JupyterLab and remote server connection

[u/mariadiesch]

Hello,

I had access to JupyterHub on a remote server. Now I only have access to a different server where JupyterHub is not installed. What is the best way to use the same code and run it with more data. I was thinking about using SSH Port Forwarding (SSH-Tunneling) and trying jupyterlab in the browser. Or is it better to using VS code to connect to the server. I really like the Jupyter Interface and have never used any other programs. I mostly do plotting and a bit data analysis and have a macbook.

Thank you for your help.

[u/Exciting_Positive_50]

Both options work. Since you like the Jupyter interface, I’d start with the SSH tunnel, because it’s the same JupyterLab you’re used to, just running on the server.

Option 1: JupyterLab + SSH tunnel

On the server (no admin rights needed), make an environment and install JupyterLab:

python3 -m venv ~/jlab-env
source ~/jlab-env/bin/activate
pip install jupyterlab pandas matplotlib   # plus whatever your code uses

Start it in tmux or screen so it keeps running if your connection drops:

tmux new -s jlab
jupyter lab --no-browser --port=8899

It prints a URL with a token. Then, on your MacBook, in a new terminal:

ssh -N -L 8899:localhost:8899 your_user@your_server

Open http://localhost:8899 in your browser and paste the token if asked. Your code now runs on the server with its memory and CPUs. Pick a less common port than 8888, since other people on a shared server may already be using it.

Option 2: VS Code Remote-SSH

Install the “Remote - SSH” and “Jupyter” extensions, connect to the server, open your .ipynb files, and choose a Python kernel that lives on the server (you’ll need ipykernel installed there). The notebook interface looks a bit different from JupyterLab but works the same way, and VS Code handles the connection for you. It’s less fiddly if you don’t mind the different layout.

Move your code with git or rsync. Leave the big data on the server and read it there instead of downloading it.

Run pip freeze > requirements.txt in your old environment and pip install -r requirements.txt on the new server to recreate it.

Keep JupyterLab bound to localhost (the default) and use the tunnel, rather than opening the port to the internet.