CredVault
Dashboard

Coder Workspaces

Create, manage, and organize your cloud development environments.

Creating Workspaces

Quick Start

  1. Click Coder in sidebar
  2. Click Create Workspace
  3. Give it a name: "Backend API", "Frontend App", etc.
  4. Choose template (Node.js, Python, Go, etc.)
  5. Choose resource size:
    • Small: 2 CPU, 4 GB RAM ($2.50/hr)
    • Medium: 4 CPU, 8 GB RAM ($5.00/hr)
    • Large: 8 CPU, 16 GB RAM ($10.00/hr)
  6. Click Create

Workspace starts in ~30 seconds.

Naming Conventions

Use clear names:

Good:
- "frontend-next-main"
- "backend-api-dev"
- "data-pipeline-q2"
- "alice-experimental"

Avoid:
- "workspace1", "test", "new"
- "tmp", "debug", "fix"

Workspace Resources

CPU and Memory

Choose appropriate size:

Small (2 CPU, 4 GB RAM):
✓ Web development
✓ Small scripts
✓ Light testing
✗ Large datasets
✗ Compiling heavy code

Medium (4 CPU, 8 GB RAM):
✓ Backend development
✓ Databases
✓ Testing
✓ Light data analysis

Large (8 CPU, 16 GB RAM):
✓ ML training
✓ Large compilations
✓ Heavy data processing
✓ Multiple services

Disk Space

Each workspace includes storage:

Small: 50 GB
Medium: 100 GB
Large: 250 GB

Disk usage shown:

Used: 25 GB / 100 GB (25%)

If you exceed:

  1. Stop workspace
  2. Clean up files
  3. Or upgrade size

Managing Workspaces

View All Workspaces

My Workspaces:
- backend-api (Running) - Started 2h ago
- frontend-app (Stopped) - 3 days ago
- data-analysis (Running) - Started 1h ago

Click any to:

  • Open in browser
  • Stop/start
  • Share
  • Delete
  • See details

Workspace Details

Click workspace name to see:

Status: Running
Started: 2024-06-12 14:30 UTC
Uptime: 2 hours
Template: Node.js
Resources: 4 CPU, 8 GB RAM
Disk Used: 32 GB / 100 GB
Public URL: https://...

Workspace Status

  • Starting - Launching (1-2 minutes)
  • Running - Ready to use
  • Stopping - Shutting down
  • Stopped - Not running
  • Error - Something wrong

Connecting to Workspaces

Browser IDE

Click workspace to open:

  • URL opens automatically
  • Full VS Code editor in browser
  • Terminal at bottom
  • File explorer on left
  • Ready to code immediately

SSH Connection

Use local IDE instead:

# SSH into workspace
ssh coder@workspace-name

# Then use your local IDE
code .

# Or configure in VS Code settings
# Remote - SSH extension connects directly

See Coder SSH for details.

Templates

Using Built-in Templates

  1. Node.js - JavaScript, React, Express
  2. Python - Data science, ML, scripts
  3. Go - Backend, APIs
  4. Full Stack - All tools combined

Creating Custom Template

Create reusable starting point:

FROM coder/base:latest

RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    nodejs \
    npm \
    postgresql-client

COPY package.json /tmp/
COPY package-lock.json /tmp/

RUN cd /tmp && npm install

COPY dotfiles /home/coder/.config/

USER coder

Then use for all new workspaces.

Auto-Stop and Billing

Auto-Stop Settings

Prevent wasting money:

  1. Click workspace
  2. Click Settings
  3. Set "Auto-stop after inactivity":
    • 5 minutes (aggressive)
    • 15 minutes (testing)
    • 30 minutes (default)
    • 1 hour (dev work)
    • Never (uses resources)

Billing Impact

Resource: 4 CPU, 8 GB RAM
Cost: $5.00/hour

Scenario 1: No auto-stop
Work 8 hours, forget to stop: $40
Work 8 hours, leave running: $5/hour × 16 hours = $80

Scenario 2: Auto-stop at 30 min
Work 8 hours, AFK after: Stops after 30 min = $4.17
Small impact from auto-stop gap

Manual Control

Stop anytime:

  1. Click workspace
  2. Click Stop
  3. Work saved automatically
  4. No charges while stopped

Check Workspace Status

  1. Go to Coder
  2. See all workspaces
  3. Running = charging
  4. Stopped = no charge

Persistence

Your Work is Saved

Auto-save means:

  • Files written to disk
  • Databases persist
  • Terminal history saved
  • Git commits saved
  • SSH keys saved

Stop workspace, restart later:

  • Everything is there
  • Open same files
  • Continue where you left off
  • $0 cost while stopped

Backup Your Work

Backup workspace to GitHub:

git add .
git commit -m "Save work"
git push origin main

Then work is backed up and:

  • Restored on new workspace
  • Accessible from anywhere
  • Safe if workspace deleted

Sharing Workspaces

Quick Share

Share workspace with teammate:

  1. Click workspace
  2. Click Share
  3. Select team member
  4. Set permission (Edit/View)
  5. They can now open it

Pair Programming

Multiple people in same workspace:

  1. Same files visible
  2. See each other typing
  3. Shared terminal
  4. Chat for communication

Read-Only Access

Share for review:

  1. Set permission to View
  2. Can't modify files
  3. Can suggest changes via comments

Deleting Workspaces

Before Delete

  1. Backup work:
    • Push to GitHub
    • Download files if needed
  2. Stop workspace
  3. Delete

Delete Process

  1. Click workspace
  2. Click Delete
  3. Confirm (can't undo!)
  4. Workspace removed
  5. Files gone, no more charges

Troubleshooting

Workspace won't start

  • Check resource limits
  • Wait 2 minutes
  • Refresh page
  • Restart browser
  • Contact support

Running out of disk space

Options:
1. Clean up files
2. Upgrade workspace size
3. Split into multiple workspaces
4. Archive old projects

Connection issues

  • Check internet connection
  • Refresh page
  • Close other browser tabs
  • Check firewall/VPN