Workshop

Workshop is a Canonical tool for launching sandboxed development environments defined in YAML files and started with a single command. It targets developers who want repeatable environments and who run agentic workflows while keeping the host system isolated. It is installed as a classic snap on top of LXD 6.8 or later.

What It Is

Workshop creates sandboxed, composable development environments, called workshops, from a YAML definition. The same file can recreate an environment on different machines without complex configuration. SDKs are added to a workshop with a few lines, and the page lists Ollama, OpenCode, NVIDIA CUDA, AMD ROCm, Intel OpenVINO and ROS 2 as examples.

Built for agentic workflows

Canonical positions Workshop for running experimental AI libraries or autonomous agents with a reduced attack surface, so the host operating system stays protected. Users control what AI agents can access inside the sandbox.

Host resources and SDK channels

Workshop's interface system allocates host resources to the environment, so users add a few lines to the configuration file instead of working out what to expose to the container. SDKs can be switched between stable and edge channels. Sketch SDKs allow local experiments without affecting the development environment.

Setup path

Install LXD 6.8 or later first, then install the Workshop snap with the classic option. Canonical provides a getting-started tutorial and architecture documentation.