Any linux server, anywhere, is going to have vi installed. Getting comfortable with vi is almost necessary if you plan to be working extensively on the HPC.
With that said, the default vi is terrible for editing YAML files. It is SO BAD. If you are only occasionally editing files on the HPC, learning vi may not be worth the learning curve.
Not to worry, there are options!
Gencore Prefered Method
Gencore’s prefered method is to use Atom. Most code editors allow remote file editing, including Atom. Read more about getting Atom set up here.
Sync Files
Please see the entry on FileZilla and Syncing Files for more information.
Edit on HPC
If you are using vi, you should at least set the following in your ~/.vimrc
au Filetype python setl et ts=4 sw=4
au Filetype yaml setl et ts=4 sw=4
Personally, I use vi extensively. I also spend most days sitting in front of a terminal writing code. If this is a goal you have in life, check out neovim, which is a fork of vi. You can read more about using neovim on dalma here. If you are not comfortable with vi, neovim is not a good option. There is a quick crash course on vim youtube is a great place for screencasts. Here is vi reference document.
SSH Mounts
Constantly copying files back and forth can be error prone. Remote editing is great, as long you can find a plugin that works with your setup. If you decide to primarily edit files on your local computer, and cannot get any of the remote editing plugins up and running, the best option is to set up an ssh mount. You can read more about that here.