Desktop or cloud host?
Where your work physically runs, and how to choose.
Some Foreman work needs a machine of its own: Studio projects, long-running execution, anything that should continue when you close your laptop. That machine is a host. You have two options, and a workspace runs on one of them at a time.
| Desktop | Cloud host | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Your Mac | Hardware Foreman provisions |
| Costs | Nothing extra | A monthly subscription (Cloud-Only Lite or Business) |
| Available | While your machine is awake | Always on |
| Your files | On your disk, openable in your editor | On the host |
| Best for | Building, iterating, working locally | Overnight and unattended work |
How to choose
Start with desktop if you are building something and want the files on your own machine.
Move to a cloud host the first time you want work to continue after you close the laptop. That is usually the honest trigger — not performance, but availability.
You can move a workspace between them whenever you like from Settings → Hosting; its chats, inbox, CRM, files and settings move with it, and changes pause for a few minutes while it moves.
Gotchas
- A desktop host that goes to sleep pauses work. Nothing is lost; it resumes on wake.
- A cloud host is billed monthly, not for being busy. Cancel one you no longer need — if the workspace runs on it when hosting ends, it is paused and kept for 30 days, not deleted.