// throwaway

Throwaway workspaces

A throwaway is a fresh machine for a public repository, and it is gone when you finish. Use one to try a project, run a workshop or an interview, or test something without leaving anything behind.

How it differs from a regular workspace

It is the same browser IDE and terminal on its own isolated Linux machine. What changes is how long it lives.

Nothing is saved

When a throwaway ends, its machine and its disk are deleted. There is no stop and no restart. Push anything you want to keep to git before it ends.

It ends on its own

A throwaway ends after 30 minutes with no browser tab or SSH session connected, or after 8 hours, whichever comes first. You can end it yourself at any time.

Subject to availability

Throwaways run on a fixed pool of machines. When they are all in use, the option shows as full and a launch is turned away. Try again in a few minutes.

Starting one

From New workspace, paste a public repository, switch the provider to Throwaway, and pick Tiny or Small. The repo is cloned for you and the IDE opens in seconds. From your own terminal, the CLI does the same:

terminal
# a fresh Tiny machine with the repo cloned, ready in seconds
runcode create --provider throwaway --size tiny --repo https://github.com/octocat/Hello-World

runcode ssh <name>            # a shell inside it
runcode delete <name> --yes   # end it now; everything in it is deleted

An "Open in RunCode" button for your README

Let anyone try your public repo in one click. Paste this into your README and replace OWNER/REPO with your repository. Visitors sign in and land on New workspace with your repo and Throwaway already chosen.

Open in RunCode

README.md
[![Open in RunCode](https://runcode.io/images/open-in-runcode.svg)](https://runcode.io/ide/?repo=https://github.com/OWNER/REPO&provider=throwaway)

Sizes and billing

A throwaway is billed per second from your RunCode credit while it runs, at the same hourly rate as the matching standard size. There is no storage charge, because nothing is kept. Rates are on the pricing page.

Size RAM vCPU Disk
Tiny 2 GB 1 10 GB
Small 4 GB 2 20 GB

Limits

  • Public repositories only: any https git address anyone can clone.
  • One throwaway at a time per account.
  • For you alone. A throwaway can't be shared or started inside a team.
  • You need credit in your account to start one, as with any workspace.

Want a machine that keeps its files between sessions? See Workspaces & lifecycle.