> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://bdcatalyst.gitbook.io/biodata-catalyst-documentation/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://bdcatalyst.gitbook.io/biodata-catalyst-documentation/written-documentation/explore-available-data/gen3-discovering-data/workspace.md).

# Workspace

When navigating to a Workspace, users are presented with multiple workspace options.

![BDC-Gen3 Workspace Page](/files/-M1RrZjO92A3gtMd59iX)

The Gen3 platform offers two workspace environments: Jupyter Notebooks and R Studio. 

There are six workspaces:

**Virtual machines (VM):** 

* Small Jupyter Notebook VM
* Large Jupyter Notebook Power VM
* R Studio VM

**Pre-made workflow workspaces:** 

* Autoencoder Demo
* CIP Demo
* Tensorflow-Pytorch. 

To start a workspace, select **Launch**. You will see the following launch loading screen.

![Launch loading screen](/files/-M1RrkL3wDpKPjratXuB)

{% hint style="info" %}
Launching a VM can take up to five minutes depending on the size and complexity of the workspace.
{% endhint %}

Once the VM is ready, the initial screen for the workspace will appear. For scripts and output that need to be saved when the workspace is terminated, store those files in the `pd/` directory. 

![The initial workspace for Jupyter Notebooks](/files/-M1RrsyuZf8qjdM1rI--)

![The initial workspace for R Studio](/files/-M1RrvUD7mTJsgfBYS4-)

This workspace will persist once the user has logged out of the *BDC-Gen3* system. If the workspace is no longer being used, terminate the workspace by selecting **Terminate Workspace** at the bottom of the window. You will be returned to the Workspace page with all of the workspace options. 

For more information about the Gen3 Workspace, refer to [Data Analysis in a Gen3 Data Commons](https://gen3.org/resources/user/analyze-data/).


---

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