CredVault
Dashboard

Coder Troubleshooting

Solutions for common Coder problems.

Workspace Won't Start

Symptoms

  • Stuck on "Creating" for >3 minutes
  • Error message appears
  • Can't connect after creation

Solutions

Wait and retry

1. Wait 2 minutes
2. Click Start again
3. Refresh page
4. Try different browser

Check workspace limits

Error: "Resource limit exceeded"
Reason: Your plan limits exceeded
Solution: Stop other workspaces first
        or upgrade to larger plan

Check internet connection

Status: Won't load
Reason: Connectivity issue
Solution: 
  1. Check internet speed (should be >5 Mbps)
  2. Try mobile hotspot
  3. Restart router
  4. Use wired connection if available

Contact support

If still failing:
1. Note exact error message
2. Remember when it started
3. Note workspace name and size
4. Email support with details

Can't Connect to Workspace

Symptoms

  • Page won't load
  • Terminal won't open
  • IDE shows blank page

Solutions

Refresh and retry

1. Press F5 (refresh)
2. Clear browser cache (Ctrl+Shift+Del)
3. Try incognito mode
4. Try different browser (Chrome, Firefox)

Workspace is running?

1. Go back to workspace list
2. Check status (should be Running)
3. If Stopped: click Start
4. Wait 30 seconds
5. Try again

Check network

1. Test internet: open google.com
2. If no internet: fix connection first
3. If internet works: might be firewall
4. Try different network (coffee shop WiFi)

Browser issues

Try these:
1. Disable browser extensions
2. Restart browser completely
3. Update browser to latest
4. Try different browser

Editor Not Responding

Symptoms

  • Keys not registering
  • Very slow/laggy
  • Freezes frequently

Solutions

Close extra tabs

Other browser tabs using resources
1. Close unused tabs (or browser tabs)
2. Close running services in terminal
3. Reduce resource usage

Check network speed

Laggy editing usually = slow network
1. Run: speedtest.net
2. Need >10 Mbps for smooth editing
3. Use wired instead of WiFi
4. Try different network

Restart workspace

1. Stop workspace
2. Wait 30 seconds
3. Start workspace
4. Try again

Upgrade workspace size

If consistently slow:
- Small workspace too small
- Upgrade to Medium or Large
- Performance should improve

Can't Save Files

Symptoms

  • Changes not persisting
  • File reverted after refresh
  • Can't create new files

Solutions

Check disk space

Workspace running out of storage
1. Click workspace
2. Check "Disk Used"
3. If >95%: need to clean up
   - Delete old files
   - Clean build artifacts
   - Archive old projects

Check permissions

Permission denied error:
1. Try in /home/coder/ directory
2. Use sudo if needed
3. Check file permissions: ls -l
4. Fix with: chmod u+w filename

Stop and restart

Files not saving:
1. Stop workspace
2. Wait 30 seconds
3. Start workspace
4. Try saving again

Terminal Commands Not Working

Symptoms

  • Command not found errors
  • Path issues
  • Git not available

Solutions

Restart terminal

1. Close terminal tab (X button)
2. Click + to open new terminal
3. Try command again

Check terminal shell

Default: bash
If broken:
1. Type: bash
2. Then type command again
3. Or: sh, zsh

Check tool installed

Command not found: npm, python, git?

Test:
$ which npm
/usr/bin/npm

If not found, need to install:
$ apt-get install npm
(or similar for your tool)

Use correct path

Can't find file:
1. Use pwd to see current directory
2. Use cd to navigate
3. Use ls to list files
4. Check spelling exactly

Git Not Working

Symptoms

  • Git commands fail
  • Can't push/pull
  • Git credentials not working

Solutions

Set git config first time

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

Then try git commit

SSH key issues

# Check if SSH key exists
ls ~/.ssh/id_rsa

# If not, create one
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096

# Add to GitHub settings
cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
# (copy this to GitHub)

GitHub credentials

# Clone with SSH (not HTTPS)
git clone git@github.com:user/repo.git

# Not: git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git

Test connection

# Test SSH to GitHub
ssh -T git@github.com

# Should see: Hi username! You've authenticated...

Can't Share Workspace

Symptoms

  • Share button not visible
  • Error when trying to share
  • Team member can't see workspace

Solutions

Check sharing is available

Workspace must be:
- Running (not stopped)
- Owned by you
- In your account

Check team member exists

1. Go to Team settings
2. Verify team member is added
3. If not, add them first

Invite not received

1. Check spam folder
2. Ask them to refresh
3. Try sharing again
5. Share the workspace URL directly

Permission issues

Team member has access but:
- Can't edit files? Set Edit permission
- Can't use terminal? Set Admin permission
- Can only see code? Already has View

SSH Connection Issues

Symptoms

  • SSH connection refused
  • Can't use local editor
  • Port forwarding not working

Solutions

Test SSH works

ssh -v coder@workspace-name.example.com

If hangs: Firewall blocking
Solution: 
- Check firewall settings
- Try different network
- Contact network admin

VS Code Remote SSH

Extension installed but:
1. Install "Remote - SSH" extension
2. Reload VS Code
3. Click Remote button (bottom left)
4. Add new host

If slow:
- Check network speed
- Try wired connection

SSH key authentication

Password prompt but shouldn't be:
1. Check SSH key installed: ssh-add -l
2. Add key: ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa
3. Try again

Performance Issues

Slow Running Code

Check resource usage

# In workspace terminal
top
# See CPU and Memory usage
# If CPU maxed: code is slow
# If Memory maxed: need more RAM

Upgrade workspace size

Current: Small (2 CPU, 4 GB)
For ML/data work: Need Medium/Large

Stop workspace
Click Settings
Change resource size
Start workspace

Check for processes

# See running processes
ps aux

# Kill background process
kill -9 PID

Optimize code

Running slow?
1. Profile code (find bottleneck)
2. Add indexes to databases
3. Use caching
4. Process in batches

High Costs

Workspace Charges Too Much

Check auto-stop

Settings → Auto-stop after inactivity
Increase to 1 hour if too aggressive
or disable if you need it running

Stop unused workspaces

1. Go to workspace list
2. Stop workspaces you're not using
3. Delete if not needed anymore
4. Check cost immediately drops

Right-size workspace

Using Large for simple dev?
- Downgrade to Small or Medium
- Saves 50-75%
- Still enough for light work

Check usage patterns

See Billing dashboard:
1. Which workspaces cost most?
2. How many hours running?
3. Can you consolidate?
4. Set spending alerts

Data Lost / Workspace Deleted

Accidental Deletion

If just deleted

Recently deleted workspaces:
1. Check Billing for charges stopping
2. If backups enabled: check backup
3. Otherwise: data is gone

Prevention for future

Before deleting:
1. Push to GitHub
2. Download files
3. Export important data
4. THEN delete

Recover from Git

If code in GitHub:
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git

All your commits are there!
Create new workspace and clone

Getting Help

Support Options

Email Support

Chat Support

  • Click chat icon (bottom right)
  • Available business hours

Documentation

When Contacting Support

Include:

  • Workspace name
  • Exact error message
  • What you were doing
  • When it started
  • What you've already tried

Example:

Subject: Can't start workspace "backend-api"

Error: "Timeout creating instance"
Workspace size: Medium (4 CPU, 8GB)
Started: 2024-06-12 14:00
Attempted: Retry 3 times, waited 5 minutes
Browser: Chrome 125
Error first occurred: Today at 2:30 PM