Day one on a new project rarely starts with writing code. It starts with setup: install a VPN client, track down the right configuration, sort out credentials, then wonder which password belongs where, because alongside the platform login there used to be a second secret just for the workspace. Time lost this way, with every new joiner: ten minutes for the experienced, an hour for everyone else.
Since 26 July a wizard walks you through setup, and the separate workspace password is gone.
A wizard rather than a set of instructions
The connection dialog is built as a series of steps with breadcrumb navigation, so you always see which step you are on and can move back without starting over. The steps are split by operating system, with Ubuntu and macOS each getting their own path through VPN setup, client installation and the connection itself — only the instructions that apply to your machine.
One password for everything
To connect, you use your regular platform password from Authentik — no dedicated workspace secret to manage or write down. The same applies to Windows workspaces, which no longer need an RDP password, and cloud workspaces are usable as soon as created, without a separate VPN sign-in first. Fewer secrets means fewer places where credentials linger after somebody leaves.
Work locally or in the cloud?
Entirely your call—we give you the ideal setup for both paths.
- Git & repos
- Flutter SDK
- Node.js
- Docker
The setup app detects tools and starts everything with one click.
- Ubuntu VM
- VS Code in browser
- From anywhere
Ready-made dev environment—no local setup required.
Stable addresses and readable errors
Connections run over a dedicated VPN domain and stable gateway URLs, so a noted-down address keeps working. A workspace counts as ready once the agent is reachable, not once a status turns green while the connection goes nowhere. If a workspace is offline, you get a clear error page instead of a raw technical response.
Four ways into a workspace
How you work is up to you: VS Code in the browser, the JetBrains IDEs, remote desktop over RDP and VNC, plus macOS machines for mobile teams — covering both the colleague fixing a small thing in the browser and the developer who expects a familiar IDE.
What changes for the team
The most visible effect is onboarding: a new developer is assigned a workspace, runs through the wizard and gets to work — the long list of local install steps is gone.
The second effect concerns the environments themselves: everybody works on the same configuration, with the same versions of runtimes and tools, so “it works on my machine” stops being a useful excuse.
The third effect is a clean separation between client projects: each has its own workspace, access and data, nothing mixes on a shared laptop, and when a project ends it is obvious what gets switched off.
How this fits with the rest
Workspaces are one building block of the platform, sitting alongside project management, connections to external services and the delivery of your applications. For a side-by-side view, see cloud development environments; Codespaces users will find the differences under GitHub Codespaces alternative.
