Behind every remote workspace is a workspace VM, a prepared development machine running Ubuntu. The platform knows two forms: the older project-bound workspace, which belongs to exactly one project, and the user workspace, which belongs to one person and can contain several projects for remote development.
User workspace and remote development
In a user workspace, the setup app starts automatically inside the VM. It signs in to the platform with a bootstrap token and manages a separate Code Server instance for each project, meaning VS Code in the browser. The workspace start page at https://<hostname>:9000/<language>/ shows these instances with start and stop controls and links to them per project on ports 9001, 9002, and so on. You find the same addresses in the web interface under Workspaces in the Remote development column.
What is available on the VM
The VM comes with an Ubuntu desktop environment and RDP access. Git and asdf are installed, and the runtime versions follow the .tool-versions of the respective project. Cursor, Code Server, Codex, and Claude Code are available as editors and agents. The workspace start page also shows the connection details, a system profile of the machine, and links into this documentation. A description of the programs and how they work together is under Installed software.
When the VM is the right choice
The workspace VM pays off when you want to start without a local installation, when you need several project repositories at the same time, or when you want an environment for pairing, review, and support that looks the same for everyone involved. How to connect to the desktop and tools is described under Connect to your workspace.