> For clean Markdown of any page, append .md to the page URL.
> For a complete documentation index, see https://docs.nvidia.com/ai-workbench/llms.txt.
> For AI client integration (Claude Code, Cursor, etc.), connect to the MCP server at https://docs.nvidia.com/ai-workbench/_mcp/server.

> Technical specification for managed application types in AI Workbench.

# Managed Applications Reference

**This page documents the four types of managed applications in AI Workbench.**

- For conceptual background, see [Applications](/ai-workbench/concepts/application-concept).
- For application fields in `spec.yaml`, see [Project App Information](/ai-workbench/reference/projects/spec#project-app-information).

## Application Types

**AI Workbench manages four types of applications.**

Each type has different deployment, requirements, and configuration.
All application configurations are stored in `.project/spec.yaml` and versioned in Git.

| **Type** | **Description** |
|---|---|
| **Web App** | An application with a web interface that runs in the project container. AI Workbench proxies it to a local URL for browser access. Requires start/stop commands and a port number. Examples: JupyterLab, TensorBoard, custom dashboards. |
| **Process** | A script or background application that runs in the project container without a web interface. Requires start/stop commands but no port configuration. Examples: training scripts, data processing pipelines. |
| **Compose App** | A multi-container application defined in a compose file at the repository root. Each service runs in its own container with shared networking. Requires a valid Docker Compose v2 file. See [Multi-Container Environments (Docker Compose)](/ai-workbench/reference/projects/compose-reference). |
| **Native App** | A system application on your local machine that connects to the project container and repository. Configuration varies by OS and container runtime. Examples: VS Code, Cursor. See [Applications and IDEs](/ai-workbench/reference/faq#applications-and-ides). |

## Related Topics

- [Applications](/ai-workbench/concepts/application-concept) - What applications are and how they work
- [Walkthrough: Add a Custom Application](/ai-workbench/quickstart/quickstart-custom-app) - Add a custom web application
- [Project App Information](/ai-workbench/reference/projects/spec#project-app-information) - Application fields in spec.yaml
- [VS Code](/ai-workbench/how-to/ides/vs-code) - VS Code setup and configuration
- [Applications and IDEs](/ai-workbench/reference/faq#applications-and-ides) - Supported IDEs and file editors
- [Multi-Container Environments (Docker Compose)](/ai-workbench/reference/projects/compose-reference) - Multi-container environment specifications