# Creating Templates

Users with the `Template Administrator` role or above can create templates
within Coder.

## From a starter template [#from-a-starter-template]

In most cases, it is best to start with a starter template.

<Tabs items="[&#x22;Template builder&#x22;, &#x22;CLI&#x22;, &#x22;CI/CD&#x22;]" groupId="coder-docs-tab:ci-cd-cli-template-builder" persist="true">
  <Tab value="Template builder">
    The template builder is the recommended way to create templates in Coder. It
    guides you through selecting a base infrastructure template, adding modules
    (IDEs, tools, integrations), and configuring your template, all without writing
    Terraform.

    The template builder is enabled by default. When you select **New Template** on
    the **Templates** page, the builder opens automatically.

    The builder guides you through up to five steps:

    1. **Select base infrastructure**: Choose a starter template for your target
       platform (e.g. Docker, AWS EC2, Kubernetes). Each base template provides a
       working foundation with the Coder agent pre-configured.

       ![Select a base infrastructure template in the template builder](/beta-docs/images/templatebuilder_01_bases.png)

    2. **Base template parameters*&#x2A; &#x2A;(optional)*: If the selected base template
       declares configurable variables, you can supply values for them here.
       If the base template has no parameters, this step is skipped automatically.

    3. **Select modules**: Pick from a curated list of
       [registry modules](https://registry.coder.com) to add IDEs, AI agents,
       source control integrations, and other tools. Modules are grouped by
       category and filtered for compatibility with the selected base template's
       operating system. You can select multiple modules.

       ![Select modules to add to your template](/beta-docs/images/templatebuilder_02_modules.png)

    4. **Module settings*&#x2A; &#x2A;(optional)*: Configure variables for the modules you
       selected. Required variables without defaults must be filled in before you
       can proceed. Modules that require secrets (such as API keys) display a
       notice that developers will be prompted for the value at workspace creation
       time.

       ![Configure module settings](/beta-docs/images/templatebuilder_03_module_customization.png)

    5. **Template customizations**: Set the template's display name, description,
       icon, and organization, then select **Create Template**.

       ![Set template display name, description, and other metadata](/beta-docs/images/templatebuilder_04_customizations.png)

    After you select **Create Template**, Coder composes the Terraform
    configuration server-side, validates it with `terraform init` and
    `terraform validate`, and creates the template. The generated template is
    standard Terraform HCL that you can edit later through the dashboard or CLI.

    <Callout type="info" title="Note">
      The template builder requires outbound access to `registry.coder.com` so
      that `terraform init` can resolve module sources. For air-gapped or
      restricted-egress deployments, visit
      [Air-gapped deployments](/beta-docs/install/airgap/#template-builder).
    </Callout>

    If you select modules that are known to conflict with each other, the builder
    displays a warning. Module conflicts do not block template creation, but you
    should review the warning before proceeding.

    #### Disabling the template builder [#disabling-the-template-builder]

    Operators can disable the template builder by setting the
    `CODER_DISABLE_TEMPLATE_BUILDER` environment variable or the
    `--disable-template-builder` server flag. When disabled, the **New Template**
    button links to the starter templates page instead, and the
    `/api/v2/templatebuilder/*` endpoints return 404.

    Deployments using a self-hosted module registry mirror can set
    `CODER_TEMPLATE_BUILDER_REGISTRY_URL` to point generated module source paths at
    the mirror instead of `registry.coder.com`.

    #### Alternative creation methods [#alternative-creation-methods]

    The template builder's first step also links to alternative creation paths:

    * **Upload an existing template**: Upload a `.tar.gz` or `.zip` of Terraform
      files you have authored locally.
    * **Start from scratch**: Follow the
      [template from scratch tutorial](/beta-docs/tutorials/template-from-scratch/) to
      write Terraform by hand.
    * **Browse community templates**: Browse the
      [Coder Registry](https://registry.coder.com/templates) for community and
      official templates.
  </Tab>

  <Tab value="CLI">
    You can use the [Coder CLI](/beta-docs/install/cli/) to manage templates for Coder.

    After [logging in](/beta-docs/reference/cli/login/) to your deployment, create a
    folder to store your templates:

    ```sh
    # This snippet applies to macOS and Linux only
    mkdir $HOME/coder-templates
    cd $HOME/coder-templates
    ```

    Use the [`templates init`](/beta-docs/reference/cli/templates_init/) command to
    pull a starter template:

    ```sh
    coder templates init
    ```

    After pulling the template to your local machine (e.g. `aws-linux`), you can
    rename it:

    ```sh
    # This snippet applies to macOS and Linux only
    mv aws-linux universal-template
    cd universal-template
    ```

    Next, push it to Coder with the
    [`templates push`](/beta-docs/reference/cli/templates_push/) command:

    ```sh
    coder templates push
    ```

    If `templates push` fails, it is likely that Coder is not authorized to deploy
    infrastructure in the given location. Learn how to configure
    [provisioner authentication](/beta-docs/admin/provisioners/).

    You can edit the metadata of the template such as the display name with the
    [`templates edit`](/beta-docs/reference/cli/templates_edit/) command:

    ```sh
    coder templates edit universal-template \
      --display-name "Universal Template" \
      --description "Virtual machine configured with Java, Python, Typescript, IntelliJ IDEA, and Ruby. Use this for starter projects. " \
      --icon "/emojis/2b50.png"
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab value="CI/CD">
    Follow the [change management](/beta-docs/admin/templates/managing-templates/change-management/) guide
    to manage templates via GitOps.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## From an existing template [#from-an-existing-template]

You can duplicate an existing template in your Coder deployment. This copies
the template code and metadata, allowing you to make changes without affecting
the original template.

<Tabs items="[&#x22;Web UI&#x22;, &#x22;CLI&#x22;]" groupId="coder-docs-tab:cli-web-ui" persist="true">
  <Tab value="Web UI">
    After navigating to the page for a template, use the dropdown menu on the right
    to `Duplicate`.

    ![Duplicate menu](/beta-docs/images/admin/templates/duplicate-menu.png)

    Give the new template a name, icon, and description.

    ![Duplicate page](/beta-docs/images/admin/templates/duplicate-page.png)

    Press `Create template`. After the build, you will be taken to the new template
    page.

    ![New template](/beta-docs/images/admin/templates/new-duplicate-template.png)
  </Tab>

  <Tab value="CLI">
    First, ensure you are logged in to the control plane as a user with permissions
    to read and write permissions.

    ```console
    coder login
    ```

    You can list the available templates with the following CLI invocation.

    ```console
    coder templates list
    ```

    After identified the template you'd like to work from, clone it into a directory
    with a name you'd like to assign to the new modified template.

    ```console
    coder templates pull <template-name> ./<new-template-name>
    ```

    Then, you can make modifications to the existing template in this directory and
    push them to the control plane using the `-d` flag to specify the directory.

    ```console
    coder templates push <new-template-name> -d ./<new-template-name>
    ```

    You will then see your new template in the dashboard.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## From scratch (advanced) [#from-scratch-advanced]

There may be cases where you want to create a template from scratch. You can use
[any Terraform provider](https://registry.terraform.io) with Coder to create
templates for additional clouds (e.g. Hetzner, Alibaba) or orchestrators
(VMware, Proxmox) that we do not provide example templates for.

Refer to the following resources:

* [Tutorial: Create a template from scratch](/beta-docs/tutorials/template-from-scratch/)
* [Extending templates](/beta-docs/admin/templates/extending-templates/): Features and concepts
  around templates (agents, parameters, variables, etc)
* [Coder Registry](https://registry.coder.com/templates): Official and community
  templates for Coder
* [Coder Terraform Provider Reference](https://registry.terraform.io/providers/coder/coder)

### Next steps [#next-steps]

* [Extending templates](/beta-docs/admin/templates/extending-templates/)
* [Managing templates](/beta-docs/admin/templates/managing-templates/)