Who is Che for?

Che serves two personas: platform administrators who deploy and manage the platform, and developers who use it to write code.

Platform administrators

Platform administrators install Che on an Kubernetes cluster and manage its lifecycle. Their responsibilities include:

Deploying the Che Operator and configuring the CheCluster Custom Resource
Setting up OAuth for Git providers so that developers can access repositories without re-entering credentials
Managing workspace policies such as idle timeouts, resource limits, and maximum workspaces per user
Monitoring platform health through DevWorkspace Operator metrics and Grafana dashboards
Upgrading Che to new versions

Administrators primarily interact with Che through the Kubernetes web console and the kubectl and chectl command-line tools.

Developers receive the Che dashboard URL from their administrator and use it to create cloud workspaces. Their experience includes:

Opening a Git repository URL in Che to launch a workspace with their project code, tools, and dependencies
Coding in a browser-based IDE (Microsoft Visual Studio Code - Open Source by default) with full terminal access
Pushing commits, reviewing pull requests, and collaborating with their team from the browser
Switching between projects by creating multiple workspaces, each isolated in its own container

Developers do not need cluster access, kubectl sessions, or any local tools beyond a web browser.

Che supports different deployment sizes:

Small teams: A single Che instance on a standard Kubernetes cluster handles workspace creation, storage, and networking with default settings.
Growing teams: As usage increases, configure resource quotas, deploy the Image Puller for faster workspace starts, and set up monitoring to track usage patterns.
Enterprise deployments: For security-sensitive environments, consider air-gapped installations and advanced authorization to restrict platform access by team or group.