Solution

A cloud development environment instead of a setup guide in the wiki

New developers spend their first days getting a local environment to run, and after that every machine differs slightly. Remote workspaces start fully configured and identical for everyone.

Cloud VMs with VS Code, JetBrains, RDP and VNC
macOS machines for iOS builds and Xcode work
Stable gateway URLs for browser access

Start for free. No credit card required.

Work locally or in the cloud?

Entirely your call—we give you the ideal setup for both paths.

Local Platform App

Git & repos
Flutter SDK
Node.js
Docker

The setup app detects tools and starts everything with one click.

Cloud Remote workspace

Ubuntu VM
VS Code in browser
From anywhere

Ready-made dev environment—no local setup required.

Locally or in the cloud, from the same project base.

In short

The development environment becomes part of the project instead of part of the laptop.

Onboarding in minutes: a new colleague starts a workspace instead of an install checklist.
Same environment for everyone: differences between machines disappear, and so do the bugs that follow.

Local setups versus workspaces from the platform

This shows the work that development environments create and how the Application Platform deals with it.

Task	With the Application Platform	Set up manually
Onboarding new developers	Fully covered: Start a workspace and go, with tooling and dependencies already in place	Not offered: A setup guide in the wiki that is rarely current
A consistent environment	Fully covered: Everyone works on the same base regardless of their own operating system	Not offered: Windows, macOS and Linux side by side with diverging versions
Ways to connect	Fully covered: VS Code in the browser, JetBrains, RDP and VNC over stable gateway URLs	Partly covered: Local only, with remote access something you build yourself
macOS for iOS builds	Fully covered: macOS machines in the cloud are part of the offering	Partly covered: A Mac per iOS developer, or a shared box someone has to maintain
Separating client projects	Fully covered: A dedicated environment and dedicated credentials per project	Not offered: Everything on one machine, with dependencies and logins bleeding together
Compute for heavy builds	Fully covered: The workspace runs on a cloud VM instead of your notebook	Not offered: Build times depend on whatever hardware each person has
Looking into databases	Fully covered: phpMyAdmin is available for database access	Partly covered: A local client, a VPN or an SSH tunnel depending on the environment
Running AI coding agents	Fully covered: Agents keep working in the cloud workspace after you close the lid	Not offered: Runs locally and stops the moment the machine sleeps
Losing or changing a device	Fully covered: Your work lives in the workspace and the repository, not on the endpoint	Not offered: Reinstall and restore everything on the replacement machine
Permissions on environments	Fully covered: Roles and project membership decide who may open which environment	Not offered: Effectively anyone with access to the machine

Green means fully covered, amber partly, grey not offered. Local development stays available through the Platform App.

As of 10 August 2026. This comparison describes typical workflows and can differ from project to project.

What remote workspaces change day to day

The things you notice from the first day onwards.

Preconfigured workspaces

Cloud VMs come up with tooling, dependencies and project access, so nobody repeats the setup.

The editor you prefer

VS Code in the browser, JetBrains IDEs, RDP or VNC, all reachable through stable gateway URLs.

macOS for iOS

Xcode, simulators and signing run on macOS machines you do not have to buy or maintain.

Fast onboarding

Coding agents keep running in the workspace while your device is off, and an MCP server connects them to the platform.

A workspace starts fully configured instead of taking days to set up.

Getting to a cloud development environment

Four steps from project to a running workspace.

Create or join a project

Workspaces belong to a project, so repository access, structure and credentials are already there.
Start a workspace

Pick the environment your task needs, including macOS when you are working on iOS.
Choose how to connect

Use VS Code in the browser, connect your JetBrains IDE, or open a graphical session over RDP or VNC.
Build and deploy

Commits go into the same repository as always, and the pipeline handles test, build and deployment.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to develop entirely in the cloud?

No. You can keep working locally with the Platform App. Many teams use both: local for everyday work, and a cloud workspace for tasks needing a particular environment, such as iOS builds. Either way you start from the same project base.

How do I connect to a workspace?

Through stable gateway URLs that stay the same across restarts. From there you can open VS Code in the browser, attach a JetBrains IDE, or start a graphical session over RDP or VNC. phpMyAdmin is available for databases, so no local client is needed.

Can I build iOS apps without owning a Mac?

Yes, and it is one of the more common reasons to spin up a workspace. An agent working through a longer task keeps going while your notebook is off. Through the MCP server it gets project context, and its output lands as commits in the repository.

Start your first workspace