Can Gitpod’s idle timeout affect detached terminal processes?
27K reputation · 31 Mar 2025, 01:57 UTC
Goal
Determine whether Gitpod’s automatic workspace termination, triggered after the default 30‑minute idle period, also terminates processes that are running in detached terminals or background jobs.
Constraints
The behavior is not documented; the idle timeout can be overridden via idleTimeout in .gitpod.yml, but it is unclear if background tasks reset the timer or survive a termination event. The “keepAlive” feature may provide a workaround, yet its interaction with the idle timeout remains undocumented. The question is relevant for both free and paid tiers, where maximum idle durations may differ.
Unresolved Questions
1. Does a process started in a detached terminal reset the idle timer in Gitpod?
2. When the workspace auto‑terminates, are background jobs killed immediately or can they persist until the container shuts down?
3. Does the keepAlive flag prevent termination of background tasks, or is it only active for IDE traffic?
