Dockside

Ship code without leaving VS Code.

Dockside brings your local workspace and a remote server together in The Dock—a side-by-side browser built for quickly comparing files and moving them over SFTP, FTP, or FTPS.

SFTP is the default and recommended protocol.

What Dockside does

• Browse local files Ashore and remote files Aboard in one aligned view.
• Ship a local file to the active destination with one click.
• Pull Ashore a remote file into your workspace.
• See which files match, exist on only one side, or appear newer at a glance.
• Moor local and remote navigation together so opening a directory in one pane follows it in the other.
• Toggle linked navigation whenever the directory structures differ.
• Save multiple destinations and switch between them as needed.
• Edit saved destinations without recreating them.
• Optionally sync non-secret destination details between devices with VS Code Settings Sync.
• Assign a Home Dock—a default destination and path pair—for each workspace.
• Protect newer destination files with an overwrite confirmation.
• Disconnect directly from The Dock and optionally disable automatic Home Dock connections for offline work.

Supported connections

SFTP supports password, private-key, and SSH-agent authentication. FTP is unencrypted and should only be used on a trusted network.

Getting started

1. Install Dockside and open a folder or workspace in VS Code.
2. Select the Dockside icon in the Activity Bar to open The Dock.
3. Choose Add destination.
4. Select a protocol and enter the server details.
5. Browse both sides, then use the arrows between them to Ship or Pull Ashore.

Open Destinations from The Dock whenever you need to connect somewhere else. Select Make this my home dock to remember the active destination and current local/remote directories for the workspace.

Use the pencil beside a destination to edit its server details, authentication method, default remote directory, name, or sync preference.

Syncing destinations across devices

Enable Dockside: Sync Destinations in VS Code settings to make eligible destination profiles available on your other synced devices. You can mark any destination as This device only while adding or editing it.

Dockside syncs only portable, non-secret connection details. Passwords, private-key paths, local roots, and workspace Home Docks stay on the current device. The first time you use a synced destination elsewhere, Dockside asks for the credentials required on that device.

Understanding file status

Dockside compares file size and modification time without downloading file contents:

• Same — size matches and timestamps are within the clock tolerance.
• Local newer — the copy Ashore has the newer timestamp.
• Remote newer — the copy Aboard has the newer timestamp.
• Different — metadata differs but neither side is clearly newer.
• One side only — the file exists only Ashore or Aboard.

The default timestamp tolerance is two seconds and can be changed in VS Code settings.

Connection security

Passwords are stored using VS Code SecretStorage rather than workspace settings or plaintext configuration files. Private-key profiles store only the path to the key; the key itself is read when connecting.

FTPS certificate validation is enabled by default. For work and production servers, prefer SFTP or FTPS over FTP.

On the first SFTP connection, Dockside displays the server's SHA-256 host-key fingerprint and asks you to verify it before trusting the destination. Future connections are blocked if that key changes unexpectedly. Legitimate server-key rotations can be handled with Dockside: Forget Trusted SFTP Host Key after verifying the new fingerprint with the server administrator.

Commands

Open the Command Palette and search for Dockside:

• Dockside: Open The Dock
• Dockside: Add Destination
• Dockside: Connect to Destination
• Dockside: Edit Destination
• Dockside: Leave The Dock
• Dockside: Forget Trusted SFTP Host Key

Settings

• dockside.comparisonClockToleranceSeconds — timestamp difference tolerated when comparing files. Default: 2.
• dockside.confirmOverwrite — ask before replacing a newer destination file. Default: true.
• dockside.syncDestinations — sync eligible non-secret destination details through VS Code Settings Sync. Default: false.
• dockside.autoConnectHomeDock — automatically connect to the workspace Home Dock when The Dock opens. Disable it for offline work or network-restricted destinations. Default: true.
• dockside.linkedNavigation — keep matching local and remote directories moving together. The chain button updates this setting for the current workspace. Default: true.

Current limitations

Dockside currently ships and pulls individual files. Directory browsing is supported, but recursive directory transfer, transfer queues, remote editing, and content-level diffing are not yet available.

Feedback and issues

Dockside is new and actively evolving. If something fails—or if you have an idea that would make The Dock better—please open an issue.

See the Dockside roadmap for planned security, reliability, and transfer improvements.

License

MIT