Hey everyone! I'm fairly new to this, but I've been tasked with creating a Remote Development Machine (RDM) for my office, which mainly focuses on software development. The goal is to cut down on laptops in the office since not all employees have the necessary computing power to deploy and test code effectively. Here's what we need: We're looking for a single main machine that can support simultaneous access for about 10-12 employees. If 10 on one machine seems too much, we could split it into two machines with 5 users each. The RDM should only be accessible locally for now, and each employee should have their own account so they can only see their own files and folders. I tried using the Remote SSH Extension in VSCode, but it didn't work out because everyone could see all the files, which is a security concern. Even if the machine just runs VSCode, that would work for us. Is this achievable? I've struggled to find resources that outline a setup like this, but I found a couple of articles that somewhat align with my requirements. I'm hoping to get some guidance since I'm feeling a bit stuck!
3 Answers
You might want to check out Kasm Workspaces if you're up for an open-source solution. Another option is to look into Proxmox combined with Apache Guacamole, especially if you’re comfortable setting things up yourself. If you prefer something more commercial, VMware with Horizon can give you a great VDI experience. Also, JetBrains has something called Spaces that might be worth a look if you're interested in IDE solutions!
I’m also looking for a free self-hosted option, so keep that in mind!
Sharing the machine shouldn't be too challenging if each user gets their own account. The tricky part is isolating their environments. I recommend giving Devpod a shot; it utilizes devcontainers, which are integrated with VSCode. Plus, Devpod offers an SSH provider that may fit your needs perfectly. Good luck!
If you're focused solely on VSCode, there’s an open-source VSCode server available. For broader needs, consider using a hypervisor like Proxmox or Hyper-V, then create some Windows VMs for your users. That should cover your bases!
I’d rather set it up myself to have more control. Can you share more about JetBrains?