# Vercel Sandbox review

> Vercel Sandbox runs arbitrary or untrusted code in isolated, ephemeral Linux microVMs, controlled through a TypeScript SDK and a CLI.

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

## TL;DR

Vercel Sandbox is an ephemeral compute service for running untrusted, user-generated or agent-generated code in isolated Firecracker microVMs. It suits developers building agent workflows, code playgrounds or live previews on Vercel. It offers an SDK and a CLI, root access, managed and custom OCI images, and Workflow DevKit serialization.

## Vercel Sandbox at a glance

- **Category:** [Sandboxes and runtimes](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/categories/sandboxes-and-runtimes/)
- **Maintained by:** Vercel (organization, [@vercel](https://github.com/vercel) on GitHub)
- **License:** Apache 2.0
- **Language:** TypeScript, Dockerfile, HCL
- **Repository:** [github.com/vercel/sandbox](https://github.com/vercel/sandbox)
- **Website:** [vercel.com/docs/vercel-sandbox](https://vercel.com/docs/vercel-sandbox)
- **npm package:** [@vercel/sandbox](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@vercel/sandbox) 3.8.0
- **Latest release:** [sandbox@4.9.0](https://github.com/vercel/sandbox/releases/tag/sandbox%404.9.0) on GitHub, Oct 19, 2026
- **First published:** Jan 23, 2026

## What Vercel Sandbox does

- Vercel Sandbox starts isolated Linux VMs built on Firecracker MicroVMs and can seed them from a git repository.
- Vercel Sandbox runs commands inside the VM, streams stdout and stderr, and supports detached commands with opt-in stdin.
- Vercel Sandbox exposes ports through a public domain, so you can open live previews of development servers.
- Vercel Sandbox lets commands run as root with sudo, so you can install packages and system tools such as apt packages.
- Vercel Sandbox boots from managed images for Node.js, Python, Ubuntu or Arch Linux, or from any custom OCI image pushed to Vercel Container Registry.
- Vercel Sandbox instances serialize across Workflow DevKit step boundaries and rehydrate from a snapshot.
- Vercel Sandbox's CLI can extend a running session's timeout with `sandbox extend`.

### How it works

You create a sandbox from code with the `@vercel/sandbox` SDK or from the terminal with the `sandbox` CLI. Each sandbox is a Firecracker microVM on Vercel's build infrastructure. The default image is Ubuntu-based with Node.js 24, Bun, Python 3.14 and coding agents. The SDK authenticates with Vercel OIDC tokens or with a team-scoped access token.

## How to install Vercel Sandbox

**SDK with pnpm**

```
pnpm i @vercel/sandbox
```

**Sandbox Skill**

```
npx skills add vercel/sandbox
```

### Requirements

- A Vercel account and a linked Vercel project.
- A Vercel OIDC token, or a team ID, project ID and access token scoped to that team.
- Custom images must be linux/amd64 OCI images pushed to Vercel Container Registry.

### First steps

1. Create a project and link it to Vercel with `npm init -y` and `vercel link`.
2. Pull a development authentication token into `.env.local` with `vercel env pull`.
3. Write an `index.mts` that calls `Sandbox.create()` and `sandbox.runCommand()`.
4. Run it with `node --experimental-strip-types --env-file .env.local index.mts`.

## Who Vercel Sandbox is for

- Developers running AI agent output, user uploads or third-party scripts away from production systems.
- Teams building code playgrounds, AI-powered UI builders or developer sandboxes.
- Developers testing agent-generated code with logs, file edits and live previews.
- Projects already using Vercel and its Workflow DevKit.

### Limitations

- Vercel Sandbox caps resources at 8 vCPUs on Hobby and Pro and 32 vCPUs on Enterprise, with 2048 MB memory per vCPU.
- Vercel Sandbox sessions default to 5 minutes and last at most 45 minutes on Hobby or 24 hours on Pro and Enterprise.
- Vercel Sandbox development tokens expire after 12 hours, so you must run `vercel env pull` again.
- Vercel Sandbox is tied to Vercel infrastructure. It needs a Vercel account, and custom images go through Vercel Container Registry.

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

- Board rank: #232 overall, #8 in Sandboxes and runtimes, momentum score 40
- Downloads that week: 7.7M (+9% vs 4-week average)
- New GitHub stars per week (last 12 weeks): Aug 9: 12; Aug 16: 8; Aug 23: 3; Aug 30: 2; Sep 6: 3; Sep 13: 3; Sep 20: 3; Sep 27: 4; Oct 4: 2; Oct 11: 2; Oct 18: 3; Oct 25: 3

## Vercel Sandbox 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 |

## Vercel Sandbox FAQ

### Is Vercel Sandbox free and open source?

Yes. Vercel Sandbox's source code is on GitHub (vercel/sandbox) under the Apache 2.0 license, so you can use it for free. Its website also links to a pricing page (https://vercel.com/docs/pricing) for any paid plans.

### How do I install Vercel Sandbox?

Run `pnpm i @vercel/sandbox`. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

### Is Vercel Sandbox still maintained?

Yes. The vercel/sandbox repository was last updated on Oct 21, 2026, and the latest release, sandbox@4.9.0 on GitHub, came out on Oct 19, 2026.

### How popular is Vercel Sandbox?

Vercel Sandbox has 218 GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 3 new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 4 a week. Its main package had about 7.7M downloads that week, +9% against its own 4-week average. That made it #8 among AI sandboxes and runtimes on the Devtoolwatch Board.

### Vercel Sandbox vs E2B: how do they compare?

Vercel Sandbox and E2B are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI sandboxes and runtimes. Vercel Sandbox has 218 GitHub stars and E2B has 14.6k. In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, Vercel Sandbox's main package had 7.7M downloads and E2B's had 5M. E2B is open-source infrastructure for running AI-generated code in secure, isolated cloud sandboxes, controlled through JavaScript and Python SDKs. [E2B review](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/e2b/)

### Vercel Sandbox vs Daytona: how do they compare?

Vercel Sandbox and Daytona are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI sandboxes and runtimes. Vercel Sandbox has 218 GitHub stars and Daytona has 71.4k. In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, Vercel Sandbox's main package had 7.7M 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/)

### What are the best alternatives to Vercel Sandbox?

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 Vercel Sandbox?

Vercel Sandbox is an ephemeral compute primitive for safely running untrusted or user-generated code. Each sandbox is an isolated Linux Firecracker microVM, controlled through the `@vercel/sandbox` SDK or the `sandbox` CLI.

### What software comes in the default Vercel Sandbox image?

The default image is `vercel/sandbox/universal:latest`, which is based on Ubuntu. It includes Node.js 24, Bun, Python 3.14, coding agents, and common development and debugging utilities. It runs as the `ubuntu` user with passwordless sudo.

### How long can a Vercel Sandbox run?

A Vercel Sandbox runs for 5 minutes by default. You can raise this with the `timeout` option up to 45 minutes on Hobby or 24 hours on Pro and Enterprise. The CLI's `sandbox extend` command lengthens a running session.

### Can I use my own image in Vercel Sandbox?

Yes. Vercel Sandbox can boot from any OCI image that you push to Vercel Container Registry. You then pass the image name to `Sandbox.create()`. You can push with `vercel vcr build` or with OCI tools such as buildah or podman.

### How does Vercel Sandbox authenticate?

Vercel Sandbox uses Vercel OIDC tokens when they are available, which is the recommended method. Where `VERCEL_OIDC_TOKEN` is unavailable, you can pass a team ID, a project ID and an access token to `Sandbox.create()` instead.

## Sources

1. [vercel/sandbox on GitHub](https://github.com/vercel/sandbox)
2. [Vercel Sandbox README](https://github.com/vercel/sandbox/blob/main/README.md)
3. [@vercel/sandbox on npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@vercel/sandbox)
4. [Vercel Sandbox website](https://vercel.com/docs/vercel-sandbox)
5. [Release sandbox@4.9.0 (Oct 19, 2026)](https://github.com/vercel/sandbox/releases/tag/sandbox%404.9.0)
6. [Release @vercel/sandbox-mock@3.8.0 (Oct 13, 2026)](https://github.com/vercel/sandbox/releases/tag/%40vercel/sandbox-mock%403.8.0)
7. [Release @vercel/sandbox@3.8.0 (Oct 13, 2026)](https://github.com/vercel/sandbox/releases/tag/%40vercel/sandbox%403.8.0)
8. [Hacker News: Turbopack, the successor to Webpack](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33333695)
9. [Hacker News: AGENTS.md outperforms skills in our agent evals](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46809708)
10. [Hacker News: Vercel raise $40M Series B](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25442072)
11. [Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/)