# Runloop review

> Runloop is a Python SDK for creating secure Linux sandboxes, called Devboxes, where AI agents run code, edit files, and expose ports.

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

## TL;DR

Runloop is the official Python SDK for Runloop's hosted Devboxes, isolated Linux sandboxes for AI agents and AI-generated code. It is for developers building coding agents that need a shell, files, networking and snapshots. Runloop is winding down its services, and support for existing customers continues through November 13, 2026.

## Runloop at a glance

- **Category:** [Sandboxes and runtimes](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/categories/sandboxes-and-runtimes/)
- **Maintained by:** Runloop AI (organization, [@runloopai](https://github.com/runloopai) on GitHub)
- **License:** MIT
- **Language:** Python, Shell, Dockerfile
- **Repository:** [github.com/runloopai/api-client-python](https://github.com/runloopai/api-client-python)
- **Website:** [docs.runloop.ai](https://docs.runloop.ai)
- **npm package:** [@runloop/api-client](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@runloop/api-client) 2.0.0
- **PyPI package:** [runloop_api_client](https://pypi.org/project/runloop_api_client/) 2.0.0
- **Latest release:** [v2.0.0](https://github.com/runloopai/api-client-python/releases/tag/v2.0.0) on GitHub, Oct 8, 2026
- **First published:** Jun 20, 2024

## What Runloop does

- Runloop creates Devboxes, isolated Linux sandboxes with a shell, a filesystem, networking, and optional GPUs.
- Runloop runs commands in a sandbox and reads and writes files inside it.
- Runloop exposes sandbox ports over HTTPS.
- Runloop snapshots the whole machine so you can suspend, resume, and branch an agent's machine state.
- Runloop Blueprints bake dependencies into a reusable image so agents do not install tooling on every run.
- Runloop isolates every devbox at both the VM and container level.
- Runloop offers secrets injection, AI gateways, network policies, and VPC deployment as part of the platform.

### How it works

Runloop is a client library for a hosted platform. You install the Python package, set RUNLOOP_API_KEY, and call the API from your code. The package has two layers: the object-oriented RunloopSDK and a generated REST client built with Stainless. Both have sync and async variants, typed requests and responses, and use httpx, with optional aiohttp.

## How to install Runloop

**With pip**

```
pip install runloop_api_client
```

**With pip and the aiohttp backend**

```
pip install runloop_api_client[aiohttp]
```

### Requirements

- Python 3.9 or later
- A Runloop account and API key set as RUNLOOP_API_KEY

### First steps

1. Get an API key from runloop.ai and set RUNLOOP_API_KEY in your environment.
2. Create a RunloopSDK client, which reads RUNLOOP_API_KEY by default.
3. Create a devbox in a with block so it is cleaned up on exit.
4. Write a file with devbox.file.write, run it with devbox.cmd.exec, and print the output.

## Who Runloop is for

- Developers building AI agents that need to run untrusted, AI-generated code in isolation.
- Long-running agents that need persistent machines with suspend and resume.
- Existing Runloop customers maintaining integrations during the service wind-down.

### Limitations

- Runloop is winding down its services. Support for existing customers continues through November 13, 2026 at 11:59 PM PT.
- Runloop sandboxes run on the hosted platform, so the SDK needs network access and an API key.
- Runloop 2.0.0 removed the benchmark and scenario APIs, a breaking change for code that used them.
- Runloop retries POST requests only on 429 errors by default.

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

- Not ranked this week
- New GitHub stars per week (last 12 weeks): Aug 9: 0; Aug 16: 1; Aug 23: 1; Aug 30: 0; Sep 6: 0; Sep 13: 0; Sep 20: 0; Sep 27: 0; Oct 4: 0; Oct 11: 0; Oct 18: 0; Oct 25: 0

## Runloop 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 |
| #3 | [E2B](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/e2b/) | 14.6k | 5M |
| #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 |

## Runloop FAQ

### Is Runloop free and open source?

Yes. Runloop's source code is on GitHub (runloopai/api-client-python) under the MIT license, so you can use it for free.

### How do I install Runloop?

Run `pip install runloop_api_client`. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

### Is Runloop still maintained?

Yes. The runloopai/api-client-python repository was last updated on Oct 8, 2026, and the latest release, v2.0.0 on GitHub, came out on Oct 8, 2026.

### How popular is Runloop?

Runloop has 28 GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 0 new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 0 a week.

### Runloop vs Daytona: how do they compare?

Runloop and Daytona are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI sandboxes and runtimes. Runloop has 28 GitHub stars and Daytona has 71.4k. 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/)

### What are the best alternatives to Runloop?

Other AI sandboxes and runtimes on the Devtoolwatch Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum: OpenSandbox (#1), microsandbox (#2), E2B (#3), Agent Sandbox (#4), Trigger.dev (#5). The alternatives table above has their numbers.

### What is Runloop AI?

Runloop is a platform for building AI software engineering agents. It provides Devboxes as sandboxes, Axons for event streams, Blueprints for devbox templates, and Snapshots for suspend and resume.

### Is Runloop shutting down?

Yes. Runloop is winding down its services. Support for existing customers continues through November 13, 2026 at 11:59 PM PT. The docs include transition guides for moving to Tensorlake, Modal, and Freestyle.

### Does Runloop support async Python?

Yes. Runloop provides AsyncRunloop, which mirrors the synchronous client. You use await with each call. It uses httpx by default and can use aiohttp through DefaultAioHttpClient.

### Is there a Runloop SDK for TypeScript?

Yes. Runloop publishes an official TypeScript SDK on npm as @runloop/api-client.

### How does Runloop handle API errors and retries?

Runloop raises subclasses of APIError, such as APIConnectionError and RateLimitError. Some errors are retried 5 times with exponential backoff by default. Requests time out after 30 seconds by default.

## Sources

1. [runloopai/api-client-python on GitHub](https://github.com/runloopai/api-client-python)
2. [Runloop README](https://github.com/runloopai/api-client-python/blob/main/README.md)
3. [@runloop/api-client on npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@runloop/api-client)
4. [runloop_api_client on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/runloop_api_client/)
5. [Runloop website](https://docs.runloop.ai)
6. [Release v2.0.0 (Oct 8, 2026)](https://github.com/runloopai/api-client-python/releases/tag/v2.0.0)
7. [Release v1.32.0 (Sep 8, 2026)](https://github.com/runloopai/api-client-python/releases/tag/v1.32.0)
8. [Release v1.31.0 (Aug 25, 2026)](https://github.com/runloopai/api-client-python/releases/tag/v1.31.0)
9. [Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/)