> Markdown version of [/videos/469-solve-the-but-it-works-on-my-machine-problem-with-cloud-based-development-environments](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/469-solve-the-but-it-works-on-my-machine-problem-with-cloud-based-development-environments). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md).

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# Solve the “But it works on my machine!” problem with cloud-based development environments

Are you still losing engineering hours to broken local dependencies? Discover how ephemeral cloud environments turn messy developer onboarding into an instant, secure, click-and-code workflow.

- **Speakers:** [Toma Puljak](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/@toma-puljak)
- **Event:** World Congress 2022
- **Published:** June 15, 2022
- **Duration:** 28:55
- **URL:** https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/469-solve-the-but-it-works-on-my-machine-problem-with-cloud-based-development-environments

## Summary

Manual software developer onboarding continues to rely on tedious documentation, complex dependency installations, and inevitable version mismatches that culminate in the dreaded "it works on my machine" scenario. This friction not only bottlenecks engineering momentum but negatively impacts employee retention and productivity. Transitioning away from locally hosted setups requires standardizing the initialization process so codebase access becomes instant, predictable, and fully reproducible for any team member regardless of their underlying hardware.

Executing this transition involves shifting to cloud-based, ephemeral development environments powered by Infrastructure as Code (IaC). By defining database limits, language runtimes, and services in a declarative schema similar to Docker Compose, teams can provision identical containerized workspaces on demand within a Kubernetes cluster. Because these environments are entirely ephemeral, developers can discard and rebuild them in seconds to fetch updated dependencies or scale instance resources. This ensures everyone operates on a genuinely fresh, synced baseline without draining local laptop computing power or fighting state drift.

Ultimately, integrating ephemeral remote environments redesigns the engineering workflow into a two-step process: click a button and start coding. The organization's security posture inherently improves because proprietary source code never downloads to local hard drives and access revokes instantly. Whether connecting via SSH through desktop clients like JetBrains Remote Gateway or utilizing browser-based tools with built-in pair programming and shared terminals, teams can finally stop troubleshooting installation scripts and focus securely on committing code.

**Keywords:** ephemeral development environments, infrastructure as code, containerized coding workspaces, developer onboarding automation, local dependency conflicts, docker compose configuration, cloud-based development workflows, remote pair programming, kubernetes environment scaling, jetbrains remote gateway, reducing time-to-first-commit, server-side codebase security, hardware constraints mitigation, shared terminal collaboration, github codespaces alternatives

## Chapters

1. **Challenges of traditional developer onboarding and local setup** (00:05) — Outdated scripts and dependency conflicts create significant friction during manual developer onboarding.
1. **Streamlining developer onboarding with instant environments** (06:14) — Executing one-click launches from a repository instantly redirects developers into predefined cloud computing tools.
1. **Provisioning dependencies using infrastructure as code** (07:28) — Transitioning toward declarative containerized definitions ensures version-controlled transparency over traditional virtual machine provisioning.
1. **Adopting ephemeral environments to eliminate configuration drift** (11:02) — Tossing and respawning isolated environments resolves stateful processing errors tied to local configuration reusage.
1. **Defining container services and project configuration parameters** (12:25) — Specifying resource limits, image versions, and environment variables allows exact backend reproducibility across varied host hardware.
1. **Scaling development environment resources through cloud deployments** (14:49) — Relocating deployments to centralized kubernetes clusters removes local hardware limitations and enables instantaneous vertical scaling.
1. **Isolating code inside secure remote cluster deployments** (17:47) — Running infrastructure remotely keeps sensitive source code strictly on controlled servers rather than unmanaged corporate laptops.
1. **Integrating local and browser IDEs with remote backends** (19:01) — Connecting editors via SSH or web protocols retains a responsive local interaction model backed by dynamic cloud resources.
1. **Applying configuration changes for instant environment updates** (21:01) — Correcting missing dependency definitions automatically validates execution syntax without requiring destructive manual rollback procedures.
1. **Managing large databases and offline remote workflow limitations** (24:19) — Handling edge cases like external shared database connections and offline internet constraints ensures smooth remote distributed scaling.

## Related Moments

- [Overcoming cloud development friction with automated code spaces](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/910-coffee-with-developers-kyle-daigle-coo-of-github) (from "Coffee With Developers - Kyle Daigle, COO of GitHub")
- [Shifting from local tools to remote development environments](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1611-eclipse-che-for-infrastructure-automation) (from "Eclipse Che for Infrastructure Automation")
- [Migrating local development environments to the cloud](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/522-how-we-will-build-the-software-of-tomorrow) (from "How we will build the software of tomorrow")
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- [Fostering team collaboration through common infrastructure abstractions](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/182-gitops-keeps-focus-on-apps-not-on-infrastructure) (from "GitOps keeps focus on apps, not on infrastructure")
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