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Create a workspace

This article is an overview of your options for creating and managing workspaces.

What is a workspace?​

A workspace is a Databricks deployment in a cloud service account. It provides a unified environment for working with Databricks assets for a specified set of users.

There are two types of Databricks workspaces available:

  • Serverless workspaces (Public Preview): A workspace deployment in your Databricks account that comes pre-configured with serverless compute and default storage to provide a completely serverless experience. Can still connect to your cloud storage.
  • Traditional workspaces: A workspace deployment in your Databricks account that provisions storage and compute resources in your existing cloud account. Serverless compute is still available in traditional workspaces.

Choosing a workspace type​

The following sections describe which workspace type is best for common use cases. Use these recommendations to help you decide whether you should deploy a serverless or traditional workspace.

When to choose serverless workspaces​

Serverless workspaces are the best choice for the following use cases:

  • Enable business users to access Databricks One
  • Create AI/BI dashboards
  • Create Databricks Apps
  • Perform exploratory analytics using notebooks or SQL warehouses
  • Connect to SaaS providers via Lakehouse Federation (but not Lakeflow Connect)
  • Use Genie Spaces for business use cases
  • Test new Mosaic AI features before moving them into production
  • Create serverless Lakeflow Declarative Pipelines

When to choose traditional workspaces​

Traditional workspaces are the best choice for the following use cases:

  • Do AI or ML development work that requires GPUs
  • Use Databricks Runtime for Machine Learning or Apache Spark MLib
  • Port over existing legacy Spark code that uses Spark RDDs
  • Use Scala or R as your primary coding language
  • Stream data that requires default or time-based trigger intervals
  • Connect to the Databricks APIs over a PrivateLink connection
  • Connect to on-premises systems or private databases directly, through Lakeflow Connect

Workspace creation options​

There are a few different methods you can use to create new workspaces:

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