Coder Workspaces: Overview
Coder Workspaces are on-demand virtual machines with commonly used data science tools pre-installed. Anyone with a UCSB Net ID can create a workspace to use for the duration of the academic quarter. Workspaces are deleted at the end of each quarter.
The service is managed by the Library DREAM Lab and uses computing resources provided by the College of Letters and Science IT
Creating a Workspace
- Visit https://coder.dreamlab.ucsb.edu.
- Click “UCSB Login” and log in using UCSB SSO (via Google).
- Click the button to create a Dreamlab Workspace.
- On the “Create Workspace” page:
- Give the workspace a name.
- Check “I understand the usage policies”.
- Select additional software to enable (see Optional Software).
- Click “Create Workspace”.
- It may take a few minutes for the workspace to boot.
You should see an interface for using the workspace (yours may be configured with slightly different software).
See our guides (in the top menu) for additional instructions.
Getting Help
For questions or support:
- Email: dreamlab@library.ucsb.edu
- Join the UCSB Carpentry Slack
Hardware and Software
Each workspace is a virtual machine (running Ubuntu linux) with the following hardware:
| Resources | Description |
|---|---|
| CPU | 4 vCPUs |
| Memory | 16 GiB |
| User Data Disk | 64 GB |
| OS Disk | 15 GB |
Default Software
All workspaces include the following software:
| Name | Version | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Linux | 24.04 LTS | Operating System |
| Docker | 28.4.0 | Container Runtime |
| Pixi | v0.55.0 | Python package manager |
| R | v4.5.1 | R programming language |
| Git | v2.43.0 | Version control software |
gh |
v2.80.0 | Github CLI |
jq |
v1.7 | Command line JSON processor |
Optional Software
Services can be enabled when the workspace is created:
| Service | Version | Description |
|---|---|---|
| RStudio Server | v2025.09.1 | Run RStudio in the browser |
| Jupyter Lab Server | v4.4.9 | Run Jupyter Notebooks in the browser |
| VS Code Web | - | Run VS Code in the browser |
| VS Code Desktop (Server) | - | Connect to the workspace using VS Code |
Workspace Lifecycle
- Workspaces shut down (stop) after four hours of inactivity.
- You can manually stop a workspace by clicking the “stop” button.
- To start a stopped workspace, click the workspace’s “Start” button. It may take a few minutes to resume.
- Deleting a workspace deletes all files on the workspace!
- All workspaces will be deleted at the end of each academic quarter.
Policies
- Backup your data: Data is not backed up; users are responsible for their own backups.
- Deletion: All workspaces are automatically deleted at the end of each quarter.
- Limits: Users may create and use only one workspace at a time. Multiple active workspaces may be deleted without notice.
- Maintenance: Workspaces may be inaccessible during scheduled maintenance windows (announced via email).
- Inactivity: Workspaces stop automatically after four hours of inactivity to conserve resources. They can be resumed by clicking the “start” button.
- Software Installation: Users may install additional software.
- Access by Staff: Workspaces may be accessed by staff in the Library or LSIT. Confidential or sensitive information should not be stored.