Coding on the iPad, iPadOS 13.4 edition
Tags: vscode, ipad, cloud, setup
Published: 2020-04-08 14:50:50

Not that long ago Apple introduced trackpad and mouse support in iPadOS 13.4, so I decided to connect my Magic Mouse to my iPad Pro 11" (2018) and even though some apps didn't include real trackpad support yet, it worked like a charm! Even the hover and drag events worked in Safari!.

I decided to try running VS Code on the iPad, and with a mouse it worked almost flawlessly!

{% twitter 1241024611204001794 %}

Quite a few people asked me how I did that and the answer is code-server.

{% github cdr/code-server %}

It works by running the language server (debugger and IntelliSense), extensions and the file system part in the cloud on a VPS, and rendering the UI in your browser. It is able to do that because VS Code is actually written using web technologies and packaged with Electron.

# Let's set it up
## Step one. Get a server
It can be a Mac Mini in your attic, a rented server from AWS or anything that runs Linux or macOS, some people have even [tried](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IR6sDcKo3V8) using a Raspberry Pi with an iPad and it works like a charm.

## Step two. Install code-server
Download the [latest prebuilt binary](https://github.com/cdr/code-server/releases/latest) from the GitHub Releases to your server. Untar/unzip it somewhere.

## Step three. Run code-server
`cd` into the code-server directory. There will be an executable file called `code-server`

### Variant A. If you don't want to set up SSH forwarding (faster, more convenient, requires a registered domain, less secure)

First of all, get an SSL certificate
You can get one for free from Let's Encrypt using [acme.sh](https://github.com/acmesh-official/acme.sh#1-how-to-install). Their README is pretty easy to follow, so I won't get into much detail.

{% github acmesh-official/acme.sh no-readme %}

Then, you can run code-server with

```bash
PASSWORD="correct-horse-battery-staple" ./code-server 
    --host 0.0.0.0 --port [PORT] 
    --cert ~/.acme.sh/[DOMAIN]/[DOMAIN].cer 
    --cert-key ~/.acme.sh/[DOMAIN]/[DOMAIN].key
```
Et voila! You can now open your browser, enter the password you set in the environment variable and code

### Variant B. Set up SSH forwarding (requires an SSH client, but is easier and more secure)

In your SSH client, run 
```bash
ssh -L [PORT]:localhost:[PORT] root@[YOUR SERVER]
```

An SSH session will open, where you can start code-server with
```bash
./code-server 
    --host 127.0.0.1 --port [PORT]
    --auth none
```
Now, open `http://localhost:[PORT]` in your browser and code!

# But how well does it work on the iPad?
If you have a keyboard and a mouse, the experience is flawless... almost. Here are a few quirks:
1. Custom fonts installed via iFont don’t work in Safari (fixed by loading them via CSS)
2. Scrolling wheel doesn’t work in editor (arrow keys and scrollbar to the rescue)
3. Lack of escape key (ctrl+[ works, or you can remap ESC and Caps Lock in iPadOS Settings)

# Do you actually use it?
Yeah! I am a backend developer by day, and it's great coding on an iPad. Frontenders will disagree because iPad Safari lacks devtools, but let's hope that will change in iPadOS 14 :)

This is my first article on dev.to and I'd love it if you share your feedback in the comments! Also, feel free to ask any questions :)