Workspace VMs are not reachable from the open internet. Every connection goes through Tailscale, a private network that you join once with each device. As long as your device is not signed in to the workspace network with Tailscale, it can neither resolve nor reach the address of the VM. How to set up Tailscale on macOS, Linux, Windows, iOS, or Android is described under Set up Tailscale.
Finding the connection details
Click Connect on the workspace card. The dialog shows the RDP address in the form hostname:port (default port 3389), the Username and Password ready to copy, and the Download RDP file button. The downloaded file opens directly in your RDP client. Right after creation it can take a moment until the VM has an address; the dialog points this out.
Which address leads where
The hostnames for RDP and SSH end in workspaces.vpn.application-platform.com and are resolved through Tailscale (MagicDNS). Addresses under workspaces-dev.application-platform.com or workspaces.application-platform.com, on the other hand, are public gateway URLs for VS Code in the browser and carry no workspace- prefix. An SSH connection to one of these gateway hostnames does not land on your workspace VM.
Desktop via RDP
RDP is the usual way to reach the graphical Ubuntu desktop of the workspace.
- Set up an RDP client. Which programs are suitable for each operating system is described under Desktop via RDP.
- Open the downloaded RDP file or enter the address and username by hand.
- Sign in with the password from the dialog.
After signing in you see the Ubuntu desktop, and the project folders are in the home directory. If your workspace also offers VNC, you can use a VNC viewer instead; see Desktop via VNC.
VS Code in the browser
Through the Apps button on the workspace card you open VS Code Web directly in the browser, without an RDP client. There you edit code, open terminals, and start applications with ap run-local, exactly as on the desktop.
If the connection does not come up
First check whether Tailscale is connected on your device and whether you copied the address and username exactly from the dialog. If that does not help, Troubleshooting lists the checks for name resolution and port as well as the known error messages of the Windows App.