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Quickstart for {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %}
Quickstart for {% data variables.product.prodname_codespaces %}
Try out {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %} in 5 minutes.
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quick_start
Codespaces
/codespaces/codespaces-quickstart

Introduction

In this guide, you'll create a codespace from a template repository and explore some of the essential features available to you within the codespace. You'll work in the browser version of {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %}, which is initially the default editor for {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %}. After trying out this quickstart you can use {% data variables.product.prodname_codespaces %} in other editors, and you can change the default editor. Links are provided at the end of this guide.

From this quickstart, you'll learn how to create a codespace, connect to a forwarded port to view your running application, publish your codespace to a new repository, and personalize your setup with extensions.

For more information on exactly how {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %} works, see the companion guide "AUTOTITLE."

Creating your codespace

  1. Navigate to the github/haikus-for-codespaces template repository. {% data reusables.codespaces.use-this-template %}

Running the application

Once your codespace is created, the template repository will be automatically cloned into it. Now you can run the application and launch it in a browser.

  1. When the terminal becomes available, enter the command npm run dev. This example uses a Node.js project, and this command runs the script labeled "dev" in the package.json file, which starts up the web application defined in the sample repository.

    Screenshot of the Terminal in {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %} with the "npm run dev" command entered.

    If you're following along with a different application type, enter the corresponding start command for that project.

  2. When your application starts, the codespace recognizes the port the application is running on and displays a pop-up message to let you know that the port has been forwarded.

    Screenshot of the pop-up message: "Your application running on port 3000 is available." Below this is a green button, labeled "Open in Browser."

  3. Click Open in Browser to view your running application in a new tab.

Edit the application and view changes

  1. Switch back to your codespace and open the haikus.json file by clicking it in the Explorer.

  2. Edit the text field of the first haiku to personalize the application with your own haiku.

  3. Go back to the running application tab in your browser and refresh to see your changes.

    {% octicon "light-bulb" aria-hidden="true" %} If you've closed the browser tab, click the Ports tab in {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %}, hover over the Local Address value for the running port, and click the Open in Browser icon.

    Screenshot of the "Ports" panel. The "Ports" tab and a globe icon, which opens the forwarded port in a browser, are highlighted with orange outlines.

Committing and pushing your changes

Now that you've made a few changes, you can use the integrated terminal or the source view to publish your work to a new repository.

{% data reusables.codespaces.source-control-activity-bar %}

  1. To stage your changes, click {% octicon "plus" aria-label="Stage Changes" %} next to the haikus.json file, or next to Changes if you've changed multiple files and you want to stage them all.

    Screenshot of the "Source control" side bar with the staging button (a plus sign), to the right of "Changes," highlighted with a dark orange outline.

  2. To commit your staged changes, type a commit message describing the change you've made, then click Commit.

    Screenshot of the "Source control" side bar. A commit message, with "Change haiku text and styles" entered, and the "Commit" button are highlighted with an orange outline.

  3. Click Publish Branch.

    Screenshot of the "Source control" side bar showing the "Publish Branch" button.

  4. In the "Repository Name" dropdown, type a name for your new repository, then select Publish to {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} private repository or Publish to {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} public repository.

    Screenshot of the repository name dropdown in {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %}. Two options are shown, for publishing to a private or a public repository.

    The owner of the new repository will be the {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} account with which you created the codespace.

  5. In the pop-up that appears in the lower right corner of the editor, click Open on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %} to view the new repository on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom_the_website %}. In the new repository, view the haikus.json file and check that the change you made in your codespace has been successfully pushed to the repository.

    Screenshot of a confirmation message for a successfully published repository, showing the "Open on {% data variables.product.prodname_dotcom %}" button.

Personalizing with an extension

When you connect to a codespace using the browser, or the {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %} desktop application, you can access the {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode %} Marketplace directly from the editor. For this example, you'll install a {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %} extension that alters the theme, but you can install any extension that's useful for your workflow.

  1. In the Activity Bar, click the Extensions icon.

    Screenshot of the Activity Bar. The Extensions icon is highlighted with an orange outline.

  2. In the search bar, type fairyfloss and click Install.

    Screenshot of the "Extensions: Marketplace" side bar. "fairyfloss" is entered into the search box and, below it, the "fairyfloss" extension is displayed, with an "Install" button.

  3. Select the fairyfloss theme by selecting it from the list.

    Screenshot of the "Select Color Theme" dropdown, with the "fairyfloss" theme selected.

About Settings Sync

You can enable Settings Sync to sync extensions and other settings across devices and instances of {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %}. {% data reusables.codespaces.about-settings-sync %} For more information, see "AUTOTITLE."

Next steps

You've successfully created, personalized, and run your first application within a codespace but there's so much more to explore! Here are some helpful resources for taking your next steps with {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %}.

  • "AUTOTITLE": This quickstart presented some of the features of {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %}. The deep dive looks at these areas from a technical standpoint.
  • "AUTOTITLE": These guides provide information on setting up your repository to use {% data variables.product.prodname_github_codespaces %} with specific languages.
  • "AUTOTITLE": This guide provides details on creating a custom configuration for {% data variables.product.prodname_codespaces %} for your project.

Further reading