[code-server](https://coder.com) is used by developers at Azure, Google, Reddit, and more to give them access to VS Code in the browser.
## Quickstart guide
> NOTE: If you get stuck or need help, [file an issue](https://github.com/codercom/code-server/issues/new?&title=Improve+self-hosted+quickstart+guide), [tweet (@coderhq)](https://twitter.com/coderhq) or [email](mailto:support@coder.com?subject=Self-hosted%20quickstart%20guide).
This document pertains to Coder specific implementations of VS Code. For documentation on how to use VS Code itself, please refer to the official [documentation for VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs)
It takes just a few minutes to get your own self-hosted server running. If you've got a machine running macOS, Windows, or Linux, you're ready to start the binary which listens on port `8443` by default.
5. Paste the password from the cli into the login window<imgsrc="../assets/server-password-modal.png">
> NOTE: Be careful with your password as sharing it will grant those users access to your server's file system
### Things to know
- When you visit the IP for your code-server, you will be greeted with this page. Code-server is using a self-signed SSL certificate for easy setup. To proceed to the IDE, click **"Advanced"**<imgsrc ="../assets/chrome_warning.png">
- Then click **"proceed anyway"**<imgsrc="../assets/chrome_confirm.png">
Use `code-server -d (path/to/directory)` or `code-server --data-dir=(path/to/directory)`, excluding the parentheses to specify the root folder that VS Code will start in
### Host
By default, code-server will use `0.0.0.0` as it's address. This can be changed by using `code-server -h` or `code-server --host=` followed by the address you want to use.
> Example: `code-server -h 127.0.0.1`
### Open
You can have the server automatically open the VS Code in your browser on startup by using the `code server -o` or `code-server --open` flags
By default, code-server will use `8443` as it's port. This can be changed by using `code-server -p` or `code-server --port=` followed by the port you want to use.
To encrypt the traffic between the browser and server use `code-server --cert=` followed by the path to your `.cer` file. Additionally, you can use certificate keys with `code-server --cert-key` followed by the path to your `.key` file.
> Example (certificate and key): `code-server --cert /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.cer --cert-key /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.key`
> To ensure the connection between you and your server is encrypted view our guide on [securing your setup](../security/ssl.md)
### Help
Use `code-server -h` or `code-server --help` to view the usage for the cli. This is also shown at the beginning of this section.