mirror of https://github.com/coder/coder.git
109 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
109 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
# About Coder
|
|
|
|
Coder is an open-source platform for creating and managing developer workspaces
|
|
on your preferred clouds and servers.
|
|
|
|
<p align="center">
|
|
<img src="./images/hero-image.png">
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
By building on top of common development interfaces (SSH) and infrastructure tools (Terraform), Coder aims to make the process of **provisioning** and **accessing** remote workspaces approachable for organizations of various sizes and stages of cloud-native maturity.
|
|
|
|
<blockquote class="warning">
|
|
<p>
|
|
If you are a Coder v1 customer, view <a href="https://coder.com/docs/coder">the docs</a> or <a href="https://coder.com/docs/coder/latest/guides/v2-faq">the sunset plans</a>.
|
|
</p>
|
|
</blockquote>
|
|
|
|
## How it works
|
|
|
|
Coder workspaces are represented with Terraform, but no Terraform knowledge is
|
|
required to get started. We have a database of pre-made templates built into the
|
|
product.
|
|
|
|
<p align="center">
|
|
<img src="./images/providers-compute.png">
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
Coder workspaces don't stop at compute. You can add storage buckets, secrets, sidecars
|
|
and whatever else Terraform lets you dream up.
|
|
|
|
[Learn more about managing infrastructure.](./templates/index.md)
|
|
|
|
## IDE Support
|
|
|
|
You can use any Web IDE ([code-server](https://github.com/coder/code-server), [projector](https://github.com/JetBrains/projector-server), [Jupyter](https://jupyter.org/), etc.), [JetBrains Gateway](https://www.jetbrains.com/remote-development/gateway/), [VS Code Remote](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/remote/ssh-tutorial) or even a file sync such as [mutagen](https://mutagen.io/).
|
|
|
|
<p align="center">
|
|
<img src="./images/ide-icons.svg" height=72>
|
|
</p>
|
|
|
|
## Why remote development
|
|
|
|
Migrating from local developer machines to workspaces hosted by cloud services
|
|
is an [increasingly common solution for
|
|
developers](https://blog.alexellis.io/the-internet-is-my-computer/) and
|
|
[organizations
|
|
alike](https://slack.engineering/development-environments-at-slack). There are
|
|
several benefits, including:
|
|
|
|
- **Increased speed:** Server-grade compute speeds up operations in software
|
|
development, such as IDE loading, code compilation and building, and the
|
|
running of large workloads (such as those for monolith or microservice
|
|
applications)
|
|
|
|
- **Easier environment management:** Tools such as Terraform, nix, Docker,
|
|
devcontainers, and so on make developer onboarding and the troubleshooting of
|
|
development environments easier
|
|
|
|
- **Increase security:** Centralize source code and other data onto private
|
|
servers or cloud services instead of local developer machines
|
|
|
|
- **Improved compatibility:** Remote workspaces share infrastructure
|
|
configuration with other development, staging, and production environments,
|
|
reducing configuration drift
|
|
|
|
- **Improved accessibility:** Devices such as lightweight notebooks,
|
|
Chromebooks, and iPads can connect to remote workspaces via browser-based IDEs
|
|
or remote IDE extensions
|
|
|
|
## Why Coder
|
|
|
|
The key difference between Coder OSS and other remote IDE platforms is the added
|
|
layer of infrastructure control. This additional layer allows admins to:
|
|
|
|
- Support ARM, Windows, Linux, and macOS workspaces
|
|
- Modify pod/container specs (e.g., adding disks, managing network policies,
|
|
setting/updating environment variables)
|
|
- Use VM/dedicated workspaces, developing with Kernel features (no container
|
|
knowledge required)
|
|
- Enable persistent workspaces, which are like local machines, but faster and
|
|
hosted by a cloud service
|
|
|
|
Coder includes [production-ready templates](https://github.com/coder/coder/tree/c6b1daabc5a7aa67bfbb6c89966d728919ba7f80/examples/templates) for use with AWS EC2,
|
|
Azure, Google Cloud, Kubernetes, and more.
|
|
|
|
## What Coder is _not_
|
|
|
|
- Coder is not an infrastructure as code (IaC) platform. Terraform is the first
|
|
IaC _provisioner_ in Coder, allowing Coder admins to define Terraform
|
|
resources as Coder workspaces.
|
|
|
|
- Coder is not a DevOps/CI platform. Coder workspaces can follow best practices
|
|
for cloud service-based workloads, but Coder is not responsible for how you
|
|
define or deploy the software you write.
|
|
|
|
- Coder is not an online IDE. Instead, Coder supports common editors, such as VS
|
|
Code, vim, and JetBrains, over HTTPS or SSH.
|
|
|
|
- Coder is not a collaboration platform. You can use git and dedicated IDE
|
|
extensions for pull requests, code reviews, and pair programming.
|
|
|
|
- Coder is not a SaaS/fully-managed offering. You must host
|
|
Coder on a cloud service (AWS, Azure, GCP) or your private data center.
|
|
|
|
## Up next
|
|
|
|
- Learn about [Templates](./templates/index.md)
|
|
- [Install Coder](./install/index.md#install-coder)
|