Bash Escape Room - VS Code Extension
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Learn Bash by solving 57 escape-room puzzles right inside VS Code.
No Docker. No setup. Just install and start hacking.
What You Get
- Sidebar panel - room list, progress bar, navigation controls, auto-save
- Lesson panel - styled room card with mission brief, numbered tasks, and hints
- Integrated terminal - bash shell pre-loaded with
next, room, progress commands
- 57 rooms - fully bundled, no repo clone needed
Installation
- Press
Ctrl+Shift+X (or Cmd+Shift+X on Mac) → search Bash Escape Room → Install
- Click the 🏃 icon in the Activity Bar to open the panel
Getting Started
1. Open the Panel
Click the 🏃 icon in the Activity Bar (left edge of VS Code).
The sidebar shows:
- Status dot (stopped / starting / running)
- ▶ Launch and ■ Stop buttons
- ⬛ Terminal and 📖 Open Room quick links
- Room navigator
‹ 01 / 57 › with a progress bar
- Full room list - click any room to jump directly
2. Launch
Click ▶ Launch in the sidebar.
The embedded server starts and Room 01 opens automatically in the lesson panel.
3. Read the Room
The lesson panel shows everything you need to solve the room.
Each room includes a mission brief, numbered tasks, hints, and command examples.
4. Open the Terminal
Click ⬛ Terminal in the sidebar.
A bash shell opens inside the current room's directory, with these commands available:
| Command |
Description |
next |
Move to the next room |
room <N> |
Jump directly to room N |
progress |
Show saved progress |
resume |
Return to your last saved room |
5. Solve & Advance
Work through the Tasks shown in the lesson panel.
Once you find the password, run in the terminal:
next
Or jump to any room directly:
room 14
6. Track Progress
- Completed rooms show a green checkmark in the sidebar list
- Progress is saved automatically on every room switch
- On next VS Code launch the extension resumes from your last room
Room List
| Rooms |
Topic |
| 01–06 |
find, grep, head/tail, sed, base64, sort/uniq |
| 07–09 |
chmod, env/export, ps/kill |
| 10–13 |
awk, tar/gzip, cut/pipes, ln |
| 14–16 |
curl/wget, jq, df/du |
| 17–25 |
crontab, diff/patch, hashing, xxd, strings, date |
| 26–32 |
Parameter expansion, arrays, for/while loops, functions |
| 33–38 |
getopts, heredocs, process substitution, trap, read |
| 39–43 |
ss/netstat, dig, netcat, lsof, strace |
| 44–56 |
rsync, openssl, vim, ssh, git, advanced pipelines |
Commands
Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P:
| Command |
Description |
Bash Escape Room: Launch |
Start the server and open Room 1 |
Bash Escape Room: Stop |
Stop the server |
Bash Escape Room: Open Terminal Panel |
Open the bash terminal |
Bash Escape Room: Open Current Room |
Re-open the current room panel |
Settings
Settings → Extensions → Bash Escape Room:
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
bashEscapeRoom.port |
3000 |
Port the embedded server listens on |
Requirements
| Requirement |
Notes |
| VS Code 1.85+ |
Any platform - Windows, macOS, Linux |
bash |
macOS/Linux built-in; Windows needs WSL or Git Bash |
All 57 rooms are bundled inside the extension - no Docker, no repo clone needed.
Troubleshooting
next / room not found
→ Close the terminal and click ⬛ Terminal again to open a fresh session.
Room panel blank after reload
→ Cmd+Shift+P → Developer: Reload Window
Port 3000 in use
→ Change bashEscapeRoom.port in Settings (e.g. 3001).
License
MIT © nirgeier
| |
