settings, keybindings, and the extension model all behave as you expect. It is editing files on the VM, so it sees the same filesystem your terminal does. What is running is code-server, the Coder project that packages VS Code to run on a server.
What differs
- A handful of keyboard shortcuts are claimed by the browser first; the palette is always the reliable fallback.
- Extensions that expect a desktop app or a native binary may not have a browser-side equivalent.
- Opening a native file dialog on your laptop is not a thing — files live on the machine, not your device.
When to drop to the terminal
The editor and the terminal are looking at one machine, so there is no wrong choice between them. For anything the GUI makes awkward — a fiddly git operation, a one-off script, watching a long process — the terminal tile is right there and faster.
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