---
title: "Provisioning for the Agentic Era: How Databricks Built a Self-Serve Infrastructure Vending Machine"
description: "Databricks built the Field Engineering Vending Machine (FEVM) to replace shared environments with isolated, centrally governed infrastructure for its growing field organization. Users or agents describe a use case and configuration details, receiving an environment assembled through a React frontend, Python backend, Databricks Apps, Terraform, Git Runner, and Lakebase across AWS, Azure, and GCP. FEVM supports templates and add-ons such as Lakebase, notebooks, and pre-packaged assets from UC Volumes, applies configurable time-to-live policies, and sends Slack notifications for provisioning, expiration, and deletion. It also manages shared resources independently, including catalogs that persist across workspace lifecycles, and provides administrative controls for limits and audits. At the time described, it managed more than 2,600 active deployments across three clouds and over 5,000 active users, after handling nearly 1,200 requests during one internal event."
---

# Provisioning for the Agentic Era: How Databricks Built a Self-Serve Infrastructure Vending Machine

[Databricks](https://yomu.fyi/company/databricks) · Evan Pandya, Greg Wood, Joel Thomas · Jul 23, 2026

**Type:** Problem & solution

## Summary

Databricks built the Field Engineering Vending Machine (FEVM) to replace shared environments with isolated, centrally governed infrastructure for its growing field organization. Users or agents describe a use case and configuration details, receiving an environment assembled through a React frontend, Python backend, Databricks Apps, Terraform, Git Runner, and Lakebase across AWS, Azure, and GCP. FEVM supports templates and add-ons such as Lakebase, notebooks, and pre-packaged assets from UC Volumes, applies configurable time-to-live policies, and sends Slack notifications for provisioning, expiration, and deletion. It also manages shared resources independently, including catalogs that persist across workspace lifecycles, and provides administrative controls for limits and audits. At the time described, it managed more than 2,600 active deployments across three clouds and over 5,000 active users, after handling nearly 1,200 requests during one internal event.

## Context

Field engineering grew from under 1,500 people to a significant portion of a GTM organization exceeding 7,000 people. Shared workspaces created interference, platform-limit concerns, difficult cost attribution, and manual investigation of unexpected activity. The organization needed isolated environments that could be provisioned quickly, centrally governed, auditable, attributable, and cleaned up automatically.

## Approach / What changed

FEVM provides use-case-based provisioning through a Databricks App with a React frontend, Python backend, MCP integration, Terraform-backed cloud resource creation, Git Runner workflows, and a Lakebase state and configuration database. Templates, add-ons, permissions, lifecycle policies, notifications, and shared-resource management are handled through the same interface, with human and agent access supported.

## Takeaways

- FEVM provisions environments based on intended use cases rather than generic workspace requests, with templates for options such as stable serverless deployments, multi-cloud setups, and preconfigured Lakebase autoscaling.
- Terraform provisions resources across AWS, Azure, and GCP, while Lakebase records each resource’s identity, owner, purpose, and expiration.
- Builder environments live for 90 days by default, and lifecycle notifications cover provisioning, approaching expiration, and deletion; FEVM also handled nearly 1,200 requests in one day and manages more than 2,600 active deployments.

**Tags:** [Databricks](https://yomu.fyi/topic/databricks), [MCP](https://yomu.fyi/topic/mcp), [Scalability](https://yomu.fyi/topic/scalability), [Terraform](https://yomu.fyi/topic/terraform)

- Source: [Databricks](https://www.databricks.com/blog/provisioning-agentic-era-how-databricks-built-self-serve-infrastructure-vending-machine)
- Source URL: https://www.databricks.com/blog/provisioning-agentic-era-how-databricks-built-self-serve-infrastructure-vending-machine
- Ingested by Yomu: 2026-08-30T16:53:36.103Z

[Read original post](https://www.databricks.com/blog/provisioning-agentic-era-how-databricks-built-self-serve-infrastructure-vending-machine)