# Amazon WorkSpaces

> A full Windows or Linux desktop that lives in AWS and that you open from any device.

- Level: Basic
- Topics: AWS, Cloud
- URL: https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/amazon-workspaces/
- In Spanish: [Amazon WorkSpaces](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/es/amazon-workspaces/)

**Amazon WorkSpaces** gives each employee a computer that runs in an AWS data center instead of on their desk. They open an app or a web browser on whatever device they have, a cheap laptop, a Mac, a tablet, and see a complete Windows or Linux desktop with their programs and files. The keyboard, mouse and screen are local; the actual computing happens far away. This idea is called a **virtual desktop**.

For a company it means no shipping and repairing laptops for every new hire: IT creates a desktop in minutes and deletes it when the person leaves. Data stays in the cloud, so a lost laptop does not mean lost files. It is popular for remote teams, contractors, call centers and seasonal staff. **WorkSpaces Personal** gives each user their own persistent desktop; **WorkSpaces Pools** hands out fresh, shared desktops that reset after each session.

The trade-off is that you need a decent internet connection, and things like video editing or gaming feel worse over the network than on a local machine. You pay monthly or by the hour per desktop.

## An analogy

Like streaming a movie instead of owning the DVD: the film lives on someone else's server and your TV only shows it. With WorkSpaces, the film is your whole office computer.

## Keep in mind

- A Windows or Linux desktop that runs in AWS, opened from any device.
- IT can create or remove a desktop in minutes.
- Files stay in the cloud, not on the laptop that might get lost.
- Needs a good internet connection; billed monthly or hourly.

## Go deeper

- [What is Amazon WorkSpaces? (official docs)](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/workspaces/latest/adminguide/amazon-workspaces.html)
- [Amazon WorkSpaces product page](https://aws.amazon.com/workspaces/)
- [Desktop virtualization on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_virtualization)

## Related terms

- [Data center](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/data-center/): A building full of servers where the internet, the cloud and AI actually run.
- [Web browser](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/web-browser/): The app that fetches web pages from the internet and draws them on your screen.
- [Laptop](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/laptop/): A whole computer folded into one portable case that runs on a battery.
- [Tablet](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/tablet/): A computer that is just a big touchscreen, between a phone and a laptop.
- [Linux](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/linux/): A free, open source operating system that runs most of the internet's servers.
- [Cloud computing](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/cloud-computing/): Renting computers over the internet instead of buying your own.
- [Internet](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/internet/): A worldwide network of networks that lets any connected device reach any other.
- [Server](https://tidbit.legios.com.ar/server/): A computer whose job is to answer requests from other computers, all day, every day.