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GUI Guide

The Prism desktop application provides a visual interface for managing workspaces, storage, and settings without typing commands.

Starting the GUI

prism gui

Or launch Prism from your Applications folder (macOS) or Start menu (Windows).

Main views

Dashboard

The Dashboard shows all your workspaces at a glance:

  • Status indicators (running, stopped, hibernated)
  • Real-time cost per instance
  • Quick-action buttons: Launch, Stop, Hibernate, Connect
  • Profile and region in the sidebar

Browse available research environments:

  • Visual cards with descriptions and included software
  • One-click launch
  • Size selection (XS to XL)

Instance manager

Manage all workspaces from one screen:

  • Start and stop with a click
  • Connect buttons that open SSH or browser connections
  • Color-coded status indicators
  • Cost and usage details

Storage manager

Create and manage EFS and EBS volumes:

  • Create volumes with a size slider
  • Attach/detach volumes to running workspaces
  • Usage indicators

System tray / menu bar

The GUI runs in your system tray (Windows) or menu bar (macOS) so you can:

  • Monitor workspace status at a glance
  • Receive notifications about running workspaces
  • Access Prism without opening a terminal

Profile management

Manage multiple AWS accounts from one place:

  1. Open Settings → Profile Management
  2. Add a personal profile — for your own AWS account
  3. Add an invitation profile — when a collaborator invites you to their account
  4. Switch profiles — click the profile name in the sidebar

When you switch profiles, the GUI refreshes to show workspaces in that AWS account.

Launching a workspace

  1. Click Launch New Instance
  2. Select a template from the gallery
  3. Enter a name
  4. Choose a size (XS to XL)
  5. Click Launch

The workspace appears in the instance list and becomes ready in about 2 minutes.

Connecting to a workspace

  1. Find the workspace in the Instances list
  2. Click Connect
  3. Copy the SSH command, or click a web service link (Jupyter, RStudio)

Dark and light themes

The GUI follows your system appearance setting automatically, or you can switch manually in Settings.

Getting help

Report issues: github.com/scttfrdmn/prism/issues

Community discussions: github.com/scttfrdmn/prism/discussions