Posit Workbench container images

Container images for Workbench.

Prerequisites

Tool	Required for	Install
Docker	Running containers locally	Get Docker
Helm	Deploying on Kubernetes	Install Helm
kubectl	Deploying on Kubernetes	Install kubectl
Product license	Running Workbench	Licensing FAQ, Request a trial license

Images

Image	Description	Docker Hub	GitHub Container Registry
workbench	Provides the Workbench application. This image is for all containerized deployments of Workbench.	docker.io/posit/workbench	ghcr.io/posit-dev/workbench
workbench-session	Provides the session runtime environment for Workbench. This image is used for Kubernetes deployments.	docker.io/posit/workbench-session	ghcr.io/posit-dev/workbench-session
workbench-session-init	An init container for Workbench that pulls runtime components into a shared volume. This image is for Kubernetes deployments.	docker.io/posit/workbench-session-init	ghcr.io/posit-dev/workbench-session-init
workbench-positron-init	An init container for Workbench that pulls Positron IDE components into a shared volume. This optional image lets Kubernetes deployments upgrade Positron independently of Workbench releases.	docker.io/posit/workbench-positron-init	ghcr.io/posit-dev/workbench-positron-init

Posit publishes additional container images to Docker Hub and GitHub Container Registry.

Running the images

The fastest way to get started is to pull and run a pre-built image. See each image's documentation for Quick Start examples, configuration, and environment variables.

See the Workbench installation guide for full setup instructions.

Deploying on Kubernetes

Use the Posit Workbench Helm chart to deploy on Kubernetes. These images are the default in chart versions >= 0.20.0; see the image migration guide if you are upgrading from an earlier chart version.

Build

You can build Open Container Initiative (OCI) container images from the definitions in this repository using one of the following container build tools:

• docker buildx
• buildah
• podman

Each Containerfile uses the root of the repository as the build context.

PWB_VERSION="2026.07"

# Build the standard Workbench image using docker
docker buildx build \
    --tag workbench:${PWB_VERSION} \
    --file workbench/${PWB_VERSION}/Containerfile.ubuntu2404.std \
    .

# Build the minimal Workbench image using buildah
buildah build \
    --tag workbench:${PWB_VERSION} \
    --file workbench/${PWB_VERSION}/Containerfile.ubuntu2404.min \
    .

# Build the minimal Workbench image using podman
podman build \
    --tag workbench:${PWB_VERSION} \
    --file workbench/${PWB_VERSION}/Containerfile.ubuntu2404.min \
    .

Contributing

To build images with bakery or run the test suite, see the contributing guide. For image maintainers, the contributing guide also covers adding versions, updating dependencies, backporting to older versions, known footguns, and CI failure diagnosis.

Customizing images

Each image serves a different role. The right image to customize depends on what you want to change.

I want to…	Customize	Example
Add R or Python packages to sessions	workbench-session	session/r-python-packages
Add system libraries that session packages need	workbench-session	session/system-dependencies
Change Workbench server configuration	workbench (Minimal)	server/config
Install additional languages on the Workbench server	workbench (Minimal)	common/R · common/python
Configure a Python package index	any	Admin docs
Install Posit Pro Drivers on the Workbench server	workbench (Minimal)	server/pro-drivers
Pre-install VS Code extensions	workbench (Standard)	server/vs-code-extensions
Bundle session components into a self-contained session image	workbench-session-init + workbench-session	session-init
Run a newer Positron version than the Workbench server ships	workbench-positron-init	Helm components.positron.version
Upgrade the Workbench server version	workbench + workbench-session-init (keep in sync)	—

For detailed guidance and full example code, see the Workbench extending examples.

Related repositories

This repository is part of the Posit Container Images ecosystem. For shared build tooling and CI workflows, see images-shared.

Share your feedback

We invite you to join us on GitHub Discussions to ask questions and share feedback.

Issues

If you encounter any issues or have any questions, please open an issue. We appreciate your feedback.

Code of Conduct

We expect all contributors to adhere to the project's Code of Conduct and create a positive and inclusive community.

License

Posit licenses these container images and associated tooling under the MIT License.