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docs: update Get Started Page to Include Tasks (#19752)

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# Quickstart
Follow the steps in this guide to install Coder locally or on a cloud-hosting
provider, set up a workspace, and connect to it from VS Code.
Follow the steps in this guide to get your first Coder development environment
running in under 10 minutes. This guide covers the essential concepts and walks
you through creating your first workspace and running VS Code from it. You can
also get Claude Code up and running in the background!
By the end of this guide, you'll have a remote development environment that you
can connect to from any device anywhere, so you can work on the same files in a
persistent environment from your main device, a tablet, or your phone.
## What You'll Build
## Install and start Coder
In this quickstart, you'll:
- ✅ Install Coder server
- ✅ Create a **template** (blueprint for dev environments)
- ✅ Launch a **workspace** (your actual dev environment)
- ✅ Connect from your favorite IDE
- ✅ Optionally setup a **task** running Claude Code
## Understanding Coder: 30-Second Overview
Before diving in, here are the core concepts that power Coder explained through
a cooking analogy:
| Component | What It Is | Real-World Analogy |
|----------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|
| **You** | The engineer/developer/builder working | The head chef cooking the meal |
| **Templates** | A Terraform blueprint that defines your dev environment (OS, tools, resources) | Recipe for a meal |
| **Workspaces** | The actual running environment created from the template | The cooked meal |
| **Tasks** | AI-powered coding agents that run inside a workspace | Smart kitchen appliance that help you cook |
| **Users** | A developer who launches the workspace from a template and does their work inside it | The people eating the meal |
**Putting it Together:** Coder separates who _defines_ environments from who _uses_ them. Admins create and manage Templates, the recipes, while developers use those Templates to launch Workspaces, the meals. Inside those Workspaces, developers can also run Tasks, the smart kitchen appliance, to help speed up day-to-day work.
## Prerequisites
- A machine with 2+ CPU cores and 4GB+ RAM
- 10 minutes of your time
## Step 1: Install Docker and Setup Permissions
<div class="tabs">
## Linux/macOS
### Linux/macOS
1. Install Docker:
@@ -20,7 +48,6 @@ persistent environment from your main device, a tablet, or your phone.
```
For more details, visit:
- [Linux instructions](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/linux-install/)
- [Mac instructions](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/mac-install/)
@@ -39,6 +66,24 @@ persistent environment from your main device, a tablet, or your phone.
You might need to log out and back in or restart the machine for changes to
take effect.
### Windows
If you plan to use the built-in PostgreSQL database, ensure that the
[Visual C++ Runtime](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-US/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist#latest-microsoft-visual-c-redistributable-version)
is installed.
1. [Install Docker](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/windows-install/).
</div>
## Step 2: Install & Start Coder
Install the `coder` CLI to get started:
<div class="tabs">
### Linux/macOS
1. Install Coder:
```shell
@@ -55,14 +100,12 @@ persistent environment from your main device, a tablet, or your phone.
coder server
```
## Windows
### Windows
If you plan to use the built-in PostgreSQL database, ensure that the
[Visual C++ Runtime](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-US/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist#latest-microsoft-visual-c-redistributable-version)
is installed.
1. [Install Docker](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/windows-install/).
1. Use the
[`winget`](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/package-manager/winget/#use-winget)
package manager to install Coder:
@@ -79,44 +122,61 @@ is installed.
</div>
## Configure Coder with a new Workspace
Coder will attempt to open the setup page in your browser. If it doesn't open
automatically, go to <http://localhost:3000>.
1. Coder will attempt to open the setup page in your browser. If it doesn't open
automatically, go to <http://localhost:3000>.
- If you get a browser warning similar to `Secure Site Not Available`, you can
ignore the warning and continue to the setup page.
- If you get a browser warning similar to `Secure Site Not Available`, you
can ignore the warning and continue to the setup page.
If your Coder server is on a network or cloud device, or you are having trouble
viewing the page, locate the web UI URL in Coder logs in your terminal. It looks
like `https://<CUSTOM-STRING>.<TUNNEL>.try.coder.app`. It's one of the first
lines of output, so you might have to scroll up to find it.
If your Coder server is on a network or cloud device, or you are having
trouble viewing the page, locate the web UI URL in Coder logs in your
terminal. It looks like `https://<CUSTOM-STRING>.<TUNNEL>.try.coder.app`.
It's one of the first lines of output, so you might have to scroll up to find
it.
## Step 3: Initial Setup
1. On the **Welcome to Coder** page, to use your GitHub account to log in,
select **Continue with GitHub**.
You can also enter an email and password to create a new admin account on
the Coder deployment:
1. **Create your admin account:**
- Username: `yourname` (lowercase, no spaces)
- Email: `your.email@example.com`
- Password: Choose a strong password
![Welcome to Coder - Create admin user](../images/screenshots/welcome-create-admin-user.png)_Welcome
to Coder - Create admin user_
You can also choose to **Continue with GitHub** instead of creating an admin
account. The first user that signs in is automatically granted admin
permissions.
1. On the **Workspaces** page, select **Go to templates** to create a new
template.
![Welcome to Coder - Create admin user](../images/screenshots/welcome-create-admin-user.png)
1. For this guide, use a Docker container. Locate **Docker Containers** and
select **Use template**.
## Step 4: Create your First Template and Workspace
1. Give the template a **Name** that you'll recognize both in the Coder UI and
in command-line calls.
Templates define what's in your development environment. Let's start simple:
The rest of the template details are optional, but will be helpful when you
have more templates.
1. Click **"Templates"** → **"New Template"**
![Create template](../images/screenshots/create-template.png)_Create
template_
2. **Choose a starter template:**
1. Select **Save**.
| Starter | Best For | Includes |
|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|
| **Docker Containers** (Recommended) | Getting started quickly, local development, prototyping | Ubuntu container with common dev tools, Docker runtime |
| **Kubernetes (Deployment)** | Cloud-native teams, scalable workspaces | Pod-based workspaces, Kubernetes orchestration |
| **AWS EC2 (Linux)** | Teams needing full VMs, AWS-native infrastructure | Full EC2 instances with AWS integration |
3. Click **"Use template"** on **Docker Containers**. Note: running this template requires Docker to be running in the background, so make sure Docker is running!
4. **Name your template:**
- Name: `quickstart`
- Display name: `quickstart doc template`
- Description: `Provision Docker containers as Coder workspaces`
![Create template](../images/screenshots/create-template.png)
1. Click **"Save"**
**What just happened?** You defined a template — a reusable blueprint for dev
environments — in your Coder deployment. It's now stored in your organization's
template list, where you and any teammates in the same org can create workspaces
from it. Let's launch one.
## Step 5: Launch your Workspace
1. After the template is ready, select **Create Workspace**.
@@ -127,14 +187,16 @@ is installed.
![getting-started-workspace is running](../images/screenshots/workspace-running-with-topbar.png)_Workspace
is running_
1. Select **VS Code Desktop** to install the Coder extension and connect to your
Coder workspace.
## Step 6: Connect your IDE
## Work on some code
Select **VS Code Desktop** to install the Coder extension and connect to your
Coder workspace.
After VS Code loads the remote environment, you can select **Open Folder** to
explore directories in the Docker container or work on something new.
![Changing directories in VS Code](../images/screenshots/change-directory-vscode.png)
To clone an existing repository:
1. Select **Clone Repository** and enter the repository URL.
@@ -154,19 +216,71 @@ To clone an existing repository:
1. You are now using VS Code in your Coder environment!
## What's next?
## Success! You're Coding in Coder
Now that you have your own workspace, use the same template to set one up for a
teammate.
You now have:
Go to **Templates** and select **Create Workspace** and continue from Step 7 in
[Configure Coder with a new workspace](#configure-coder-with-a-new-workspace).
- **Coder server** running locally
- **A template** defining your environment
- **A workspace** running that environment
- **IDE access** to code remotely
After that, you can try to:
### What's Next?
- [Customize templates](../admin/templates/extending-templates/index.md)
- [Enable Prometheus metrics](../admin/integrations/prometheus.md)
- [Deploy to Google Cloud Platform (GCP)](../install/cloud/compute-engine.md)
Now that you have your own workspace running, you can start exploring more
advanced capabilities that Coder offers.
- [Learn more about running Coder Tasks and our recommended Best Practices](https://coder.com/docs/ai-coder/best-practices)
- [Read about managing Workspaces for your team](https://coder.com/docs/user-guides/workspace-management)
- [Read about implementing monitoring tools for your Coder Deployment](https://coder.com/docs/admin/monitoring)
### Get Coder Tasks Running
Coder Tasks is an interface that allows you to run and manage coding agents like
Claude Code within a given Workspace. Tasks become available when the Template for a Workspace has the `coder_ai_task` resource and `coder_parameter` named `AI Prompt` defined in its source code.
In other words, any existing template can become a Task template by adding in that
resource and parameter.
Coder maintains the [Tasks on Docker](https://registry.coder.com/templates/coder-labs/tasks-docker?_gl=1*19yewmn*_gcl_au*MTc0MzUwMTQ2NC4xNzU2MzA3MDkxLjk3NTM3MjgyNy4xNzU3Njg2NDY2LjE3NTc2ODc0Mzc.*_ga*NzUxMDI1NjIxLjE3NTYzMDcwOTE.*_ga_FTQQJCDWDM*czE3NTc3MDg4MDkkbzQ1JGcxJHQxNzU3NzA4ODE4JGo1MSRsMCRoMA..) template which has Anthropic's Claude Code agent built in with a sample application. Let's try using this template by pulling it from Coder's Registry of public templates, and pushing it to your local server:
1. In the upper right hand corner, click **Use this template**
1. Open a terminal on your machine
1. Ensure your CLI is authenticated with your Coder deployment by [logging in](https://coder.com/docs/reference/cli/login)
1. Create an [API Key with Anthropic](https://console.anthropic.com/)
1. Head to the [Tasks on Docker](https://registry.coder.com/templates/coder-labs/tasks-docker?_gl=1*19yewmn*_gcl_au*MTc0MzUwMTQ2NC4xNzU2MzA3MDkxLjk3NTM3MjgyNy4xNzU3Njg2NDY2LjE3NTc2ODc0Mzc.*_ga*NzUxMDI1NjIxLjE3NTYzMDcwOTE.*_ga_FTQQJCDWDM*czE3NTc3MDg4MDkkbzQ1JGcxJHQxNzU3NzA4ODE4JGo1MSRsMCRoMA..) template
1. Clone the Coder Registry repo to your local machine
```hcl
git clone https://github.com/coder/registry.git
```
1. Switch to the template directory
```hcl
cd registry/registry/coder-labs/templates/tasks-docker
```
1. Push the template to your Coder deployment. Note: this command differs from the registry since we're defining the Anthropic API Key as an environment variable
```hcl
coder template push tasks-docker -d . --variable anthropic_api_key="your-api-key"
```
1. **Create the new Workspace**
1. In your Coder Deployment, click **Workspaces** in the upper left hand corner
1. Click **New workspace** and choose **tasks-docker**
1. Fill in the Workspace name. Add in an AI Prompt for Claude Code like "Make the background yellow". Click **Create workspace**
1. **See Tasks in action**
1. Once your workspace is running, click **View tasks** with your workspace. This will bring you to the Tasks view where you can see Claude Code (left panel), preview the sample application, and interact with the code in code-server. You might need to wait for Claude Code to finish changing the background color of the application.
![Tasks changing background color of demo application](../images/screenshots/quickstart-tasks-background-change.png)
1. Navigate to the **Tasks** tab in the upper left hand corner
1. Try typing in a new request to Claude Code: "make the background red"
1. Let's exit out of this specific Task view, so we can see all the running tasks
1. You can start a new task by prompting in the "Prompt your AI agent to start a task" box. You can select which template to run this from, so tasks-docker here, and that will spin up a new Workspace
Congratulation! You now have a Coder Task running. This demo has shown you how to spin up a task, and prompt Claude Code to change parts of your application. Learn more specifics about Coder Tasks [here](https://coder.com/docs/ai-coder/tasks).
## Troubleshooting