GitHub Codespaces for personal accounts FAQ

[otter-computer]

Happy Universe! Codespaces are now rolling out to all personal accounts on GitHub! If you’re brand new to Codespaces, or have been using them with your organisation for a while but want to get started with your personal projects, here’s some quick tips, questions, and answers to help you get started.

How do I start my first Codespace?

Getting set up with your first codespace is simple! Head over to the repository you want to create the codespace for and click the green code button, in the top right. In the popup you should see a brand new “Codespaces” tab. Click the “Create codespace” button (or the “+” icon) to create your new codespace!

For more configuration options, such as setting up prebuilds, setting up a devcontainer, or configuring more options like machine specs of region, use the “...” icon.

What are my usage limits?

Codespaces comes with some included usage for both compute hours and storage.

For free accounts that’s:

120 core-hours and 15 GB per month

And for subscribers to GitHub Pro:

180 core-hours and 20 GB per month

For more information on billing past these included amounts take a look at the billing for GitHub Codespaces documentation.

Do I have to give GitHub my billing details to use Codespaces for free?

Nope, you can get started working with Codespaces straight away!

If you want to continue using Codespaces after these included usage amounts are used, you’ll need to add a payment method in your account settings.

How can I ensure I don’t spend too much?

You can set a spending limit from your account settings. For more information see the Managing the spending limit for GitHub Codespaces documentation.

How can I see my current usage?

You can check your current usage from the billing page of your account settings. For more information check out the Viewing your GitHub Codespaces usage documentation.

Where are my Codespaces hosted?

When you create a codespace we’ll attempt to create one in the region closest to you. If your codespace has been created in an incorrect region—for example if you had a VPN active at time of creation—then this may lead to some latency when working on your codespace.

Can I choose where they’re hosted instead?

Head to https://codespaces.new/ and select your closest region from the dropdown.