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Databricks DevBox

Welcome to Databricks DevBox - a powerful web-based development environment management platform that brings VS Code to your browser, powered by code-server and optimized for Databricks workflows.

What is Databricks DevBox?

Databricks DevBox is a Go-based server application that manages multiple code-server instances, allowing you to create isolated development environments with custom extensions, configurations, and workspace setups. It's designed to be deployed as a Databricks Lakehouse App, providing developers with instant access to cloud-based IDEs directly within their Databricks workspace.

Key Features

Instant Development Environments

Create and launch isolated code-server instances in seconds with pre-configured extension groups for Python, Jupyter, Databricks, and more.

AI-Powered Coding Assistants

Built-in support for multiple vibe coding tools:

  • Claude Code: Anthropic's AI coding assistant
  • Claude Code Router (CCR): Proxy for Databricks-hosted AI models
  • OpenAI Codex: GitHub Copilot-style code completion
  • Google Gemini: Google's generative AI assistant

Workspace Templates

Quick-start templates for common scenarios:

  • Databricks Workshops
  • Python Data Science projects
  • Machine Learning experiments
  • Custom GitHub repository cloning

Real-time Monitoring

Track server health, CPU usage, memory consumption, and uptime for all running instances through a modern React-based UI.

Enterprise Security

  • Databricks SDK authentication
  • Auto-generated tokens with configurable expiry
  • Unity Catalog integration
  • Isolated workspaces per instance

Architecture Overview

graph TB
    User[User Browser] --> WebUI[React Web UI]
    WebUI --> GoServer[Go Server :8000]
    GoServer --> CS1[code-server :8010]
    GoServer --> CS2[code-server :8011]
    GoServer --> CS3[code-server :...]
    CS1 --> WS1[Workspace 1]
    CS2 --> WS2[Workspace 2]
    CS3 --> WS3[Workspace N]
    GoServer --> DB[(servers.json)]
    GoServer --> Logs[Log Manager]

The system consists of three main components:

  1. Go Server (databricks_devbox_go/): Core server managing code-server processes, routing, and lifecycle
  2. Python Wrapper (app/): Handles Databricks App deployment, token management, and vibe coding tools setup
  3. Web UI (web_ui/): React-based interface for managing servers

Quick Start

As a Databricks App

  1. Copy the app/ folder to your Databricks workspace
  2. Create a Databricks App from the workspace
  3. The app automatically downloads required binaries (Go server, code-server, Databricks CLI)
  4. Access the UI through your Databricks App URL

Detailed Installation Guide →

Local Development

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/stikkireddy/databricks-devbox.git
cd databricks-devbox

# Install dependencies
make install

# Run the server
make run

# Access at http://localhost:8000

Local Setup Guide →

Use Cases

1. Training & Workshops

Deploy pre-configured development environments for Databricks training sessions with all required extensions and sample code.

2. Remote Development

Provide team members with consistent, cloud-based IDEs that work from any device with a browser.

3. AI-Assisted Coding

Leverage multiple AI coding assistants (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini) within your development environment.

4. VS Code-Like Development

Full-featured IDE environment with extensions, terminal, debugging, and Git integration - not limited to notebooks.

What Makes It Different?

Not VS Code Desktop

Databricks DevBox uses code-server, which is an open-source fork of VS Code that runs in the browser. This means:

  • Web-based: Access from any device
  • No installation: Works immediately in browser
  • Remote execution: Code runs on server
  • Different marketplace: Uses Open VSX instead of Microsoft's marketplace

Learn more about code-server →

Multi-Instance Management

Unlike running a single code-server instance, Databricks DevBox:

  • Manages multiple isolated instances
  • Provides dynamic port allocation
  • Includes health monitoring and auto-restart
  • Offers a web UI for lifecycle management

Next Steps

Community & Support

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.