Run Claude Code in the cloud
Run Claude Code in the cloud, without your laptop
Claude Code stops when your laptop sleeps, because that's where it runs. Here are the four ways teams move it to the cloud, what each needs, how it bills, and which one fits.
Checked against vendor docs as of November 9, 2026. This site is operated by Replicas.
| Setup | Where Claude Code runs | What you need | How it bills | Pull request | Fits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code on the web | An Anthropic-managed Ubuntu VM per session | A Claude Pro, Max, Team or eligible Enterprise seat, and a GitHub repo | Included in the plan; API keys and Bedrock aren't supported | Pushes a branch; you create the PR | One agent, GitHub only, already on Claude plans |
| A rented VM with tmux | A Linux server you rent and maintain | SSH, the CLI, a Claude login or API key, and a GitHub login on the box | Your tokens plus the server, idle or not | The agent opens it if you've set up git and GitHub auth | One engineer who wants full control and doesn't mind upkeep |
| GitHub Actions (claude-code-action) | GitHub's runners, per workflow run | Repo admin and an API key or OAuth token as a repository secret | Tokens plus runner minutes after the free allowance | Pushes a branch with a link to a pre-filled PR | Work that starts from an issue or PR comment |
| Replicas | An isolated Linux VM per task, with your environment preinstalled | A Replicas account plus a Claude plan, Anthropic API key, Bedrock or Foundry | Per workspace minute by VM size, nothing while asleep; models on your own account | The agent opens the PR (or GitLab MR) | Teams starting work from Slack, Linear, GitHub or GitLab, or using more than one agent |
Start with Anthropic's own cloud if this is you
If your team uses only Claude Code, your code is on GitHub, and your engineers already have Claude plans, Claude Code on the web is the easiest place to start. There's nothing to install: start a session at claude.ai/code, from the Claude app, or with claude --cloud, and pull a finished session back to your terminal with claude --teleport. Usage counts toward the plan, with no separate charge for the VM.
Its limits are the reasons teams look further:
- It needs a Claude seat. API keys, AWS Bedrock and Microsoft Foundry don't work for cloud sessions.
- It's GitHub only. GitLab repos can be sent as a bundle, but the session can't push back.
- It pushes a branch; someone still creates the pull request.
- It runs Claude Code and nothing else.
When a team outgrows that
The moment work needs to start from where it shows up (a Slack thread, a Linear issue, a failed CI check, a schedule) and come back as a pull request without anyone babysitting a session, you need a platform that owns the environment, not just the agent.
That's what Replicas does. Each task boots its own Linux VM from an environment you configure once, with dependencies preinstalled through warm hooks and your MCP servers, skills and secrets in place. Claude Code signs in with your Claude plan or your Anthropic, Bedrock or Foundry credentials, so model usage stays on your account. The agent can run your services, check the UI in a real browser, and open the pull request itself. You can run Codex, Cursor or OpenCode on the next task without changing anything else.
Compute is billed per workspace minute by VM size, and a sleeping workspace costs nothing. Plans start at $50 a month with $50 of usage included, and there's a free trial with $100 of usage and no card. Current rates are on replicas.dev/pricing.
The do-it-yourself routes
A rented VM with Claude Code inside tmux works, and is cheap for one person. Expect to set the git identity, log in to GitHub on the server, answer Claude Code's first-run prompts before leaving it unattended, and give it enough memory. You also own patching, isolation between tasks and cleanup.
GitHub Actions with claude-code-action is the right tool when the trigger is an issue or a PR: mention @claude and it works on a branch and posts a link to a pre-filled PR. It's less suited to long-running or interactive work, or to tasks that start outside GitHub.
Which one fits
| If you | Start with |
|---|---|
| Use Claude Code only, on GitHub, with Claude plans | Claude Code on the web |
| Want issues and PR comments to start the work | GitHub Actions |
| Want full control and don't mind running a server | A rented VM with tmux |
| Want API-key or Bedrock billing, GitLab, Slack or Linear starts, or more than one agent | Replicas |
Not sure which row you're in? The chooser asks the questions and shows its reasoning. For the head-to-head, read Replicas vs Claude Code on the web or our longer guide, how to run Claude Code in the cloud.
Moving Claude Code off laptops?
Tell us how your team uses Claude Code today. An engineer from the Replicas team, who operate this site, will reply with how they'd set it up, whichever route that is.