Compound Launch Config Debug Port Clash

I'm running into an issue / potential bug where my compound launch configuration tries to run multiple services with the same java debug port. This seems to be a non-deterministic issue and the launch configurations that succeed vary.

Here's a version of my launch config:

  "version": "0.2.0",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "type": "java",
      "name": "AxonServer",
      "request": "launch",
      "mainClass": "org.springframework.boot.loader.PropertiesLauncher",
      "classPaths": [
        "${workspaceFolder}/build/AxonServer/axonserver.jar"
      ],
      "console": "internalConsole",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/build/AxonServer",
    },
    {
      "type": "java",
      "name": "EurekaServer",
      "request": "launch",
      "mainClass": "com.company.project.framework.eureka.server.EurekaServerApplication",
      "projectName": "com.company.project.framework-eureka-server",
      "console": "internalConsole",
    },
    {
      "type": "java",
      "name": "Config Service",
      "request": "launch",
      "mainClass": "com.company.project.config.service.ConfigApplication",
      "projectName": "com.company.project-config-service",
      "console": "internalConsole",
    },
    {
      "type": "java",
      "name": "Framework Service",
      "request": "launch",
      "mainClass": "com.company.project.framework.FrameworkApplication",
      "projectName": "com.company.project-framework",
      "console": "internalConsole",
    },
    {
      "type": "java",
      "name": "Command Service",
      "request": "launch",
      "mainClass": "com.company.project.framework.commandservice.CommandApplication",
      "projectName": "com.company.project.framework-command-service",
      "console": "internalConsole",
    },
    {
      "type": "java",
      "name": "Query Service",
      "request": "launch",
      "mainClass": "com.company.project.framework.queryservice.QueryApplication",
      "projectName": "com.company.project.framework-query-service",
      "console": "internalConsole",
    },
    {
      "type": "java",
      "name": "Generation Service",
      "request": "launch",
      "projectName": "com.company.project.generation-generation",
      "mainClass": "org.springframework.boot.loader.launch.JarLauncher",
      "classPaths": [
        "${workspaceFolder}/build/generation.jar"
      ],
      "console": "internalConsole",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}\\build",
    },
  ],
  "compounds": [
  {
    "name": "Start Microservices",
    "configurations": [
      "AxonServer",
      "EurekaServer",
      "Config Service",
      "Framework Service",
      "Command Service",
      "Query Service",
      "Generation Service",
    ],
    "stopAll": true,
  },
]

I get this error for several services on most launch attempts:

Error: Exception thrown by the agent : java.rmi.server.ExportException: Port already in use: 45559; nested exception is: 
	java.net.BindException: Address already in use: bind
jdk.internal.agent.AgentConfigurationError: java.rmi.server.ExportException: Port already in use: 45559; nested exception is: 
	java.net.BindException: Address already in use: bind
	at jdk.management.agent/sun.management.jmxremote.ConnectorBootstrap.startRemoteConnectorServer(ConnectorBootstrap.java:491)
ConnectorBootstrap.java:491
	at jdk.management.agent/jdk.internal.agent.Agent.startAgent(Agent.java:447)
Agent.java:447
	at jdk.management.agent/jdk.internal.agent.Agent.startAgent(Agent.java:603)
Agent.java:603
... (trimmed)
Caused by: java.net.BindException: Address already in use: bind

When I check that port, one of my other configurations is indeed using that port. This is not a port used by the applications themselves, but presumably the java debug server port. When I stop my applications, those ports are no longer in use. I can also run the non-compound launch configs individually without issue, this is specifically a compound launch config issue.

I also encountered the same problem, the compounds configuration caused port conflicts.

I found a workaround, and we can customize different jmx ports to each different configuration to bypass conflicts:

"vmArgs": [
    "-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.port=<Your custom port>",
    "-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.authenticate=false",
    "-Dcom.sun.management.jmxremote.ssl=false",
],

Sylphrena Kleinsasser (@sylphrena0)

Hi Sylphrena Kleinsasser (@sylphrena0), I'm an AI Support assistant here to help with your issue. While the team reviews your request, I wanted to provide some possible tips and documentation that might help you in the meantime.

Suggestions & Workarounds

Serialize your launches by adding a small delay before each config. Define a shell task in tasks.json:
```
{
  "label": "delay-500ms",
  "type": "shell",
  "command": "sleep 0.5"
}
```
Then add to each launch config:
```
"preLaunchTask": "delay-500ms"
```
This forces each debug server to bind its port in sequence and avoids clashes.
Run services individually instead of via a compound. That way each debug session picks its own port without race conditions.
File an issue against the Java debug extension (vscode-java-debug) to request deterministic port assignment or configuration options:
https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-java-debug/issues

No direct solution is documented yet for compound launches starting multiple Java debug servers in parallel.

Other references with low confidence

ERROR: JDWP Transport dt_socket failed… – default debug ports (1044/1045) can collide. You may need to free them or choose other ports. ERROR: JDWP Transport dt_socket failed to initialize, TRANSPORT_INIT(510) when debugging vscode-extension project redhat-developer/vscode-java#3336 (comment)
Cannot Run Java Program… Address already in use – describes killing processes on ports 1044/1045 before launch. Cannot Run Java Program in VSCode Extension Development Host on Debug Mode #1216 (comment)

The team will respond to your issue shortly. I hope these suggestions are helpful in the meantime. If this comment helped you, please give it a 👍. If the suggestion was not helpful or incorrect, please give it a 👎. Your feedback helps us improve!

we can customize different jmx ports to each different configuration to bypass conflicts

This workaround mostly works for me, though I've found sometimes a debug session restart fails with the port in use error again, perhaps because the old port isn't released quick enough? Without the fixed port it seems ok, I assume because it does pick a new random port in that case.

Looking at Copilot's suggestions:

adding a small delay before each config

This doesn't scale for microservice-like projects: I needed to space mine out by a second each in order to avoid the conflicts, which leads to some rather lengthy waits towards the end. Baking these delays into the individual services also means starting a single one is subjected to an unnecessary delay.

Run services individually instead of via a compound

The same port binding problems happen if you start individual services in quick succession.

File an issue against the Java debug extension (vscode-java-debug)

That's where we are...

The team will respond to your issue shortly

Three months later and this doesn't seem to have happened?

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