What it is
Coder is an open-source platform that gives every developer, and every AI coding agent, a remote workspace running on your company's own infrastructure. Workspaces are defined as Terraform templates and open in VS Code, JetBrains, Cursor or the browser. It's built for larger teams that need control, security and auditability over where code runs.
How to use it
- Define workspace templates with Terraform on Kubernetes, Docker or VMs in AWS, Azure or Google Cloud.
- Open your workspace from VS Code, JetBrains, Cursor, SSH or the browser.
- Run AI agents in isolated workspaces with controlled permissions and logs.
- Auto-stop idle workspaces to save on cloud spend.
- Onboard new hires with a ready-to-code environment in minutes instead of days.
What it's good for
- A bank that needs source code to never leave its private cloud.
- A platform team that wants everyone coding on the same versions and dependencies.
- A company adopting coding agents that must run them in isolated, auditable environments.
Pros
- Open source and self-hosted: code never leaves your infrastructure
- Works on any cloud or data center thanks to Terraform
- Supports the editors and IDEs your team already uses
- Auto-stop for idle workspaces to cut costs
Cons
- You have to run the platform and know Terraform plus Kubernetes or VMs
- Governance features like audit logs and high availability require Premium
- Overkill for small teams that just want an editor in the cloud