VS Code: connect a docker container in a remote server

Question

I want to work in a container in a remote server. But it doesn't work.

Environment:

Local: Windows 10

Local Terminal for ssh: WSL in Windows 10

Server: Ubuntu 18.04

I checked these two articles.

https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/remote/containers-advanced https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/containers/ssh

I followed these steps.

1. I installed [Remote Development] extension in VS Code.
2. Remote-SSH: Connect to host. It works fine.
3. I Installed [Docker] extension on the remoter server.
4. Now I can see my containers and images in a docker tab.
5. I clicked one container and clicked [Attach Visual Studio Code] and it says There are no running containers to attach to.

Answer 1

I resolved this problem by switching to the remote server's Docker context on my local machine:

docker context create some-context-label --docker "host=ssh://user@remote_server_ip"  docker context use some-context-label  docker ps # A list of remote containers on my local machine! It works! 

After that:

1. Connect via Remote-SSH to the container server
2. Right click relevant container -> the "Attach Visual Studio Code"

That works for me.

(Note: One would think that I should be able to just use my local VSCode (skip step 1) to connect to said remote container after switching my local context, but VSCode complains Failed to connect. Is docker running? in the Docker control pane.)