Getting started
In this section, we provide a high level overview on how to get started with Eclipse Theia and link to respective sections to read. Eclipse Theia is a platform for building custom Cloud & Desktop IDEs and tools with modern web technologies. The Eclipse Theia Platform is not a tool itself, but there are many tools which are built upon Theia. The Theia project provides a tool called Eclipse Theia IDE that can be directly used. The Theia IDE can also be used as a template to get started with building your own tool. Please have a look at the project goals for more details!
Use Eclipse Theia (IDE)
You cannot directly launch/use Theia as it is a platform. The project provides one tool called Theia IDE that you can directly download and use. Further, it is very easy to create your own product based on Theia. Please also refer to this article highlighting the various options available to launch/try Eclipse Theia and Theia-based products.
Build a tool or IDE based on Eclipse Theia
The first step is to define a custom product based on Theia. Please check out the guide on how to build your own IDE or tool based on Theia. Subsequently, you might want to extend this product with your own feature for which you can use the available extension mechanisms of Theia.
AI-Native Development with Theia
Theia provides comprehensive, native support for AI across two key dimensions:
1. Theia AI Platform - Build Custom AI-Native Tools
Theia AI is an open framework integrated into the Theia Platform that enables you to build custom, AI-native tools and IDEs with complete control over the user experience, AI agents, language models, and data integrations. Whether you need domain-specific AI agents, custom chat interfaces, or seamless integration with your existing tool ecosystem, Theia AI provides the flexibility to create tailored AI solutions that fit your exact requirements.
2. AI-Powered Theia IDE - Ready-to-Use AI Coding
The Theia IDE comes with extensive AI coding support built on Theia AI, offering a transparent and open alternative to proprietary AI development tools. With the AI-native Theia IDE, you get powerful AI coding assistance while maintaining full control over your development workflow and data.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are unsure what Theia is, how it compares to other technologies or how to migrate Eclipse-based tools to it, please have a look at Theia FAQ.
Need Help?
Theia is an open community, and we are glad to help you. You can ask questions using our public community forum, you can report bugs and feature requests, and you can get professional support, consulting and implementation services for building products based on Theia.
Also follow Theia on Twitter to stay up-to-date!
Contributing
Read below to learn how to take part in improving Theia:
- Fork the repository and run the examples from source
- Get familiar with the development workflow, Coding Guidelines, Code of Conduct and learn how to sign your work
- Find an issue to work on and submit a pull request
- First time contributing to open source? Pick a good first issue to get you familiar with GitHub contributing process.
- First time contributing to Theia? Pick a beginner friendly issue to get you familiar with codebase and our contributing process.
- Want to become a Committer? Solve an issue showing that you understand Theia objectives and architecture. Here is a good list to start.
- Could not find an issue? Look for bugs, typos, and missing features.
- Star the repository to show your support.
License
