Skip to main content
A backend provides Agent Server and, when automations are enabled, Automation Server. Agent Server runs conversations and tools in a workspace: the folder, mounted project directory, container, or cloud sandbox where the agent reads and writes files. Automation Server manages schedules, events, and run lifecycle. Agent Canvas connects to these services and displays the state of whichever backend is selected.

​
Connecting to a Backend

Any Agent Canvas frontend can connect to any Agent Canvas backend. Use the backend switcher in the UI to open Manage Backends, where you can add, edit, or remove entries. Each entry stores a display name, host URL, and an API key for authentication. Agent Canvas Add Backend dialog on the Agent Server tab with synthetic display name, host URL, and masked API key fields. Settings, LLM configuration, MCP servers, and automations are all scoped to the active backend — switching backends switches all of these. “Remote” describes how Canvas connects to a backend, not where that backend runs. A remote backend can be a separate process on the same machine, a self-hosted deployment on a VM or container platform, or a managed Cloud or Enterprise service.

​
DigitalOcean Managed Agents

The Providers tab in Add Backend connects Agent Canvas to DigitalOcean Managed Agents. Sign in with a DigitalOcean personal access token, then create or open an OpenHands agent. Each session of that agent runs in its own DigitalOcean sandbox and appears in Agent Canvas as a separate backend. The Providers tab is available in the desktop app, and in the web build when its server sets MARS_WEB=1.
Removing a DigitalOcean backend from Manage Backends offers Disconnect only, which leaves the session running and billing until it pauses, or Stop session, which deletes its sandbox. See Disconnecting vs. Stopping.