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Example apps

Remote Desktops: noVNC

Remote desktops put a full Linux GUI behind a browser tab, which powers agentic computer-use workloads, secure browsing sessions, and disposable workstations. They are memory-hungry and used in short, interactive bursts, so each desktop runs in its own instance that scales to zero between sessions.

This guide explains how to create and deploy a noVNC app, allowing you to access remote desktops through a web interface inside a modern browser.

Note: Anthropic's Computer Use Demo inspired this example.

To run this example, follow these steps:

1. Install the unikraft CLI. You need a BuildKit builder. The easiest way to get one is via Docker. Alternatively, you can also directly set up and use BuildKit, see the quick start.

2. Clone the examples repository and cd into the examples/novnc-browser directory:

   Code
   git clone https://github.com/unikraft-cloud/examples
   cd examples/novnc-browser/

Make sure to log into Unikraft Cloud and pick a metro close to you. This guide uses fra (Frankfurt, 🇩🇪):

Code
unikraft login

When done, invoke the following command to deploy this app on Unikraft Cloud:

Code
unikraft build . --output <my-org>/novnc-browser:latest
unikraft run --metro fra \
  -m 4G \
  -p 443:6080/tls+http \
  --scale-to-zero policy=on,cooldown-time=4000,stateful=true \
  --image <my-org>/novnc-browser:latest

The output shows the instance address and other details:

Code
metro:        fra
name:         vnc-browser
uuid:         90a59b05-0ae1-4ca6-8383-79c5115355ee
state:        starting
image:        <my-org>/novnc-browser
resources:
  memory:     4096MiB
  vcpus:      1
service:
  uuid:       aaf03f7c-65e6-5624-d5f4-84e87450beee
  name:       weathered-fog-y5jjmwfd
  domains:
  - fqdn:     weathered-fog-y5jjmwfd.fra.unikraft.app
networks:
- uuid:       61708609-d291-572d-4a4c-399413238199
  private-ip: 10.0.0.49
  mac:        12:b0:1e:47:6c:59
timestamps:
  created:    just now

In this case, the instance name is vnc-browser and the address is https://weathered-fog-y5jjmwfd.fra.unikraft.app. The name was preset, but the address is different for each run. Enter the provided address into your browser of choice to access the remote desktop interface.

You can list information about the instance by running:

Code
unikraft instances list

Code
METRO  NAME         STATE    IMAGE                   ARGS  MEMORY  VCPUS  FQDN                                     CREATED
fra    vnc-browser  standby  <my-org>/novnc-browser        4.0GiB  1      weathered-fog-y5jjmwfd.fra.unikraft.app  2 minutes ago

When done, you can remove the instance:

Code
unikraft instances delete vnc-browser

Learn more

Use the --help option for detailed information on using Unikraft Cloud:

Code
unikraft --help

Or visit the CLI Reference.