How do I get a security token?

[Verhoeckx]

Hello OpenVSCode developers,

Somewhere in the coming weeks I want to try out OpenVSCode and in preparation I read the documenation.

I do not completely understand the text below

Visit the URL printed in your terminal. Just going to port 3000 won't work, because VS Code requires that you provide a uniquely generated security token to prevent unauthorized access.

Okay, I understand this: I need some kind of security token.

Since OpenVSCode Server v1.62, you must access the Web UI using a connection token generated by the server.

Okay, the same as above.

If that's not what you're looking for, and instead want to generate these tokens by yourself, start the server with --connectionToken YOUR_TOKEN to force your secret to be used.

I don't care if the token is generated or that I have to create one myself as long as I can run the application.

Questions that arises:

1. How/when are the security tokens generated? How do I get one?
2. If I can use my own token, how should this token look like? Can it be anything? Every word, password of passphrase?

If you want your development environment to be even more secure, create a plaintext file with the desired token as its contents and provide it to the server with --connection-secret YOUR_SECRET_FILE.

This is clear.

[filiptronicek]

Hi there, @Verhoeckx, I am glad that you asked these questions, seems like the docs perhaps need a bit of a refresh.

1. The tokens are generated as a random UUID (if you want to explore the format, you can see some examples and the RegExp for them here), they are printed as a query parameter inside of the terminal when starting the server
   

2. If you want to use your own token, as you mentioned you provide it with --connection-token=YOUR_DESIRED_TOKEN. This can be any string, just make sure to put it inside '' if it has spaces in it.

[Verhoeckx]

Hello @filiptronicek,

Thank your very much for your answers! It's now clear to me where the token can be found: in the terminal of the server! I didn't understand that from the documentation but now I do.

When I have finished setting up the virtual machine: I will definitely try out OpenVScode!

Regards - Verhoeckx

[santiagobasulto]

Is it possible to specify it as an environment variable?

[asabi]

When I try to run the container like so:

docker run --rm -it --init --connection-token='secret token' -p 3000:3000 -v "$(pwd):/home/workspace:cached" gitpod/openvscode-server

or

docker run --rm -it --init --connection-secret ='/path/to/secret/file' -p 3000:3000 -v "$(pwd):/home/workspace:cached" gitpod/openvscode-server

I get

unknown flag: --connection-token / unknown flag: --connection-secret

What am I doing wrong?

[akosyakov]

Have you tried to add it after gitpod/openvscode-server?

[asabi]

Awesome, thank you!