> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.thundercompute.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connecting to Instances

> Connect to Thunder Compute instances via VS Code. Configure SSH settings and manage remote development sessions for low-latency coding workflows.

<Columns cols={3}>
  <Card title="VS Code" icon="window" color="#95c5ea" className="platform-card platform-current">
    Editor extension
  </Card>

  <Card title="CLI" icon="terminal" href="/cli/operations/connecting-to-instances" color="#95c5ea" className="platform-card">
    Command line
  </Card>

  <Card title="Console" icon="browser" href="/console/operations/connecting-to-instances" color="#95c5ea" className="platform-card">
    Web interface
  </Card>
</Columns>

## Before You Connect

Make sure you have:

* Installed the Thunder Compute VS Code extension
* Signed in to Thunder Compute from the extension
* Installed the [Remote - SSH](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.remote-ssh) extension
* Created an instance and waited for it to show `RUNNING`

<Note>
  If your instance does not appear, click the refresh button in the Thunder Compute sidebar.
</Note>

## Connect to an Instance

1. Open VS Code
2. Click the Thunder Compute lightning icon in the Activity Bar
3. If prompted, click **Login** and complete the browser sign-in
4. Under **Instances**, find the running instance
5. Click the connect button on the instance row

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/thundercompute/BnD7RELom_XvTVi-/images/vscode/connect-instance-sidebar.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=BnD7RELom_XvTVi-&q=85&s=55a055395f9373017c9f52f6afa2f3f5" alt="Thunder Compute VS Code extension showing a running instance" width="604" height="294" data-path="images/vscode/connect-instance-sidebar.png" />

VS Code opens a new Remote SSH window for the instance. The lower-left status bar shows the active SSH target, such as `SSH: tnr-0`.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/thundercompute/BnD7RELom_XvTVi-/images/vscode/remote-ssh-window.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=BnD7RELom_XvTVi-&q=85&s=78fb5a5b805a3ac72a5694cbc4d362e8" alt="VS Code connected to a Thunder Compute instance over Remote SSH" width="2284" height="1768" data-path="images/vscode/remote-ssh-window.png" />

You can browse files, edit code, and open terminals in this window as if you were working locally. Commands run on the Thunder Compute instance.

<Note>
  On your first connection, VS Code may ask whether you trust the remote folder. Choose **Yes, I trust the authors** only for folders you expect to work in.
</Note>

## Exposing Services

To expose web servers, Jupyter notebooks, or other services running on your instance, use a [Cloudflare Tunnel](/technical-specs#port-access).

## Using Standard SSH

If you prefer using your own SSH client, Thunder Compute is compatible with standard SSH tools.

Need to manage saved keys or copy a raw SSH command? See [SSH on Thunder Compute](/vscode/operations/ssh) for the manual workflow.