Quick Recommendation
Choose AWS BYOC
You want direct AWS ownership, no control plane dependency, and AWS-native
auth through the CLI or environment variables.
Choose GCP BYOC
You want direct GCP ownership and your team is already comfortable with
gcloud, Compute Engine, and GCP networking.Choose Managed Cloud
You want a central operator to own the infrastructure so end users only need
an API key and a project directory.
Compare The Paths
| Backend | Who owns the cloud account | What the user needs | Attach transport | Sync path | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
aws | Your team | AWS credentials plus Session Manager plugin | AWS SSM Session Manager | S3-staged archive sync | Teams standardizing on AWS and wanting direct ownership |
gcp | Your team | gcloud auth, project, and zone | gcloud compute ssh | gcloud compute scp | Teams standardizing on GCP and happy with SSH-based workflows |
managed | RMUX operator or platform team | Control-plane URL and RMUX_API_KEY | AWS SSM Session Manager behind the control plane | Deployment-managed S3 staging | Teams that want a simpler end-user model and centralized operations |
What Changes Between Backends
The high-level RMUX model stays the same across all three backends:- one environment per project directory
- a remote workspace mounted at
/workspace tmuxsessions on the host- named sessions for parallel work
Pick AWS BYOC if cloud ownership matters most
Pick AWS BYOC if cloud ownership matters most
Use
backend=aws when the developer or platform team should provision
directly into an AWS account they already control. This is the best fit if you
want AWS CLI authentication, direct EC2 visibility, and no control plane
dependency.Pick GCP BYOC if your team already lives in gcloud
Pick GCP BYOC if your team already lives in gcloud
Use
backend=gcp when your team already manages projects, networks, and
access in GCP and is comfortable with gcloud compute ssh and scp as the
transport layer. The current GCP path is the most different from AWS because
it does not use a workspace bucket for sync.Pick Managed Cloud if you want the simplest user setup
Pick Managed Cloud if you want the simplest user setup
Use
backend=managed when an operator should define the AWS networking and
workspace bucket once and issue API keys to end users. This gives users the
shortest onboarding path because they do not need their own permanent RMUX
cloud credentials.Practical Decision Guide
- I want the fewest moving parts for users
- I want direct control of my AWS infrastructure
- My org is already all-in on GCP
Choose
managed. Users only need the API URL, API key, and project
directory. Operators own the cloud complexity.Next Step
Quick Start
Follow the shortest path now that you know which backend to use.
Configuration
See the full config surface for backend flags, files, and environment
variables.
AWS BYOC Guide
Read the backend-specific AWS setup details.
GCP BYOC Guide
Read the backend-specific GCP setup details.
Managed Cloud Guide
Read the operator and end-user setup details for managed deployments.