Connecting WebStorm to a remote node.js debugging session

Question

I am running a Node.js application within a Linux VM in Oracle VirtualBox. The port 5858 on the VM is forwarded to the port 5858 on the localhost.

I am running WebStorm on the host operating system (Windows 7). In WebStorm I click Run >> Edit Configurations.... I then click the add button (the plus sign) and select Node.js remote debug. I then enter the name of the configuration and leave the host as 127.0.0.1 and the port as 5858. I click OK, and ensure my node app is running on the VM with the --debug flag.

I then click the bug icon in the WebStorm toolbar and the debugger appears at the bottom of the WebStorm IDE.

How can I confirm that the connection is made successfully? Breakpoints do not work and the console in WebStorm remains empty (while information is sent to the console on the Linux VM). Can anyone suggest what remains to be done to get the remote debugging session working?

Answer 1

Instead of just

$ vagrant ssh

try

$ vagrant ssh -- -L 5858:127.0.0.1:5858

I also removed the line config.vm.network :forwarded_port, guest: 5858, host: 5858 from my Vagrantfile and did a $ vagrant reload.

In your vagrant box run

$ node --debug-brk path/to/file.js

Set up a Node.js Remote Debug Run/Debug configuration, defaults are fine (host 127.0.0.1 and port 5858).

Run the following from your HOST machine, not your vagrant box.

$ telnet 127.0.0.1 5858

You should get a response like

Type: connect
V8-Version: 3.14.5.9
Protocol-Version: 1
Embedding-Host: node v0.10.28
Content-Length: 0

If you don't then something wrong with the port forward. You could try a different port on the host end and update your webstorm Run/Debug configuration that was previously set up from port 5858 to the new port.

Now run the NodeJS debug configuration. It should immediately pick up the file and you'll be able to debug it.

I based my steps off of PHPStorm, but it should be the same. I'm assuming it'll work on all IntelliJ-based IDEs as long as you have the NodeJS plugin installed.

Answer 2

1) From WebStorm manual:

When the application to debug is running on a physically remote host, you need to run a proxy or any other software that ensure port forwarding on the Node.js server. This is necessary because the debug port can open only on the localhost network interface. The localhost network interface cannot be accessed from another machine therefore WebStorm cannot connect to it upon initiating a debugging session.

2) localhost on VM is not the same localhost (as strange as it sounds) on host.

3) V8 debugger is listening on localhost

Solution:

You can setup ssh proxy to linux VM: ssh -L 5858:127.0.0.1:5858 <vm_user>@<vm_ip> -N and here you can find answer how to do it on Windows -> stackoverflow If you will do the above your debug configuration in WebStorm will be Host: 127.0.0.1 Port: 5858

You can check if WebStorm is connected to remote debug session by checking Debugger tab and Variables panel. can not connect, connected