npm Install Requirements

• Node.js version
• Ubuntu, Debian
• Fedora, CentOS, RHEL
• Alpine
• macOS
• FreeBSD
• Issues with Node.js after version upgrades

If you're installing code-server via npm, you'll need to install additional dependencies required to build the native modules used by VS Code. This article includes installing instructions based on your operating system.

Node.js version

We use the same major version of Node.js shipped with VSCode's Electron, which is currently 14.x. VS Code also lists Node.js requirements.

Using other versions of Node.js may lead to unexpected behavior.

Ubuntu, Debian

sudo apt-get install -y \
  build-essential \
  pkg-config \
  python3
npm config set python python3

Fedora, CentOS, RHEL

sudo yum groupinstall -y 'Development Tools'
sudo yum config-manager --set-enabled PowerTools # unnecessary on CentOS 7
sudo yum install -y python2
npm config set python python2

Alpine

apk add alpine-sdk bash libstdc++ libc6-compat
npm config set python python3

macOS

xcode-select --install

FreeBSD

pkg install -y git python npm-node14 yarn-node14 pkgconf
pkg install -y libinotify

Issues with Node.js after version upgrades

Occasionally, you may run into issues with Node.js.

If you install code-server using yarn or npm, and you upgrade your Node.js version, you may need to reinstall code-server to recompile native modules. Sometimes, you can get around this by navigating into code-server's lib/vscode directory and running npm rebuild to recompile the modules.

A step-by-step example of how you might do this is:

1. Install code-server: brew install code-server
2. Navigate into the directory: cd /usr/local/Cellar/code-server/<version>/libexec/lib/vscode/
3. Recompile the native modules: npm rebuild
4. Restart code-server

If you need further assistance, post on our GitHub Discussions page.