November 2019 Summaries

Inlets is an open-source tool that enables local services to be exposed to the internet securely. It consists of a server running in a Gitpod workspace and a client on a local machine. The client acts as a reverse proxy, opening up the local network to programs running in the Gitpod workspace. This allows users to access local Docker daemons or other TCP-based services from their Gitpod workspace without exposing them globally. Inlets is particularly useful for developers working with IoT devices or home automation systems that are not yet available on the internet. By combining Inlets with another tool called chisel, users can also tunnel TCP traffic through an HTTP tunnel, further expanding the range of services accessible from a Gitpod workspace.

Visual Studio Online (VSO) and Gitpod are both cloud-based developer environments with some key differences. VSO is based on Microsoft's Visual Studio Code while Gitpod uses Eclipse Theia, an open-source platform governed by the Eclipse Foundation. Both support VS Code extensions and have similar user interfaces. However, Gitpod offers continuous dev environments that are easy to create from any Git branch, whereas VSO requires users to go through a dashboard and form-based configuration dialog. Additionally, Gitpod can be installed on any Kubernetes cluster for self-hosting, while VSO only supports pointing it to hardware running elsewhere. Microsoft's growing control over the developer world raises concerns about competition and innovation in the industry.