A VS Code extension for managing SSH tunnels without leaving your editor. Create, connect, and monitor local, remote, and dynamic port forwarding tunnels from the activity bar.
Features
Local port forwarding — access a remote service (database, web app, API) as if it were running locally
Remote port forwarding — expose a local service through the remote SSH server
Dynamic SOCKS5 proxy — route traffic through the SSH server via a local SOCKS5 proxy
Reverse dynamic SOCKS5 — open a SOCKS5 proxy on the remote server that exits locally
Supports both password and private key authentication (including encrypted keys with passphrase)
Persistent tunnel profiles saved in VS Code settings
Status bar indicator showing active tunnel count
Use Cases
Connect to a database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis) on a remote server securely without exposing its port publicly
Access an internal web dashboard or admin panel on a private network through a jump host
Forward a local development server to a remote machine for testing
Route traffic through an SSH server when working on restricted networks
Getting Started
Click the SSH Tunnels icon in the activity bar
Click + to add a new tunnel
Follow the wizard: enter the SSH host, credentials, and port forwarding details
Click the connect icon next to a tunnel to start it
Authentication
Private key — provide the path to your key file; if the key is encrypted you will be prompted for the passphrase at connect time
Password — prompted securely at connect time and never stored
Requirements
No native dependencies. Uses the pure-JS ssh2 library.
Extension Settings
Tunnel profiles are stored in VS Code global settings under sshTunnel.tunnels. Passwords and passphrases are never persisted.
