E2B review

Q: How do I install E2B?

Run npm i e2b. It needs Node.js >=22.19.0. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

E2B is open-source infrastructure for running AI-generated code in secure, isolated cloud sandboxes, controlled through JavaScript and Python SDKs.

Updated Nov 1, 2026. Review written Oct 22, 2026 from the project's own sources; usage data refreshed every Monday.

TL;DR

E2B is open-source infrastructure that runs AI-generated code in isolated Linux VM sandboxes in the cloud. E2B is for developers building AI agents that need to execute code, process data, run tools, or control a desktop. Sandboxes can be paused and resumed with filesystem and memory saved, and the runtime can be self-hosted.

14.6kGitHub stars
+99new stars, week of Oct 25
~5Mdownloads a week, +20% vs 4-week avg
#3in Sandboxes and runtimes this week

E2B at a glance

Category: Sandboxes and runtimes
Maintained by: E2B | Cloud for AI Agents (organization, @e2b-dev on GitHub)
License: Apache 2.0
Language: Python, TypeScript, Dockerfile
Repository: github.com/e2b-dev/E2B
Website: docs.e2b.dev/?utm_source=github&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=repo_website&utm_content=e2b
npm package: e2b 2.58.0
PyPI package: e2b 2.58.0
Latest release: @e2b/[email protected] on GitHub, Oct 20, 2026
First published: Mar 4, 2023

What E2B does

E2B starts isolated Linux VM sandboxes on demand where agents can execute code, process data, and run tools.
E2B runs shell commands in a sandbox and returns output such as stdout through its JavaScript and Python SDKs.
E2B's Code Interpreter SDK executes code with runCode() or run_code() and returns the result.
E2B's Desktop SDK provides mouse, keyboard, screenshot, application, and desktop streaming APIs for computer use.
E2B can pause a sandbox, saving its filesystem and memory, and keeps paused sandboxes until you kill them.
E2B templates define the environment a sandbox starts with.
E2B SDKs can stream ordered stdin or PTY input to a running process over one StreamInput RPC.

How it works

You install the JavaScript or Python SDK, set the E2B_API_KEY environment variable, and call Sandbox.create() to start a cloud sandbox. Then you run commands or code inside it. A CLI also exists for creating and connecting to sandboxes. For self-hosting, the E2B runtime deploys with Terraform on AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, or a general Linux machine via Embed.

How to install and start using E2B

With npm

npm i e2b

With pip

pip install e2b

Code Interpreter SDK with pip

pip install e2b-code-interpreter

Requirements

An E2B account and API key set as E2B_API_KEY for the hosted service.
Python 3.11 or later for the Python SDK.
Node.js 22.19.0 or later for the JavaScript SDK.

First steps

Sign up for E2B and get an API key from the dashboard.
Set the E2B_API_KEY environment variable to your API key.
Install the SDK with npm i e2b or pip install e2b.
Call Sandbox.create() and run a command such as echo with sandbox.commands.run.

Who E2B is for

Developers building AI agents that must run generated code in isolation.
Computer-use agents that control a virtual Linux desktop and take screenshots.
Teams running tests, validation, or AI code reviews in GitHub Actions workflows.
Organizations that want to self-host sandbox infrastructure on AWS, GCP, Azure, or Linux.

Limitations to know

E2B's hosted sandboxes require signing up and using an API key.
E2B's SDKs need recent runtimes: Python 3.11+ and Node.js 22.19.0+.
E2B's code execution and desktop control need separate SDK packages beyond the base e2b SDK.
E2B self-hosting requires deploying infrastructure with Terraform.

Is E2B growing? Usage data

In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, E2B ranked #103 on the Devtoolwatch Board and #3 in Sandboxes and runtimes, with a momentum score of 63 out of 100. Its main package had about 5M downloads that week, +20% against its own 4-week average.

New GitHub stars per week for the last 12 weeks, from GitHub's stargazer history (today's stargazers by the week they starred).

Show the weekly numbers

New GitHub stars per week for E2B
Week of	New stars
Aug 9, 2026	109
Aug 16, 2026	109
Aug 23, 2026	70
Aug 30, 2026	97
Sep 6, 2026	91
Sep 13, 2026	123
Sep 20, 2026	97
Sep 27, 2026	171
Oct 4, 2026	142
Oct 11, 2026	151
Oct 18, 2026	124
Oct 25, 2026	99

On Hacker News

Show HN: We are building an open-source IDE powered by AI, 369 points and 175 comments (Apr 4, 2023)
Show HN: Add Code Interpreter to Claude 3 Opus, 33 points and 7 comments (Apr 7, 2024)
AI Developer working on your repo, 19 points and 12 comments (Dec 20, 2023)
Show HN: Open-source version of Anthropic's Artifacts UI, 13 points and 2 comments (Jun 23, 2024)
Llama 3 with open source code interpreter, 5 points and 0 comments (Apr 19, 2024)

The Board ranks tools by four signals each week: new stars, new stars for the repo's size, added downloads and download growth beyond the market. How the ranking works.

E2B alternatives

Other AI sandboxes and runtimes on the Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum:

Sandboxes and runtimes ranked by momentum, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026
Rank	Tool	Stars	Downloads/wk
#1	OpenSandboxOpenSandbox is a sandbox runtime that gives AI agents isolated environments to run code, commands, files, browsers, and desktops on your…	16.3k	328.9k
#2	microsandboxmicrosandbox is a local-first microVM runtime and library for running untrusted workloads like AI agents, user code, and CI jobs in…	8.9k	26.8k
#4	Agent Sandboxagent-sandbox enables easy management of isolated, stateful, singleton workloads, ideal for use cases like AI agent runtimes and…	4.5k	–
#5	Trigger.devTrigger.dev is an open-source TypeScript platform for building and deploying durable AI agents, workflows, and long-running background…	16.7k	1.7M
#6	InngestInngest is a workflow orchestration platform for running durable step functions, background jobs, and AI workflows on serverless,…	6k	3.7M
#7	Cloudflare Sandbox SDKCloudflare Sandbox SDK runs untrusted or generated code in per-user Linux sandboxes built on Cloudflare Durable Objects and Containers.	1.2k	1.2M

All AI sandboxes and runtimes, ranked

Recent E2B releases

@e2b/[email protected], Oct 20, 2026
@e2b/[email protected], Oct 20, 2026
@e2b/[email protected], Oct 20, 2026
@e2b/[email protected], Oct 20, 2026
[email protected], Oct 20, 2026

E2B FAQ

Is E2B free and open source?

Yes. E2B's source code is on GitHub (e2b-dev/E2B) under the Apache 2.0 license, so you can use it for free.

How do I install E2B?

Run npm i e2b. It needs Node.js >=22.19.0. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

Is E2B still maintained?

Yes. The e2b-dev/E2B repository was last updated on Oct 21, 2026, and the latest release, @e2b/[email protected] on GitHub, came out on Oct 20, 2026.

How popular is E2B?

E2B has 14.6k GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 99 new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 115 a week. Its main package had about 5M downloads that week, +20% against its own 4-week average. That made it #3 among AI sandboxes and runtimes on the Devtoolwatch Board.

E2B vs Daytona: how do they compare?

E2B and Daytona are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI sandboxes and runtimes. E2B has 14.6k GitHub stars and Daytona has 71.4k. In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, E2B's main package had 5M downloads and Daytona's had 980.1k. Daytona is infrastructure for running AI-generated code in isolated sandboxes, controlled through SDKs, a REST API, and a CLI. Daytona review.

E2B vs Modal: how do they compare?

E2B and Modal are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI sandboxes and runtimes. E2B has 14.6k GitHub stars and Modal has 531. In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, E2B's main package had 5M downloads and Modal's had 11.1M. Modal is a serverless cloud platform with official Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, and Go SDKs for running compute-intensive code and AI workloads. Modal review.

What are the best alternatives to E2B?

Other AI sandboxes and runtimes on the Devtoolwatch Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum: OpenSandbox (#1), microsandbox (#2), Agent Sandbox (#4), Trigger.dev (#5), Inngest (#6). The alternatives table above has their numbers.

What is E2B?

E2B is open-source infrastructure for running AI-generated code in secure, isolated sandboxes in the cloud. You start and control sandboxes with its JavaScript or Python SDK.

What is an E2B sandbox?

An E2B sandbox is a Linux VM created on demand for your agent. You can pause and resume it. Pausing saves both its filesystem and memory, and paused sandboxes are kept until you kill them.

Is E2B open source?

Yes. E2B describes itself as open-source infrastructure, and its runtime can be self-hosted on AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, or a general Linux machine.

Can E2B be self-hosted?

Yes. E2B provides an embed deployment guide for setting up the E2B runtime yourself. The infrastructure deploys with Terraform on AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, or a general Linux machine via Embed.

Can AI coding agents read the E2B docs?

Yes. E2B offers a public docs MCP server at https://docs.e2b.dev/mcp with no authentication, plus https://docs.e2b.dev/llms.txt. Each page also serves Markdown when you append .md.

Sources

E2B README badge

Maintainers can show the tool's weekly Board rank in their README:

[![Devtoolwatch](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/badge/e2b.svg)](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/e2b/)

How this page is made: Devtoolwatch writes each review from the project's README, releases, package metadata and website, with an AI model, then checks every claim against the source it cites and drops what the sources don't support. The numbers come from Devtoolwatch's daily GitHub snapshots, GitHub's stargazer history, and the npm and PyPI download APIs. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].