# E2B review

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

Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026. Canonical page: https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/e2b/

## 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.

## E2B at a glance

- **Category:** [Sandboxes and runtimes](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/categories/sandboxes-and-runtimes/)
- **Maintained by:** E2B | Cloud for AI Agents (organization, [@e2b-dev](https://github.com/e2b-dev) on GitHub)
- **License:** Apache 2.0
- **Language:** Python, TypeScript, Dockerfile
- **Repository:** [github.com/e2b-dev/E2B](https://github.com/e2b-dev/E2B)
- **Website:** [docs.e2b.dev/?utm_source=github&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=repo_website&utm_content=e2b](https://docs.e2b.dev/?utm_source=github&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=repo_website&utm_content=e2b)
- **npm package:** [e2b](https://www.npmjs.com/package/e2b) 2.58.0
- **PyPI package:** [e2b](https://pypi.org/project/e2b/) 2.58.0
- **Latest release:** [@e2b/code-interpreter-python@2.11.2](https://github.com/e2b-dev/E2B/releases/tag/%40e2b/code-interpreter-python%402.11.2) 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 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

1. Sign up for E2B and get an API key from the dashboard.
2. Set the E2B_API_KEY environment variable to your API key.
3. Install the SDK with npm i e2b or pip install e2b.
4. 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

- 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.

## Usage data (the week of Oct 25–31, 2026)

- Board rank: #103 overall, #3 in Sandboxes and runtimes, momentum score 63
- Downloads that week: 5M (+20% vs 4-week average)
- New GitHub stars per week (last 12 weeks): Aug 9: 109; Aug 16: 109; Aug 23: 70; Aug 30: 97; Sep 6: 91; Sep 13: 123; Sep 20: 97; Sep 27: 171; Oct 4: 142; Oct 11: 151; Oct 18: 124; Oct 25: 99

## E2B alternatives

| Rank | Tool | Stars | Downloads/wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | [OpenSandbox](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/opensandbox-group-opensandbox/) | 16.3k | 328.9k |
| #2 | [microsandbox](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/microsandbox/) | 8.9k | 26.8k |
| #4 | [Agent Sandbox](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/kubernetes-sigs-agent-sandbox/) | 4.5k | – |
| #5 | [Trigger.dev](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/trigger-dev/) | 16.7k | 1.7M |
| #6 | [Inngest](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/inngest/) | 6k | 3.7M |
| #7 | [Cloudflare Sandbox SDK](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/cloudflare-sandbox/) | 1.2k | 1.2M |

## 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/code-interpreter-python@2.11.2 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](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/daytona/)

### 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](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/modal/)

### 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

1. [e2b-dev/E2B on GitHub](https://github.com/e2b-dev/E2B)
2. [E2B README](https://github.com/e2b-dev/E2B/blob/main/README.md)
3. [e2b on npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/e2b)
4. [e2b on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/e2b/)
5. [E2B website](https://docs.e2b.dev/?utm_source=github&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=repo_website&utm_content=e2b)
6. [Release @e2b/code-interpreter-python@2.11.2 (Oct 20, 2026)](https://github.com/e2b-dev/E2B/releases/tag/%40e2b/code-interpreter-python%402.11.2)
7. [Release @e2b/python-sdk@2.58.0 (Oct 20, 2026)](https://github.com/e2b-dev/E2B/releases/tag/%40e2b/python-sdk%402.58.0)
8. [Release @e2b/desktop-python@2.7.1 (Oct 20, 2026)](https://github.com/e2b-dev/E2B/releases/tag/%40e2b/desktop-python%402.7.1)
9. [Hacker News: Show HN: We are building an open-source IDE powered by AI](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35440552)
10. [Hacker News: Show HN: Add Code Interpreter to Claude 3 Opus](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39957999)
11. [Hacker News: AI Developer working on your repo](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38712521)
12. [Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/)