> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.gofigr.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.gofigr.io/managed-compute/working-in-the-workspace.md).

# Working in Your Instance

Every managed compute instance runs three editors—**JupyterLab**, **code-server**, and **R Server**—against the same files. Use whichever you prefer, or switch between them mid-project.

Connect from the GoFigr web app: when an instance is **Running**, click the **Jupyter**, **code-server**, or **R Server** button to open that editor in a new tab. (Connect links are tied to you as the owner.)

## Where your files live

Your home directory is **`/home/gofigr/notebooks`**. It's seeded on first boot with:

* **`START-HERE.md`** — a short welcome and orientation.
* **`examples/`** — a runnable example notebook (`tcga_lung_classifier.ipynb`) and its Quarto/R counterpart (`tcga_lung_analysis.qmd`).

Everything in your home directory lives on the instance's [data volume](/managed-compute/lifecycle.md#what-persists) and persists across stop/start.

## The editors

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="JupyterLab" %}
The GoFigr IPython extension is pre-installed. In a notebook, capture starts as soon as you load it:

```python
%load_ext gofigr
```

From there, figures you create are published automatically—no credentials to set up, because the instance is already signed in to your account. See the [Python integration](/integrations/python.md) for what's captured and how.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="code-server" %}
code-server is a full-featured editor running in your browser, with the **GoFigr extension** already installed. Open notebooks or scripts, use the integrated terminal, and manage multi-file projects. The Python interpreter is pre-selected for you.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="R Server" %}
R Server gives you a full R IDE in the browser. **`library(gofigR)`** is installed and configured, so it works the same as a local session:

```r
library(gofigR)
gofigR::enable()
```

Figures publish as you run R scripts, R Markdown, or Quarto documents. See the [R integration](/integrations/r.md) for usage details.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

## The Python environment

Python runs from a virtual environment at **`/home/gofigr/venv`**. It lives on your [data volume](/managed-compute/lifecycle.md#what-persists), so anything you install persists across restarts, and it's **already active** in JupyterLab and the code-server terminal—you don't need to activate it. The `gofigr` client is installed here, and `pip install` and the notebook kernel both resolve to this environment.

If you open a plain login shell and want it active explicitly:

```bash
source /home/gofigr/venv/bin/activate
```

## Installing extra packages

The instance comes pre-loaded with common Python and R packages. Need more? Add them from the integrated terminal or a notebook cell—they install to your data volume and **persist across restarts**:

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Python" %}

```bash
pip install <package>
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="R" %}

```r
install.packages("<package>")
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

{% hint style="info" %}
Because installed packages live on your persistent data volume, you only install each one once—it'll be there the next time you start the instance.
{% endhint %}