Eclipse Che — Cloud Development Environments for Kubernetes

Introduction

Eclipse Che is an open-source platform that runs full development environments inside Kubernetes pods. Developers get browser-based or desktop IDE access to pre-configured workspaces defined as code, eliminating "works on my machine" problems and reducing onboarding time.

What Eclipse Che Does

• Provisions containerized developer workspaces from declarative Devfile specifications
• Serves VS Code or JetBrains IDEs through the browser with full extension support
• Manages workspace lifecycle including auto-shutdown for idle environments
• Integrates with OAuth providers for single sign-on and role-based access
• Supports multi-container workspaces with databases, runtimes, and sidecars

Architecture Overview

Che deploys a central dashboard and workspace controller on Kubernetes. When a developer requests a workspace, the controller creates a pod from the Devfile spec, mounts persistent volumes for project files, and injects the chosen IDE as a container. A gateway routes traffic to the correct workspace pod via subdomain or path-based routing.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Deploy with chectl CLI on any Kubernetes 1.25+ cluster
• Requires an Ingress controller and a storage class for persistent workspace volumes
• Configure identity providers via Keycloak or any OIDC-compatible service
• Devfiles define workspace images, commands, and endpoints in a YAML file
• Resource quotas per user are configurable through CheCluster custom resources

Key Features

• Devfile-driven workspaces that version environment configuration alongside code
• Zero-install developer experience accessible from any browser
• Per-user Kubernetes namespaces with automatic resource isolation
• Plug-in registry for IDE extensions available to all workspace users
• Air-gapped deployment support for restricted enterprise networks

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Gitpod — Similar concept with SaaS focus; Eclipse Che is fully self-hosted
• GitHub Codespaces — Vendor-locked to GitHub; Che works with any Git provider
• DevPod — Client-side workspace manager; Che runs entirely server-side on K8s
• Coder — Terraform-based provisioning; Che uses Devfile specs on Kubernetes

FAQ

Q: Which IDEs does Eclipse Che support? A: VS Code (via OpenVSX) and JetBrains IDEs (IntelliJ, GoLand, PyCharm) run inside the browser.

Q: Can I use my local IDE instead of the browser? A: Yes. Che supports SSH and Gateway access so desktop IDEs can connect to remote workspaces.

Q: How are workspace files persisted? A: Each workspace gets a Kubernetes PersistentVolumeClaim that survives pod restarts.

Q: Is Eclipse Che free? A: Yes. Eclipse Che is open source under the Eclipse Public License 2.0.

Sources

• https://github.com/eclipse-che/che
• https://eclipse.dev/che/docs