From 6adb7e4e00d265aa242bef40458988b2e7b94a67 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Nick Vigilante Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2026 16:21:24 +0000 Subject: [PATCH 1/4] docs: add a glossary to the reference section Add a reference glossary that defines Coder-specific terms and product names, including the coder_agent / workspace agent / Coder Agents disambiguation, with links to the relevant docs. --- docs/manifest.json | 5 + docs/reference/glossary.md | 585 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 590 insertions(+) create mode 100644 docs/reference/glossary.md diff --git a/docs/manifest.json b/docs/manifest.json index ffa3db636851a..bed5a32d2b71e 100644 --- a/docs/manifest.json +++ b/docs/manifest.json @@ -1553,6 +1553,11 @@ "path": "./reference/index.md", "icon_path": "./images/icons/notes.svg", "children": [ + { + "title": "Glossary", + "description": "Definitions of Coder terms and product names", + "path": "./reference/glossary.md" + }, { "title": "REST API", "description": "Learn how to use Coderd API", diff --git a/docs/reference/glossary.md b/docs/reference/glossary.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000..63d6ffd12758f --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/reference/glossary.md @@ -0,0 +1,585 @@ +# Glossary + +This glossary defines the Coder-specific terms and product names you encounter across the documentation. +Each entry gives a short definition and, where it helps, links to the page that covers the term in depth. + +> [!IMPORTANT] +> Several Coder terms share the word "agent" but mean different things: +> +> - [Coder Agents](#coder-agents) is the AI product for delegating development work to coding agents. +> - A [workspace agent](#workspace-agent) is the process that runs inside a workspace to provide SSH, port forwarding, the web terminal, and other services. +> - [`coder_agent`](#coder_agent) is the Terraform resource in a template that declares a workspace agent. + +## Core product and architecture + +### Coder + +The self-hosted platform that provisions and manages remote development environments, called workspaces, as code. +`Coder`, the company and the product, is always capitalized. + +### `coderd` + +The Coder control plane server, started with `coder server`. +It serves the dashboard and API, brokers connections to workspaces, and stores state in PostgreSQL. +Refer to [Architecture](../admin/infrastructure/architecture.md). + +### Control plane + +The collective term for `coderd`, its provisioners, and its database. +The control plane also runs the agent loop for [Coder Agents](#coder-agents). + +### `provisionerd` + +The daemon that runs Terraform to create, update, and destroy workspace resources. +It runs bundled with `coderd` by default and can also run externally. +Refer to [External provisioners](../admin/provisioners/index.md). + +### Provisioner + +A `provisionerd` instance that executes template builds. +Refer to [External provisioners](../admin/provisioners/index.md). + +### External provisioner + +A `provisionerd` that runs outside `coderd`, tagged so specific templates route to it, for example to reach an isolated network or to scale build throughput. +Refer to [External provisioners](../admin/provisioners/index.md). + +### Provisioner tags + +Key-value tags on templates and provisioner daemons that route a build to a matching provisioner. +Refer to [External provisioners](../admin/provisioners/index.md). + +### Tailnet + +The WireGuard-based mesh that connects the control plane, workspace proxies, and workspaces. +Refer to [Networking](../admin/networking/index.md). + +### DERP + +Designated Encrypted Relay for Packets. +The Tailnet uses DERP relays to carry traffic when a direct peer-to-peer connection between two nodes is not possible. +Refer to [Networking](../admin/networking/index.md). + +### Workspace proxy + +A regional proxy that terminates user connections closer to the developer to lower latency. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Workspace proxies](../admin/networking/workspace-proxies.md). + +### High availability + +Running multiple `coderd` replicas behind a load balancer for redundancy and scale. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [High availability](../admin/networking/high-availability.md). + +### Deployment + +A single installation of Coder, comprising the control plane, its provisioners, and its database. + +### Deployment ID + +The unique identifier for a Coder deployment. +You provide it when you request a trial or a license. + +## Workspaces + +### Workspace + +A developer's on-demand development environment, such as a virtual machine, container, or Kubernetes pod, provisioned from a template. +Refer to [Workspace management](../user-guides/workspace-management.md). + +### Workspace agent + +The `coder agent` process that runs inside a workspace to provide SSH, port forwarding, the web terminal, IDE connections, liveness checks, metadata, logs, and startup scripts. +A template declares it with the [`coder_agent`](#coder_agent) Terraform resource. +Not to be confused with [Coder Agents](#coder-agents), the AI product. + +### Workspace app + +An application, IDE, or URL surfaced on the workspace page, declared with the [`coder_app`](#coder_app) resource or enabled through [`display_apps`](#display_apps). +Refer to [Web IDEs](../user-guides/workspace-access/web-ides.md). + +### Sub-agent + +A nested agent for a dev container that runs inside a parent workspace agent. +Refer to [Dev containers](../admin/templates/extending-templates/devcontainers.md). + +### External workspace + +A workspace that runs on infrastructure Coder did not provision, connected to Coder through an agent. +This is a Premium feature in early access. +Refer to [External workspaces](../admin/templates/managing-templates/external-workspaces.md). + +### Resource + +Any Terraform resource created by a template build, whether or not it runs a workspace agent. +Refer to [Resource persistence](../admin/templates/extending-templates/resource-persistence.md). + +### Persistent resource + +A resource that stays provisioned when the workspace stops, so its state survives a restart. +Refer to [Resource persistence](../admin/templates/extending-templates/resource-persistence.md). + +### Ephemeral resource + +A resource that is destroyed when the workspace stops and recreated on the next start. +Refer to [Resource persistence](../admin/templates/extending-templates/resource-persistence.md). + +### Computational resource + +A resource that provides compute for the workspace, such as a virtual machine or container, and typically runs the workspace agent. + +### Peripheral resource + +A supporting resource, such as a disk or network object, that a computational resource depends on. + +### Workspace autostart and autostop + +Scheduled policies that start a workspace on a set schedule and stop it after a period of inactivity. +Refer to [Workspace scheduling](../user-guides/workspace-scheduling.md). + +### Autostop requirement + +A template or deployment setting that forcibly stops workspaces on a recurring cadence, for example to apply updates. +Refer to [Workspace scheduling](../admin/templates/managing-templates/schedule.md). + +### Quiet hours + +A window during which forced autostops do not run, so they do not interrupt a developer who is working. +Refer to [Workspace scheduling](../user-guides/workspace-scheduling.md). + +### Dormancy + +Automatic cleanup of workspaces that stay inactive past a threshold, up to and including deletion. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Workspace scheduling](../admin/templates/managing-templates/schedule.md). + +### Resource quota + +A per-user or per-organization cap on the cost of workspace resources. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Quotas](../admin/users/quotas.md). + +## Templates and provisioning + +### Template + +The Terraform configuration that defines the infrastructure and Coder resources, such as the agent, apps, and parameters, that produce a workspace. +Refer to [Templates](../admin/templates/index.md). + +### Template version + +An immutable snapshot of a template. +Workspaces are pinned to a version, and admins can push new versions. +Refer to [Manage templates](../admin/templates/managing-templates/index.md). + +### Starter template + +A curated example template that ships with Coder for a common platform, such as Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, GCP, or Azure. +Refer to [Create templates](../admin/templates/creating-templates.md). + +### Dynamic parameters + +Template inputs that can change per build, with conditional visibility and validation. +Refer to [Dynamic parameters](../admin/templates/extending-templates/dynamic-parameters.md). + +### `coder_agent` + +The Terraform resource that declares a [workspace agent](#workspace-agent) inside a template. +Refer to the [`coder_agent` resource](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/coder/coder/latest/docs/resources/agent). + +### `coder_app` + +The Terraform resource that declares an app, IDE, or URL entry surfaced on the workspace page, such as VS Code Web, JupyterLab, or code-server. +Refer to the [`coder_app` resource](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/coder/coder/latest/docs/resources/app). + +### `display_apps` + +A field on `coder_agent` that toggles the built-in agent apps, such as `vscode`, `vscode_insiders`, `web_terminal`, `ssh_helper`, and `port_forwarding_helper`. +The enabled apps appear as buttons in the row on the workspace page. +Refer to [Web IDEs](../admin/templates/extending-templates/web-ides.md). + +### `coder_metadata` + +The Terraform resource that surfaces static resource information in the dashboard. +Refer to the [`coder_metadata` resource](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/coder/coder/latest/docs/resources/metadata). + +### `coder_script` + +The Terraform resource that runs a shell script inside the workspace on start or stop, or on demand. +Refer to the [`coder_script` resource](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/coder/coder/latest/docs/resources/script). + +### Module + +A reusable Terraform building block that a template composes in. +Coder publishes modules in the [Coder Registry](https://registry.coder.com/). +Refer to [Modules](../admin/templates/extending-templates/modules.md). + +### Registry + +The [Coder Registry](https://registry.coder.com/), where Coder publishes reusable templates and modules. + +### Prebuilt workspaces + +A pool of workspaces provisioned ahead of time and ready to claim, which cuts the time to first launch. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Prebuilt workspaces](../admin/templates/extending-templates/prebuilt-workspaces.md). + +### Envbuilder + +The Coder-built tool that constructs a workspace image from a `devcontainer.json` file without requiring Docker inside the workspace. +Refer to [Envbuilder](../admin/integrations/devcontainers/envbuilder/index.md) and the [`envbuilder` repository](https://github.com/coder/envbuilder). + +### Dev container + +An environment that conforms to the [Development Container Specification](https://containers.dev/) and is defined by a `devcontainer.json` file. +`Dev Containers` is the Coder feature that runs dev containers inside a workspace. +Refer to [Dev containers](../admin/templates/extending-templates/devcontainers.md). + +### Template hardening + +Terraform patterns, such as `prevent_destroy` and `ignore_changes`, that protect persistent resources from accidental destruction. +Refer to [Resource persistence](../admin/templates/extending-templates/resource-persistence.md). + +### Change management + +The GitOps flow that stores templates in Git and pushes them through CI/CD with `coder templates push`. +Refer to [Change management](../admin/templates/managing-templates/change-management.md). + +## Users, roles, and access + +### Owner + +The top-level administrator role, with full access to the deployment and every organization. +Refer to [Groups and roles](../admin/users/groups-roles.md). + +### Built-in roles + +The predefined roles, including User Admin, Template Admin, Auditor, and Member, with progressively narrower permissions. +Refer to [Groups and roles](../admin/users/groups-roles.md). + +### Custom roles + +Deployment-defined roles composed of specific RBAC actions. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Groups and roles](../admin/users/groups-roles.md). + +### RBAC + +Role-based access control, the model Coder uses to grant permissions through roles. +Refer to [Groups and roles](../admin/users/groups-roles.md). + +### Group + +A collection of users used to grant template and workspace permissions and to apply quotas. +Refer to [Groups and roles](../admin/users/groups-roles.md). + +### Organization + +An isolation boundary for members, templates, provisioners, and quotas. +Multi-organization support is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Organizations](../admin/users/organizations.md). + +### Service account + +A non-human user intended for automation. +You can filter for one in the users list with the `service_account:true` query. +Refer to [Users](../admin/users/index.md). + +### OIDC + +OpenID Connect. +Coder supports any specification-compliant OIDC provider for single sign-on. +Refer to [OIDC authentication](../admin/users/oidc-auth/index.md). + +### SSO + +Single sign-on, the pattern of authenticating to Coder through an external identity provider, typically over OIDC. +Refer to [OIDC authentication](../admin/users/oidc-auth/index.md). + +### IdP sync + +Automatic mapping of identity-provider claims to Coder groups, roles, and organizations. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [IdP sync](../admin/users/idp-sync.md). + +### SCIM + +Automated user provisioning and deprovisioning driven by your identity provider. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [IdP sync](../admin/users/idp-sync.md). + +### External authentication + +In-workspace OAuth to Git providers, artifact registries, and similar services, configured with `CODER_EXTERNAL_AUTH_*` variables. +Refer to [External authentication](../admin/external-auth/index.md). + +### Sessions and tokens + +Session cookies authenticate the web dashboard, and API tokens authenticate programmatic access. +Refer to [Sessions and tokens](../admin/users/sessions-tokens.md). + +### Personal access token + +An API token, often abbreviated PAT, that a user creates to authenticate CLI and API requests. +Refer to [Sessions and tokens](../admin/users/sessions-tokens.md). + +### Headless authentication + +Authentication for automated users and service accounts that cannot complete an interactive browser login. +Refer to [Headless authentication](../admin/users/headless-auth.md). + +## AI: Coder Agents and governance + +### Coder Agents + +The native, self-hosted AI product for delegating development work and research to coding agents. +The agent loop runs in the control plane, and developers work through the dashboard, the `coder agents` CLI, or the REST API. +Not to be confused with a [workspace agent](#workspace-agent) or the [`coder_agent`](#coder_agent) resource. +Refer to [Coder Agents](../ai-coder/agents/index.md). + +### Coder Agents User + +The per-organization role that a member needs to use [Coder Agents](#coder-agents). +Refer to [Coder Agents](../ai-coder/agents/index.md). + +### Subagent + +A delegated child chat that a parent Coder Agents chat spawns to perform a sub-task, with its own tool allowlist. +Refer to [Coder Agents architecture](../ai-coder/agents/architecture.md). + +### Coder Tasks + +An earlier interface for running coding agents such as Claude Code and Aider inside workspaces. +Coder Tasks is deprecated: it moves to a 12-month Extended Support Release for Premium customers and is removed from new releases starting with v2.37, with [Coder Agents](#coder-agents) as the long-term replacement. +Refer to [Coder Tasks](../ai-coder/tasks.md). + +### Coding agent + +An AI agent that reads and writes code on a developer's behalf, such as Claude Code, run through Coder Tasks or Coder Agents. +Refer to [AI in Coder](../ai-coder/index.md). + +### IDE agent + +A coding agent embedded in an editor or IDE, such as Cursor, connected to a Coder workspace. +Refer to [IDE agents](../ai-coder/ide-agents.md). + +### Custom agent + +A coding agent you integrate with Coder yourself, beyond the built-in options. +Refer to [Custom agents](../ai-coder/custom-agents.md). + +### MCP + +Model Context Protocol, the standard for exposing tools and servers to LLM agents. +Coder ships an MCP server and lets admins centrally manage approved MCP servers through AI Gateway. +Refer to [MCP server](../ai-coder/mcp-server.md). + +### AI Governance Add-On + +A separate per-user license for Premium customers, purchased on top of a Premium subscription, that unlocks AI Gateway and Agent Firewall and expands Agent Workspace Build allowances. +Refer to [AI Governance](../ai-coder/ai-governance.md). + +### AI Gateway + +An LLM gateway in `coderd` that authenticates users, forwards traffic to providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic, audits prompts and tool invocations, and centralizes MCP administration. +It was previously named AI Bridge and runs the `aibridged` component in memory inside `coderd`. +This feature requires the AI Governance Add-On. +Refer to [AI Gateway](../ai-coder/ai-gateway/index.md). + +### AI Gateway Proxy + +An HTTP proxy component, `aibridgeproxyd`, for AI clients that cannot override their base URL, such as GitHub Copilot. +This feature requires the AI Governance Add-On. +Refer to [AI Gateway Proxy](../ai-coder/ai-gateway/ai-gateway-proxy/index.md). + +### Agent Firewall + +A process-level firewall that enforces domain and verb allowlists on AI agent processes inside a workspace and streams audit logs to `coderd`. +It was previously named Agent Boundaries and uses a sandbox backend, `nsjail` by default or `landjail`. +This feature requires the AI Governance Add-On. +Refer to [Agent Firewall](../ai-coder/agent-firewall/index.md). + +### Agent Workspace Build + +A metered workspace build performed on behalf of an AI agent. +Community and Premium deployments include 1,000 for proof-of-concept use, and the AI Governance Add-On expands the allowance. +Refer to [AI Governance](../ai-coder/ai-governance.md). + +## Networking and connectivity + +### Web terminal + +A browser terminal served by the workspace agent. +Refer to [Web terminal](../user-guides/workspace-access/web-terminal.md). + +### Port forwarding + +Access to arbitrary workspace ports through the CLI, SSH, or subdomain apps. +Refer to [Port forwarding](../user-guides/workspace-access/port-forwarding.md). + +### Coder Desktop + +A native desktop application that connects your machine to your workspaces so you can reach them by hostname and launch apps without configuring the CLI. +Refer to [Coder Desktop](../user-guides/desktop/index.md). + +### Coder Connect + +The Coder Desktop feature that runs a local tunnel so workspaces are reachable at `workspace-name.coder` hostnames. +Refer to [Coder Desktop](../user-guides/desktop/index.md). + +### SSH + +Optimized SSH access to a workspace over Coder's Tailnet routing, available through `coder ssh`. +Refer to [Workspace access](../user-guides/workspace-access/index.md). + +### Subdomain apps + +Wildcard-hosted URLs that expose a workspace's HTTP services on their own subdomain. +Refer to [Port forwarding](../user-guides/workspace-access/port-forwarding.md). + +## Observability and cost + +### Audit logging + +Structured logs of user and admin operations. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Audit logs](../admin/security/audit-logs.md). + +### Connection logs + +Structured logs of connections to workspaces, such as SSH and application sessions. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Connection logs](../admin/monitoring/connection-logs.md). + +### Workspace process logging + +A record of the processes executed inside workspaces. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Process logging](../admin/templates/extending-templates/process-logging.md). + +### Prometheus metrics + +Deployment metrics exposed on a `/metrics` endpoint for Prometheus to scrape. +Refer to [Prometheus](../admin/integrations/prometheus.md). + +### Template usage insights + +Dashboard views and `GET /api/v2/insights/*` endpoints that report active users, app usage, and parameter usage for templates. +Refer to the [Insights API](./api/insights.md). + +### Support bundle + +A diagnostic archive generated with `coder support bundle` to help debug a deployment. +Refer to [Support bundle](../support/support-bundle.md). + +## Editors and developer experience + +### code-server + +The Coder-maintained build of VS Code that runs in the browser. +Refer to [code-server](../user-guides/workspace-access/code-server.md). + +### Supported editors and IDEs + +The editors and IDEs that connect to Coder workspaces, including [VS Code](../user-guides/workspace-access/vscode.md), [code-server](../user-guides/workspace-access/code-server.md), [Cursor](../user-guides/workspace-access/cursor.md), [Windsurf](../user-guides/workspace-access/windsurf.md), [Antigravity](../user-guides/workspace-access/antigravity.md), [Zed](../user-guides/workspace-access/zed.md), and JetBrains IDEs through [Gateway](../user-guides/workspace-access/jetbrains/gateway.md) and [Fleet](../user-guides/workspace-access/jetbrains/fleet.md). + +### Coder extension for VS Code + +The editor extension that connects VS Code, and forks such as Cursor and Windsurf, to Coder workspaces. +Refer to [VS Code](../user-guides/workspace-access/vscode.md). + +### Dotfiles + +Personal shell and editor configuration loaded into a workspace with `coder dotfiles`. +Refer to [Dotfiles](../user-guides/workspace-dotfiles.md). + +## Licensing and releases + +### Community + +The free, open-source tier of Coder. + +### Premium + +The paid enterprise tier, which unlocks features such as multi-organization support, high availability, workspace proxies, audit logs, quotas, custom roles, SCIM, and IdP sync. +Visit [Pricing](https://coder.com/pricing). + +### License key + +A signed token applied through the dashboard or with `coder licenses add`. +Coder validates the key locally, so it works in air-gapped deployments. +Refer to [Licensing](../admin/licensing/index.md). + +### Air-gapped deployment + +A Coder installation that has no outbound internet access. +Refer to [Air-gapped deployments](../install/airgap.md). + +### Feature stages + +The Early Access, Beta, and General Availability labels that describe how production-ready a feature is. +Refer to [Feature stages](../install/releases/feature-stages.md). + +### Release channels + +Coder's supported release lines: mainline, stable, and Extended Support Release. +Refer to [Releases](../install/releases/index.md). + +## Concepts + +### Infrastructure as code + +The practice of defining infrastructure in version-controlled configuration files. +Coder templates are infrastructure as code, written in Terraform. + +### Terraform + +The HashiCorp tool Coder uses to define and provision workspace infrastructure. +Visit the [Terraform documentation](https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform). + +### OpenTofu + +An open-source alternative to Terraform. +Coder deployments can run a custom Terraform binary such as OpenTofu, though custom Terraform binaries are not officially supported. +Refer to [Provisioning with OpenTofu](../admin/integrations/opentofu.md). + +### CDE + +Cloud development environment, the category of product that hosts development environments on remote infrastructure. +A Coder workspace is a CDE. + +## API and CLI + +### Coder CLI + +The single `coder` binary used for admin and user operations. +The same binary runs inside a workspace as the workspace agent through `coder agent`. +Refer to the [CLI reference](./cli/index.md). + +### REST API + +Coder's HTTP API, served under `/api/v2/*`. +Refer to the [API reference](./api/index.md). + +### codersdk + +The Go SDK that the CLI and dashboard use and that you can use for automation. +Refer to the [`codersdk` package](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/coder/coder/v2/codersdk). + +### Swagger + +An optional OpenAPI endpoint that `coderd` can expose for the REST API. +Refer to the [API reference](./api/index.md). + +### Agent API + +The API a workspace agent uses to report logs, metrics, and activity. +Refer to the [Agent API reference](./agent-api/index.md). + +## Learn more + +- [Architecture](../admin/infrastructure/architecture.md) +- [Coder Agents](../ai-coder/agents/index.md) +- [Templates](../admin/templates/index.md) +- [API reference](./api/index.md) From f9f24a27c2270aeaae47cd685e4701d5f2940430 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Nick Vigilante Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2026 18:34:10 +0000 Subject: [PATCH 2/4] docs: sort the glossary terms alphabetically Reorganize the glossary from category sections into A-Z sections, one H2 per letter with terms as H3s. Letters with no terms are omitted. Definitions, links, and the agent disambiguation callout are unchanged. --- docs/reference/glossary.md | 684 +++++++++++++++++++------------------ 1 file changed, 349 insertions(+), 335 deletions(-) diff --git a/docs/reference/glossary.md b/docs/reference/glossary.md index 63d6ffd12758f..9e6ee2bdd4832 100644 --- a/docs/reference/glossary.md +++ b/docs/reference/glossary.md @@ -10,188 +10,216 @@ Each entry gives a short definition and, where it helps, links to the page that > - A [workspace agent](#workspace-agent) is the process that runs inside a workspace to provide SSH, port forwarding, the web terminal, and other services. > - [`coder_agent`](#coder_agent) is the Terraform resource in a template that declares a workspace agent. -## Core product and architecture +## A -### Coder +### Agent API -The self-hosted platform that provisions and manages remote development environments, called workspaces, as code. -`Coder`, the company and the product, is always capitalized. +The API a workspace agent uses to report logs, metrics, and activity. +Refer to the [Agent API reference](./agent-api/index.md). -### `coderd` +### Agent Firewall -The Coder control plane server, started with `coder server`. -It serves the dashboard and API, brokers connections to workspaces, and stores state in PostgreSQL. -Refer to [Architecture](../admin/infrastructure/architecture.md). +A process-level firewall that enforces domain and verb allowlists on AI agent processes inside a workspace and streams audit logs to `coderd`. +It was previously named Agent Boundaries and uses a sandbox backend, `nsjail` by default or `landjail`. +This feature requires the AI Governance Add-On. +Refer to [Agent Firewall](../ai-coder/agent-firewall/index.md). -### Control plane +### Agent Workspace Build -The collective term for `coderd`, its provisioners, and its database. -The control plane also runs the agent loop for [Coder Agents](#coder-agents). +A metered workspace build performed on behalf of an AI agent. +Community and Premium deployments include 1,000 for proof-of-concept use, and the AI Governance Add-On expands the allowance. +Refer to [AI Governance](../ai-coder/ai-governance.md). -### `provisionerd` +### AI Gateway -The daemon that runs Terraform to create, update, and destroy workspace resources. -It runs bundled with `coderd` by default and can also run externally. -Refer to [External provisioners](../admin/provisioners/index.md). +An LLM gateway in `coderd` that authenticates users, forwards traffic to providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic, audits prompts and tool invocations, and centralizes MCP administration. +It was previously named AI Bridge and runs the `aibridged` component in memory inside `coderd`. +This feature requires the AI Governance Add-On. +Refer to [AI Gateway](../ai-coder/ai-gateway/index.md). -### Provisioner +### AI Gateway Proxy -A `provisionerd` instance that executes template builds. -Refer to [External provisioners](../admin/provisioners/index.md). +An HTTP proxy component, `aibridgeproxyd`, for AI clients that cannot override their base URL, such as GitHub Copilot. +This feature requires the AI Governance Add-On. +Refer to [AI Gateway Proxy](../ai-coder/ai-gateway/ai-gateway-proxy/index.md). -### External provisioner +### AI Governance Add-On -A `provisionerd` that runs outside `coderd`, tagged so specific templates route to it, for example to reach an isolated network or to scale build throughput. -Refer to [External provisioners](../admin/provisioners/index.md). +A separate per-user license for Premium customers, purchased on top of a Premium subscription, that unlocks AI Gateway and Agent Firewall and expands Agent Workspace Build allowances. +Refer to [AI Governance](../ai-coder/ai-governance.md). -### Provisioner tags +### Air-gapped deployment -Key-value tags on templates and provisioner daemons that route a build to a matching provisioner. -Refer to [External provisioners](../admin/provisioners/index.md). +A Coder installation that has no outbound internet access. +Refer to [Air-gapped deployments](../install/airgap.md). -### Tailnet +### Audit logging -The WireGuard-based mesh that connects the control plane, workspace proxies, and workspaces. -Refer to [Networking](../admin/networking/index.md). +Structured logs of user and admin operations. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Audit logs](../admin/security/audit-logs.md). -### DERP +### Autostop requirement -Designated Encrypted Relay for Packets. -The Tailnet uses DERP relays to carry traffic when a direct peer-to-peer connection between two nodes is not possible. -Refer to [Networking](../admin/networking/index.md). +A template or deployment setting that forcibly stops workspaces on a recurring cadence, for example to apply updates. +Refer to [Workspace scheduling](../admin/templates/managing-templates/schedule.md). -### Workspace proxy +## B -A regional proxy that terminates user connections closer to the developer to lower latency. -This is a Premium feature. -Refer to [Workspace proxies](../admin/networking/workspace-proxies.md). +### Built-in roles -### High availability +The predefined roles, including User Admin, Template Admin, Auditor, and Member, with progressively narrower permissions. +Refer to [Groups and roles](../admin/users/groups-roles.md). -Running multiple `coderd` replicas behind a load balancer for redundancy and scale. -This is a Premium feature. -Refer to [High availability](../admin/networking/high-availability.md). +## C -### Deployment +### CDE -A single installation of Coder, comprising the control plane, its provisioners, and its database. +Cloud development environment, the category of product that hosts development environments on remote infrastructure. +A Coder workspace is a CDE. -### Deployment ID +### Change management -The unique identifier for a Coder deployment. -You provide it when you request a trial or a license. +The GitOps flow that stores templates in Git and pushes them through CI/CD with `coder templates push`. +Refer to [Change management](../admin/templates/managing-templates/change-management.md). -## Workspaces +### code-server -### Workspace +The Coder-maintained build of VS Code that runs in the browser. +Refer to [code-server](../user-guides/workspace-access/code-server.md). -A developer's on-demand development environment, such as a virtual machine, container, or Kubernetes pod, provisioned from a template. -Refer to [Workspace management](../user-guides/workspace-management.md). +### Coder -### Workspace agent +The self-hosted platform that provisions and manages remote development environments, called workspaces, as code. +`Coder`, the company and the product, is always capitalized. -The `coder agent` process that runs inside a workspace to provide SSH, port forwarding, the web terminal, IDE connections, liveness checks, metadata, logs, and startup scripts. -A template declares it with the [`coder_agent`](#coder_agent) Terraform resource. -Not to be confused with [Coder Agents](#coder-agents), the AI product. +### Coder Agents -### Workspace app +The native, self-hosted AI product for delegating development work and research to coding agents. +The agent loop runs in the control plane, and developers work through the dashboard, the `coder agents` CLI, or the REST API. +Not to be confused with a [workspace agent](#workspace-agent) or the [`coder_agent`](#coder_agent) resource. +Refer to [Coder Agents](../ai-coder/agents/index.md). -An application, IDE, or URL surfaced on the workspace page, declared with the [`coder_app`](#coder_app) resource or enabled through [`display_apps`](#display_apps). -Refer to [Web IDEs](../user-guides/workspace-access/web-ides.md). +### Coder Agents User -### Sub-agent +The per-organization role that a member needs to use [Coder Agents](#coder-agents). +Refer to [Coder Agents](../ai-coder/agents/index.md). -A nested agent for a dev container that runs inside a parent workspace agent. -Refer to [Dev containers](../admin/templates/extending-templates/devcontainers.md). +### Coder CLI -### External workspace +The single `coder` binary used for admin and user operations. +The same binary runs inside a workspace as the workspace agent through `coder agent`. +Refer to the [CLI reference](./cli/index.md). -A workspace that runs on infrastructure Coder did not provision, connected to Coder through an agent. -This is a Premium feature in early access. -Refer to [External workspaces](../admin/templates/managing-templates/external-workspaces.md). +### Coder Connect -### Resource +The Coder Desktop feature that runs a local tunnel so workspaces are reachable at `workspace-name.coder` hostnames. +Refer to [Coder Desktop](../user-guides/desktop/index.md). -Any Terraform resource created by a template build, whether or not it runs a workspace agent. -Refer to [Resource persistence](../admin/templates/extending-templates/resource-persistence.md). +### Coder Desktop -### Persistent resource +A native desktop application that connects your machine to your workspaces so you can reach them by hostname and launch apps without configuring the CLI. +Refer to [Coder Desktop](../user-guides/desktop/index.md). -A resource that stays provisioned when the workspace stops, so its state survives a restart. -Refer to [Resource persistence](../admin/templates/extending-templates/resource-persistence.md). +### Coder extension for VS Code -### Ephemeral resource +The editor extension that connects VS Code, and forks such as Cursor and Windsurf, to Coder workspaces. +Refer to [VS Code](../user-guides/workspace-access/vscode.md). -A resource that is destroyed when the workspace stops and recreated on the next start. -Refer to [Resource persistence](../admin/templates/extending-templates/resource-persistence.md). +### Coder Tasks -### Computational resource +An earlier interface for running coding agents such as Claude Code and Aider inside workspaces. +Coder Tasks is deprecated: it moves to a 12-month Extended Support Release for Premium customers and is removed from new releases starting with v2.37, with [Coder Agents](#coder-agents) as the long-term replacement. +Refer to [Coder Tasks](../ai-coder/tasks.md). -A resource that provides compute for the workspace, such as a virtual machine or container, and typically runs the workspace agent. +### `coder_agent` -### Peripheral resource +The Terraform resource that declares a [workspace agent](#workspace-agent) inside a template. +Refer to the [`coder_agent` resource](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/coder/coder/latest/docs/resources/agent). -A supporting resource, such as a disk or network object, that a computational resource depends on. +### `coder_app` -### Workspace autostart and autostop +The Terraform resource that declares an app, IDE, or URL entry surfaced on the workspace page, such as VS Code Web, JupyterLab, or code-server. +Refer to the [`coder_app` resource](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/coder/coder/latest/docs/resources/app). -Scheduled policies that start a workspace on a set schedule and stop it after a period of inactivity. -Refer to [Workspace scheduling](../user-guides/workspace-scheduling.md). +### `coder_metadata` -### Autostop requirement +The Terraform resource that surfaces static resource information in the dashboard. +Refer to the [`coder_metadata` resource](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/coder/coder/latest/docs/resources/metadata). -A template or deployment setting that forcibly stops workspaces on a recurring cadence, for example to apply updates. -Refer to [Workspace scheduling](../admin/templates/managing-templates/schedule.md). +### `coder_script` -### Quiet hours +The Terraform resource that runs a shell script inside the workspace on start or stop, or on demand. +Refer to the [`coder_script` resource](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/coder/coder/latest/docs/resources/script). -A window during which forced autostops do not run, so they do not interrupt a developer who is working. -Refer to [Workspace scheduling](../user-guides/workspace-scheduling.md). +### `coderd` -### Dormancy +The Coder control plane server, started with `coder server`. +It serves the dashboard and API, brokers connections to workspaces, and stores state in PostgreSQL. +Refer to [Architecture](../admin/infrastructure/architecture.md). -Automatic cleanup of workspaces that stay inactive past a threshold, up to and including deletion. -This is a Premium feature. -Refer to [Workspace scheduling](../admin/templates/managing-templates/schedule.md). +### codersdk -### Resource quota +The Go SDK that the CLI and dashboard use and that you can use for automation. +Refer to the [`codersdk` package](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/coder/coder/v2/codersdk). -A per-user or per-organization cap on the cost of workspace resources. +### Coding agent + +An AI agent that reads and writes code on a developer's behalf, such as Claude Code, run through Coder Tasks or Coder Agents. +Refer to [AI in Coder](../ai-coder/index.md). + +### Community + +The free, open-source tier of Coder. + +### Computational resource + +A resource that provides compute for the workspace, such as a virtual machine or container, and typically runs the workspace agent. + +### Connection logs + +Structured logs of connections to workspaces, such as SSH and application sessions. This is a Premium feature. -Refer to [Quotas](../admin/users/quotas.md). +Refer to [Connection logs](../admin/monitoring/connection-logs.md). -## Templates and provisioning +### Control plane -### Template +The collective term for `coderd`, its provisioners, and its database. +The control plane also runs the agent loop for [Coder Agents](#coder-agents). -The Terraform configuration that defines the infrastructure and Coder resources, such as the agent, apps, and parameters, that produce a workspace. -Refer to [Templates](../admin/templates/index.md). +### Custom agent -### Template version +A coding agent you integrate with Coder yourself, beyond the built-in options. +Refer to [Custom agents](../ai-coder/custom-agents.md). -An immutable snapshot of a template. -Workspaces are pinned to a version, and admins can push new versions. -Refer to [Manage templates](../admin/templates/managing-templates/index.md). +### Custom roles -### Starter template +Deployment-defined roles composed of specific RBAC actions. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Groups and roles](../admin/users/groups-roles.md). -A curated example template that ships with Coder for a common platform, such as Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, GCP, or Azure. -Refer to [Create templates](../admin/templates/creating-templates.md). +## D -### Dynamic parameters +### Deployment -Template inputs that can change per build, with conditional visibility and validation. -Refer to [Dynamic parameters](../admin/templates/extending-templates/dynamic-parameters.md). +A single installation of Coder, comprising the control plane, its provisioners, and its database. -### `coder_agent` +### Deployment ID -The Terraform resource that declares a [workspace agent](#workspace-agent) inside a template. -Refer to the [`coder_agent` resource](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/coder/coder/latest/docs/resources/agent). +The unique identifier for a Coder deployment. +You provide it when you request a trial or a license. -### `coder_app` +### DERP -The Terraform resource that declares an app, IDE, or URL entry surfaced on the workspace page, such as VS Code Web, JupyterLab, or code-server. -Refer to the [`coder_app` resource](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/coder/coder/latest/docs/resources/app). +Designated Encrypted Relay for Packets. +The Tailnet uses DERP relays to carry traffic when a direct peer-to-peer connection between two nodes is not possible. +Refer to [Networking](../admin/networking/index.md). + +### Dev container + +An environment that conforms to the [Development Container Specification](https://containers.dev/) and is defined by a `devcontainer.json` file. +`Dev Containers` is the Coder feature that runs dev containers inside a workspace. +Refer to [Dev containers](../admin/templates/extending-templates/devcontainers.md). ### `display_apps` @@ -199,103 +227,83 @@ A field on `coder_agent` that toggles the built-in agent apps, such as `vscode`, The enabled apps appear as buttons in the row on the workspace page. Refer to [Web IDEs](../admin/templates/extending-templates/web-ides.md). -### `coder_metadata` - -The Terraform resource that surfaces static resource information in the dashboard. -Refer to the [`coder_metadata` resource](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/coder/coder/latest/docs/resources/metadata). - -### `coder_script` - -The Terraform resource that runs a shell script inside the workspace on start or stop, or on demand. -Refer to the [`coder_script` resource](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/coder/coder/latest/docs/resources/script). +### Dormancy -### Module +Automatic cleanup of workspaces that stay inactive past a threshold, up to and including deletion. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Workspace scheduling](../admin/templates/managing-templates/schedule.md). -A reusable Terraform building block that a template composes in. -Coder publishes modules in the [Coder Registry](https://registry.coder.com/). -Refer to [Modules](../admin/templates/extending-templates/modules.md). +### Dotfiles -### Registry +Personal shell and editor configuration loaded into a workspace with `coder dotfiles`. +Refer to [Dotfiles](../user-guides/workspace-dotfiles.md). -The [Coder Registry](https://registry.coder.com/), where Coder publishes reusable templates and modules. +### Dynamic parameters -### Prebuilt workspaces +Template inputs that can change per build, with conditional visibility and validation. +Refer to [Dynamic parameters](../admin/templates/extending-templates/dynamic-parameters.md). -A pool of workspaces provisioned ahead of time and ready to claim, which cuts the time to first launch. -This is a Premium feature. -Refer to [Prebuilt workspaces](../admin/templates/extending-templates/prebuilt-workspaces.md). +## E ### Envbuilder The Coder-built tool that constructs a workspace image from a `devcontainer.json` file without requiring Docker inside the workspace. Refer to [Envbuilder](../admin/integrations/devcontainers/envbuilder/index.md) and the [`envbuilder` repository](https://github.com/coder/envbuilder). -### Dev container - -An environment that conforms to the [Development Container Specification](https://containers.dev/) and is defined by a `devcontainer.json` file. -`Dev Containers` is the Coder feature that runs dev containers inside a workspace. -Refer to [Dev containers](../admin/templates/extending-templates/devcontainers.md). - -### Template hardening +### Ephemeral resource -Terraform patterns, such as `prevent_destroy` and `ignore_changes`, that protect persistent resources from accidental destruction. +A resource that is destroyed when the workspace stops and recreated on the next start. Refer to [Resource persistence](../admin/templates/extending-templates/resource-persistence.md). -### Change management - -The GitOps flow that stores templates in Git and pushes them through CI/CD with `coder templates push`. -Refer to [Change management](../admin/templates/managing-templates/change-management.md). +### External authentication -## Users, roles, and access +In-workspace OAuth to Git providers, artifact registries, and similar services, configured with `CODER_EXTERNAL_AUTH_*` variables. +Refer to [External authentication](../admin/external-auth/index.md). -### Owner +### External provisioner -The top-level administrator role, with full access to the deployment and every organization. -Refer to [Groups and roles](../admin/users/groups-roles.md). +A `provisionerd` that runs outside `coderd`, tagged so specific templates route to it, for example to reach an isolated network or to scale build throughput. +Refer to [External provisioners](../admin/provisioners/index.md). -### Built-in roles +### External workspace -The predefined roles, including User Admin, Template Admin, Auditor, and Member, with progressively narrower permissions. -Refer to [Groups and roles](../admin/users/groups-roles.md). +A workspace that runs on infrastructure Coder did not provision, connected to Coder through an agent. +This is a Premium feature in early access. +Refer to [External workspaces](../admin/templates/managing-templates/external-workspaces.md). -### Custom roles +## F -Deployment-defined roles composed of specific RBAC actions. -This is a Premium feature. -Refer to [Groups and roles](../admin/users/groups-roles.md). +### Feature stages -### RBAC +The Early Access, Beta, and General Availability labels that describe how production-ready a feature is. +Refer to [Feature stages](../install/releases/feature-stages.md). -Role-based access control, the model Coder uses to grant permissions through roles. -Refer to [Groups and roles](../admin/users/groups-roles.md). +## G ### Group A collection of users used to grant template and workspace permissions and to apply quotas. Refer to [Groups and roles](../admin/users/groups-roles.md). -### Organization +## H -An isolation boundary for members, templates, provisioners, and quotas. -Multi-organization support is a Premium feature. -Refer to [Organizations](../admin/users/organizations.md). +### Headless authentication -### Service account +Authentication for automated users and service accounts that cannot complete an interactive browser login. +Refer to [Headless authentication](../admin/users/headless-auth.md). -A non-human user intended for automation. -You can filter for one in the users list with the `service_account:true` query. -Refer to [Users](../admin/users/index.md). +### High availability -### OIDC +Running multiple `coderd` replicas behind a load balancer for redundancy and scale. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [High availability](../admin/networking/high-availability.md). -OpenID Connect. -Coder supports any specification-compliant OIDC provider for single sign-on. -Refer to [OIDC authentication](../admin/users/oidc-auth/index.md). +## I -### SSO +### IDE agent -Single sign-on, the pattern of authenticating to Coder through an external identity provider, typically over OIDC. -Refer to [OIDC authentication](../admin/users/oidc-auth/index.md). +A coding agent embedded in an editor or IDE, such as Cursor, connected to a Coder workspace. +Refer to [IDE agents](../ai-coder/ide-agents.md). ### IdP sync @@ -303,279 +311,285 @@ Automatic mapping of identity-provider claims to Coder groups, roles, and organi This is a Premium feature. Refer to [IdP sync](../admin/users/idp-sync.md). -### SCIM +### Infrastructure as code -Automated user provisioning and deprovisioning driven by your identity provider. -This is a Premium feature. -Refer to [IdP sync](../admin/users/idp-sync.md). +The practice of defining infrastructure in version-controlled configuration files. +Coder templates are infrastructure as code, written in Terraform. -### External authentication +## L -In-workspace OAuth to Git providers, artifact registries, and similar services, configured with `CODER_EXTERNAL_AUTH_*` variables. -Refer to [External authentication](../admin/external-auth/index.md). +### License key -### Sessions and tokens +A signed token applied through the dashboard or with `coder licenses add`. +Coder validates the key locally, so it works in air-gapped deployments. +Refer to [Licensing](../admin/licensing/index.md). -Session cookies authenticate the web dashboard, and API tokens authenticate programmatic access. -Refer to [Sessions and tokens](../admin/users/sessions-tokens.md). +## M -### Personal access token +### MCP -An API token, often abbreviated PAT, that a user creates to authenticate CLI and API requests. -Refer to [Sessions and tokens](../admin/users/sessions-tokens.md). +Model Context Protocol, the standard for exposing tools and servers to LLM agents. +Coder ships an MCP server and lets admins centrally manage approved MCP servers through AI Gateway. +Refer to [MCP server](../ai-coder/mcp-server.md). -### Headless authentication +### Module -Authentication for automated users and service accounts that cannot complete an interactive browser login. -Refer to [Headless authentication](../admin/users/headless-auth.md). +A reusable Terraform building block that a template composes in. +Coder publishes modules in the [Coder Registry](https://registry.coder.com/). +Refer to [Modules](../admin/templates/extending-templates/modules.md). -## AI: Coder Agents and governance +## O -### Coder Agents +### OIDC -The native, self-hosted AI product for delegating development work and research to coding agents. -The agent loop runs in the control plane, and developers work through the dashboard, the `coder agents` CLI, or the REST API. -Not to be confused with a [workspace agent](#workspace-agent) or the [`coder_agent`](#coder_agent) resource. -Refer to [Coder Agents](../ai-coder/agents/index.md). +OpenID Connect. +Coder supports any specification-compliant OIDC provider for single sign-on. +Refer to [OIDC authentication](../admin/users/oidc-auth/index.md). -### Coder Agents User +### OpenTofu -The per-organization role that a member needs to use [Coder Agents](#coder-agents). -Refer to [Coder Agents](../ai-coder/agents/index.md). +An open-source alternative to Terraform. +Coder deployments can run a custom Terraform binary such as OpenTofu, though custom Terraform binaries are not officially supported. +Refer to [Provisioning with OpenTofu](../admin/integrations/opentofu.md). -### Subagent +### Organization -A delegated child chat that a parent Coder Agents chat spawns to perform a sub-task, with its own tool allowlist. -Refer to [Coder Agents architecture](../ai-coder/agents/architecture.md). +An isolation boundary for members, templates, provisioners, and quotas. +Multi-organization support is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Organizations](../admin/users/organizations.md). -### Coder Tasks +### Owner -An earlier interface for running coding agents such as Claude Code and Aider inside workspaces. -Coder Tasks is deprecated: it moves to a 12-month Extended Support Release for Premium customers and is removed from new releases starting with v2.37, with [Coder Agents](#coder-agents) as the long-term replacement. -Refer to [Coder Tasks](../ai-coder/tasks.md). +The top-level administrator role, with full access to the deployment and every organization. +Refer to [Groups and roles](../admin/users/groups-roles.md). + +## P -### Coding agent +### Peripheral resource -An AI agent that reads and writes code on a developer's behalf, such as Claude Code, run through Coder Tasks or Coder Agents. -Refer to [AI in Coder](../ai-coder/index.md). +A supporting resource, such as a disk or network object, that a computational resource depends on. -### IDE agent +### Persistent resource -A coding agent embedded in an editor or IDE, such as Cursor, connected to a Coder workspace. -Refer to [IDE agents](../ai-coder/ide-agents.md). +A resource that stays provisioned when the workspace stops, so its state survives a restart. +Refer to [Resource persistence](../admin/templates/extending-templates/resource-persistence.md). -### Custom agent +### Personal access token -A coding agent you integrate with Coder yourself, beyond the built-in options. -Refer to [Custom agents](../ai-coder/custom-agents.md). +An API token, often abbreviated PAT, that a user creates to authenticate CLI and API requests. +Refer to [Sessions and tokens](../admin/users/sessions-tokens.md). -### MCP +### Port forwarding -Model Context Protocol, the standard for exposing tools and servers to LLM agents. -Coder ships an MCP server and lets admins centrally manage approved MCP servers through AI Gateway. -Refer to [MCP server](../ai-coder/mcp-server.md). +Access to arbitrary workspace ports through the CLI, SSH, or subdomain apps. +Refer to [Port forwarding](../user-guides/workspace-access/port-forwarding.md). -### AI Governance Add-On +### Prebuilt workspaces -A separate per-user license for Premium customers, purchased on top of a Premium subscription, that unlocks AI Gateway and Agent Firewall and expands Agent Workspace Build allowances. -Refer to [AI Governance](../ai-coder/ai-governance.md). +A pool of workspaces provisioned ahead of time and ready to claim, which cuts the time to first launch. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Prebuilt workspaces](../admin/templates/extending-templates/prebuilt-workspaces.md). -### AI Gateway +### Premium -An LLM gateway in `coderd` that authenticates users, forwards traffic to providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic, audits prompts and tool invocations, and centralizes MCP administration. -It was previously named AI Bridge and runs the `aibridged` component in memory inside `coderd`. -This feature requires the AI Governance Add-On. -Refer to [AI Gateway](../ai-coder/ai-gateway/index.md). +The paid enterprise tier, which unlocks features such as multi-organization support, high availability, workspace proxies, audit logs, quotas, custom roles, SCIM, and IdP sync. +Visit [Pricing](https://coder.com/pricing). -### AI Gateway Proxy +### Prometheus metrics -An HTTP proxy component, `aibridgeproxyd`, for AI clients that cannot override their base URL, such as GitHub Copilot. -This feature requires the AI Governance Add-On. -Refer to [AI Gateway Proxy](../ai-coder/ai-gateway/ai-gateway-proxy/index.md). +Deployment metrics exposed on a `/metrics` endpoint for Prometheus to scrape. +Refer to [Prometheus](../admin/integrations/prometheus.md). -### Agent Firewall +### Provisioner -A process-level firewall that enforces domain and verb allowlists on AI agent processes inside a workspace and streams audit logs to `coderd`. -It was previously named Agent Boundaries and uses a sandbox backend, `nsjail` by default or `landjail`. -This feature requires the AI Governance Add-On. -Refer to [Agent Firewall](../ai-coder/agent-firewall/index.md). +A `provisionerd` instance that executes template builds. +Refer to [External provisioners](../admin/provisioners/index.md). -### Agent Workspace Build +### Provisioner tags -A metered workspace build performed on behalf of an AI agent. -Community and Premium deployments include 1,000 for proof-of-concept use, and the AI Governance Add-On expands the allowance. -Refer to [AI Governance](../ai-coder/ai-governance.md). +Key-value tags on templates and provisioner daemons that route a build to a matching provisioner. +Refer to [External provisioners](../admin/provisioners/index.md). -## Networking and connectivity +### `provisionerd` -### Web terminal +The daemon that runs Terraform to create, update, and destroy workspace resources. +It runs bundled with `coderd` by default and can also run externally. +Refer to [External provisioners](../admin/provisioners/index.md). -A browser terminal served by the workspace agent. -Refer to [Web terminal](../user-guides/workspace-access/web-terminal.md). +## Q -### Port forwarding +### Quiet hours -Access to arbitrary workspace ports through the CLI, SSH, or subdomain apps. -Refer to [Port forwarding](../user-guides/workspace-access/port-forwarding.md). +A window during which forced autostops do not run, so they do not interrupt a developer who is working. +Refer to [Workspace scheduling](../user-guides/workspace-scheduling.md). -### Coder Desktop +## R -A native desktop application that connects your machine to your workspaces so you can reach them by hostname and launch apps without configuring the CLI. -Refer to [Coder Desktop](../user-guides/desktop/index.md). +### RBAC -### Coder Connect +Role-based access control, the model Coder uses to grant permissions through roles. +Refer to [Groups and roles](../admin/users/groups-roles.md). -The Coder Desktop feature that runs a local tunnel so workspaces are reachable at `workspace-name.coder` hostnames. -Refer to [Coder Desktop](../user-guides/desktop/index.md). +### Registry -### SSH +The [Coder Registry](https://registry.coder.com/), where Coder publishes reusable templates and modules. -Optimized SSH access to a workspace over Coder's Tailnet routing, available through `coder ssh`. -Refer to [Workspace access](../user-guides/workspace-access/index.md). +### Release channels -### Subdomain apps +Coder's supported release lines: mainline, stable, and Extended Support Release. +Refer to [Releases](../install/releases/index.md). -Wildcard-hosted URLs that expose a workspace's HTTP services on their own subdomain. -Refer to [Port forwarding](../user-guides/workspace-access/port-forwarding.md). +### Resource -## Observability and cost +Any Terraform resource created by a template build, whether or not it runs a workspace agent. +Refer to [Resource persistence](../admin/templates/extending-templates/resource-persistence.md). -### Audit logging +### Resource quota -Structured logs of user and admin operations. +A per-user or per-organization cap on the cost of workspace resources. This is a Premium feature. -Refer to [Audit logs](../admin/security/audit-logs.md). +Refer to [Quotas](../admin/users/quotas.md). -### Connection logs +### REST API -Structured logs of connections to workspaces, such as SSH and application sessions. -This is a Premium feature. -Refer to [Connection logs](../admin/monitoring/connection-logs.md). +Coder's HTTP API, served under `/api/v2/*`. +Refer to the [API reference](./api/index.md). -### Workspace process logging +## S -A record of the processes executed inside workspaces. +### SCIM + +Automated user provisioning and deprovisioning driven by your identity provider. This is a Premium feature. -Refer to [Process logging](../admin/templates/extending-templates/process-logging.md). +Refer to [IdP sync](../admin/users/idp-sync.md). -### Prometheus metrics +### Service account -Deployment metrics exposed on a `/metrics` endpoint for Prometheus to scrape. -Refer to [Prometheus](../admin/integrations/prometheus.md). +A non-human user intended for automation. +You can filter for one in the users list with the `service_account:true` query. +Refer to [Users](../admin/users/index.md). -### Template usage insights +### Sessions and tokens -Dashboard views and `GET /api/v2/insights/*` endpoints that report active users, app usage, and parameter usage for templates. -Refer to the [Insights API](./api/insights.md). +Session cookies authenticate the web dashboard, and API tokens authenticate programmatic access. +Refer to [Sessions and tokens](../admin/users/sessions-tokens.md). -### Support bundle +### SSH -A diagnostic archive generated with `coder support bundle` to help debug a deployment. -Refer to [Support bundle](../support/support-bundle.md). +Optimized SSH access to a workspace over Coder's Tailnet routing, available through `coder ssh`. +Refer to [Workspace access](../user-guides/workspace-access/index.md). -## Editors and developer experience +### SSO -### code-server +Single sign-on, the pattern of authenticating to Coder through an external identity provider, typically over OIDC. +Refer to [OIDC authentication](../admin/users/oidc-auth/index.md). -The Coder-maintained build of VS Code that runs in the browser. -Refer to [code-server](../user-guides/workspace-access/code-server.md). +### Starter template -### Supported editors and IDEs +A curated example template that ships with Coder for a common platform, such as Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, GCP, or Azure. +Refer to [Create templates](../admin/templates/creating-templates.md). -The editors and IDEs that connect to Coder workspaces, including [VS Code](../user-guides/workspace-access/vscode.md), [code-server](../user-guides/workspace-access/code-server.md), [Cursor](../user-guides/workspace-access/cursor.md), [Windsurf](../user-guides/workspace-access/windsurf.md), [Antigravity](../user-guides/workspace-access/antigravity.md), [Zed](../user-guides/workspace-access/zed.md), and JetBrains IDEs through [Gateway](../user-guides/workspace-access/jetbrains/gateway.md) and [Fleet](../user-guides/workspace-access/jetbrains/fleet.md). +### Sub-agent -### Coder extension for VS Code +A nested agent for a dev container that runs inside a parent workspace agent. +Refer to [Dev containers](../admin/templates/extending-templates/devcontainers.md). -The editor extension that connects VS Code, and forks such as Cursor and Windsurf, to Coder workspaces. -Refer to [VS Code](../user-guides/workspace-access/vscode.md). +### Subagent -### Dotfiles +A delegated child chat that a parent Coder Agents chat spawns to perform a sub-task, with its own tool allowlist. +Refer to [Coder Agents architecture](../ai-coder/agents/architecture.md). -Personal shell and editor configuration loaded into a workspace with `coder dotfiles`. -Refer to [Dotfiles](../user-guides/workspace-dotfiles.md). +### Subdomain apps -## Licensing and releases +Wildcard-hosted URLs that expose a workspace's HTTP services on their own subdomain. +Refer to [Port forwarding](../user-guides/workspace-access/port-forwarding.md). -### Community +### Support bundle -The free, open-source tier of Coder. +A diagnostic archive generated with `coder support bundle` to help debug a deployment. +Refer to [Support bundle](../support/support-bundle.md). -### Premium +### Supported editors and IDEs -The paid enterprise tier, which unlocks features such as multi-organization support, high availability, workspace proxies, audit logs, quotas, custom roles, SCIM, and IdP sync. -Visit [Pricing](https://coder.com/pricing). +The editors and IDEs that connect to Coder workspaces, including [VS Code](../user-guides/workspace-access/vscode.md), [code-server](../user-guides/workspace-access/code-server.md), [Cursor](../user-guides/workspace-access/cursor.md), [Windsurf](../user-guides/workspace-access/windsurf.md), [Antigravity](../user-guides/workspace-access/antigravity.md), [Zed](../user-guides/workspace-access/zed.md), and JetBrains IDEs through [Gateway](../user-guides/workspace-access/jetbrains/gateway.md) and [Fleet](../user-guides/workspace-access/jetbrains/fleet.md). -### License key +### Swagger -A signed token applied through the dashboard or with `coder licenses add`. -Coder validates the key locally, so it works in air-gapped deployments. -Refer to [Licensing](../admin/licensing/index.md). +An optional OpenAPI endpoint that `coderd` can expose for the REST API. +Refer to the [API reference](./api/index.md). -### Air-gapped deployment +## T -A Coder installation that has no outbound internet access. -Refer to [Air-gapped deployments](../install/airgap.md). +### Tailnet -### Feature stages +The WireGuard-based mesh that connects the control plane, workspace proxies, and workspaces. +Refer to [Networking](../admin/networking/index.md). -The Early Access, Beta, and General Availability labels that describe how production-ready a feature is. -Refer to [Feature stages](../install/releases/feature-stages.md). +### Template -### Release channels +The Terraform configuration that defines the infrastructure and Coder resources, such as the agent, apps, and parameters, that produce a workspace. +Refer to [Templates](../admin/templates/index.md). -Coder's supported release lines: mainline, stable, and Extended Support Release. -Refer to [Releases](../install/releases/index.md). +### Template hardening -## Concepts +Terraform patterns, such as `prevent_destroy` and `ignore_changes`, that protect persistent resources from accidental destruction. +Refer to [Resource persistence](../admin/templates/extending-templates/resource-persistence.md). -### Infrastructure as code +### Template usage insights -The practice of defining infrastructure in version-controlled configuration files. -Coder templates are infrastructure as code, written in Terraform. +Dashboard views and `GET /api/v2/insights/*` endpoints that report active users, app usage, and parameter usage for templates. +Refer to the [Insights API](./api/insights.md). + +### Template version + +An immutable snapshot of a template. +Workspaces are pinned to a version, and admins can push new versions. +Refer to [Manage templates](../admin/templates/managing-templates/index.md). ### Terraform The HashiCorp tool Coder uses to define and provision workspace infrastructure. Visit the [Terraform documentation](https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform). -### OpenTofu +## W -An open-source alternative to Terraform. -Coder deployments can run a custom Terraform binary such as OpenTofu, though custom Terraform binaries are not officially supported. -Refer to [Provisioning with OpenTofu](../admin/integrations/opentofu.md). +### Web terminal -### CDE +A browser terminal served by the workspace agent. +Refer to [Web terminal](../user-guides/workspace-access/web-terminal.md). -Cloud development environment, the category of product that hosts development environments on remote infrastructure. -A Coder workspace is a CDE. +### Workspace -## API and CLI +A developer's on-demand development environment, such as a virtual machine, container, or Kubernetes pod, provisioned from a template. +Refer to [Workspace management](../user-guides/workspace-management.md). -### Coder CLI +### Workspace agent -The single `coder` binary used for admin and user operations. -The same binary runs inside a workspace as the workspace agent through `coder agent`. -Refer to the [CLI reference](./cli/index.md). +The `coder agent` process that runs inside a workspace to provide SSH, port forwarding, the web terminal, IDE connections, liveness checks, metadata, logs, and startup scripts. +A template declares it with the [`coder_agent`](#coder_agent) Terraform resource. +Not to be confused with [Coder Agents](#coder-agents), the AI product. -### REST API +### Workspace app -Coder's HTTP API, served under `/api/v2/*`. -Refer to the [API reference](./api/index.md). +An application, IDE, or URL surfaced on the workspace page, declared with the [`coder_app`](#coder_app) resource or enabled through [`display_apps`](#display_apps). +Refer to [Web IDEs](../user-guides/workspace-access/web-ides.md). -### codersdk +### Workspace autostart and autostop -The Go SDK that the CLI and dashboard use and that you can use for automation. -Refer to the [`codersdk` package](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/coder/coder/v2/codersdk). +Scheduled policies that start a workspace on a set schedule and stop it after a period of inactivity. +Refer to [Workspace scheduling](../user-guides/workspace-scheduling.md). -### Swagger +### Workspace process logging -An optional OpenAPI endpoint that `coderd` can expose for the REST API. -Refer to the [API reference](./api/index.md). +A record of the processes executed inside workspaces. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Process logging](../admin/templates/extending-templates/process-logging.md). -### Agent API +### Workspace proxy -The API a workspace agent uses to report logs, metrics, and activity. -Refer to the [Agent API reference](./agent-api/index.md). +A regional proxy that terminates user connections closer to the developer to lower latency. +This is a Premium feature. +Refer to [Workspace proxies](../admin/networking/workspace-proxies.md). ## Learn more From c42a13281078e5ccd6ca9e900c11b5f5b7794fe6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Nick Vigilante Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2026 19:19:55 +0000 Subject: [PATCH 3/4] docs: disambiguate the two sub-agent glossary terms Normalize both entries to the hyphenated "sub-agent" spelling used elsewhere in the docs, split them into "Sub-agent (Coder Agents)" and "Sub-agent (dev containers)", add mutual "Not to be confused with" cross-references, and note that the dev container sub-agent is a Coder term, not part of the Development Container Specification. --- docs/reference/glossary.md | 15 +++++++++------ 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-) diff --git a/docs/reference/glossary.md b/docs/reference/glossary.md index 9e6ee2bdd4832..6f0320c551f53 100644 --- a/docs/reference/glossary.md +++ b/docs/reference/glossary.md @@ -489,16 +489,19 @@ Refer to [OIDC authentication](../admin/users/oidc-auth/index.md). A curated example template that ships with Coder for a common platform, such as Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, GCP, or Azure. Refer to [Create templates](../admin/templates/creating-templates.md). -### Sub-agent - -A nested agent for a dev container that runs inside a parent workspace agent. -Refer to [Dev containers](../admin/templates/extending-templates/devcontainers.md). - -### Subagent +### Sub-agent (Coder Agents) A delegated child chat that a parent Coder Agents chat spawns to perform a sub-task, with its own tool allowlist. +Not to be confused with a [dev container sub-agent](#sub-agent-dev-containers). Refer to [Coder Agents architecture](../ai-coder/agents/architecture.md). +### Sub-agent (dev containers) + +The nested workspace agent that Coder runs for a dev container inside a parent workspace, so you can connect to the dev container directly. +This is a Coder term, not part of the Development Container Specification. +Not to be confused with a [Coder Agents sub-agent](#sub-agent-coder-agents). +Refer to [Dev containers](../admin/integrations/devcontainers/integration.md). + ### Subdomain apps Wildcard-hosted URLs that expose a workspace's HTTP services on their own subdomain. From c12dea4a56f1b21045050df814ca9a0e06a1105c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Nick Vigilante Date: Thu, 23 Jul 2026 16:15:42 -0500 Subject: [PATCH 4/4] docs: add glossary drift guidance (content guidelines + skills) Address review feedback from @bpmct on #27165: document if/when/how to keep docs/reference/glossary.md current so it does not drift as product terms are introduced, renamed, or deprecated. - content-guidelines.md: add a Structural rule (canonical) - doc-check skill: flag terminology changes that need a glossary update - write-docs skill: update the glossary in the same change; checklist item - word-choice.md: cross-link the glossary as the fuller name registry The automated lint guard is tracked separately (DOCS-604). --- .claude/skills/doc-check/SKILL.md | 22 ++++++++++++++++++++++ .claude/skills/write-docs/SKILL.md | 14 ++++++++++---- docs/.style/content-guidelines.md | 17 +++++++++++++++++ docs/.style/style-guide/word-choice.md | 4 ++++ 4 files changed, 53 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-) diff --git a/.claude/skills/doc-check/SKILL.md b/.claude/skills/doc-check/SKILL.md index 51d32f5a896cc..33b29229cf35a 100644 --- a/.claude/skills/doc-check/SKILL.md +++ b/.claude/skills/doc-check/SKILL.md @@ -58,6 +58,10 @@ writing them. below. - **Renames or moves**: See [Renames and moves require redirects](#renames-and-moves-require-redirects) below. +- **Terminology and the glossary**: Does the change introduce, rename, or + deprecate a Coder product or feature name? If so, + `docs/reference/glossary.md` needs a matching entry. See + [Glossary and terminology](#glossary-and-terminology) below. ## What not to comment on @@ -126,6 +130,24 @@ a separate repo, not in this one. When a doc page is renamed or moved: Do not create a `docs/_redirects` file in this repo; that format isn't processed by coder.com. +### Glossary and terminology + +The [glossary](../../../docs/reference/glossary.md) defines Coder-specific +product and feature names, including collisions like the several senses of +"agent". It drifts when the product's vocabulary changes and the page +doesn't. Flag a glossary update when a change: + +- Adds a Coder product or feature name that isn't in the glossary yet. +- Renames one. The entry should keep the former name (for example, + "previously named ..."). +- Deprecates one. The entry should say so and name the replacement. + +This is the canonical rule in +[Structural rules](../../../docs/.style/content-guidelines.md#structural-rules); +the content guidelines govern. Don't flag generic lowercase concepts or +internal-only identifiers with no user-facing surface; they don't earn a +glossary entry. + ## Coder-specific patterns ### Callouts diff --git a/.claude/skills/write-docs/SKILL.md b/.claude/skills/write-docs/SKILL.md index c146d45bf464b..1bd7d895bd353 100644 --- a/.claude/skills/write-docs/SKILL.md +++ b/.claude/skills/write-docs/SKILL.md @@ -66,7 +66,10 @@ style. the Diátaxis framework in the [content guidelines](../../../docs/.style/content-guidelines.md#follow-the-diátaxis-framework). One outcome per page. New pages MUST be added to `docs/manifest.json` under the right section, and the documentation lands in the same change as the - feature. + feature. If the change introduces, renames, or deprecates a Coder product + or feature name, update the [glossary](../../../docs/reference/glossary.md) + in the same change (add, edit, or mark the entry) per the + [Structural rules](../../../docs/.style/content-guidelines.md#structural-rules). 4. **Draft with deliberate pedagogy** (see patterns below). 5. **Self-review and validate.** Apply the prose style guide with it open. Run `make lint/emdash`, markdownlint, and Vale. Run the commands and code @@ -122,9 +125,9 @@ drift from the source. The canonical [Structural rules](../../../docs/.style/content-guidelines.md#structural-rules) cover the manifest entry, auto-generated content, Premium marking, renames -and redirects, and the emdash ban. Read them for the exact wording; the -pre-handoff checklist below turns them into pass/fail items. Two application -notes the canonical rules do not spell out: +and redirects, the emdash ban, and the glossary. Read them for the exact +wording; the pre-handoff checklist below turns them into pass/fail items. Two +application notes the canonical rules do not spell out: - On a rename, pick the new link target by the specific page each sentence promises, not just the section hub, and confirm moved anchors still resolve. @@ -166,6 +169,9 @@ the whole series as a single review. - [ ] The content belongs in `docs/`; anything that does not was routed. - [ ] One outcome per page, correct Diátaxis mode, added to `docs/manifest.json`. +- [ ] New, renamed, or deprecated product or feature names have a matching + `docs/reference/glossary.md` entry (a rename keeps the former name; a + deprecation names the replacement). - [ ] Prose style guide applied with it open; `make lint/emdash`, markdownlint, and Vale pass. - [ ] Inbound links resolve; renames have redirects in `coder/coder.com`. diff --git a/docs/.style/content-guidelines.md b/docs/.style/content-guidelines.md index 207625799172d..5f9e9dafb9ec5 100644 --- a/docs/.style/content-guidelines.md +++ b/docs/.style/content-guidelines.md @@ -285,6 +285,23 @@ doc-check agent. semicolons, or periods, or restructure the sentence. For numeric ranges, use a plain hyphen (e.g., `0-100`). The rule is enforced by `make lint/emdash`. +- **Terminology changes update the glossary.** When a change introduces, + renames, or deprecates a Coder product or feature name, update the + [glossary](../reference/glossary.md) in the same change, the way a + user-facing feature lands with its docs: + 1. New name: add an entry with a short definition and a link to the + page that covers the term. + 2. Rename: update the entry and record the former name (for example, + "previously named ...") so a reader who searches the old term still + lands in the right place. + 3. Deprecation: mark the term deprecated and name its replacement. + + A term earns an entry when it is a Coder-specific product or feature + proper noun, or a word that collides with another Coder meaning (for + example, the several senses of "agent"). Generic lowercase concepts and + internal-only identifiers with no user-facing surface do not. This is + what keeps the glossary from drifting as the product's vocabulary + changes. ## What does not belong in the docs diff --git a/docs/.style/style-guide/word-choice.md b/docs/.style/style-guide/word-choice.md index 3dc621927d45b..a8b4f753944ca 100644 --- a/docs/.style/style-guide/word-choice.md +++ b/docs/.style/style-guide/word-choice.md @@ -40,6 +40,10 @@ It reads as a misspelling of the product name. *Enforced by `Coder.ProductTerms` (planned).* +The [glossary](../../reference/glossary.md) is the fuller registry of these names and disambiguates collisions like the several senses of "agent". +When you add, rename, or deprecate a product or feature name, update the glossary in the same change. +The planned `Coder.ProductTerms` rule and the glossary should draw on one shared term list. + ## Brand names Use the canonical casing for third-party brand and product names.