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Depot Sandboxes

Depot Sandboxes

Depot Sandboxes give you isolated Linux microVMs for running code, tests, and agents. Each sandbox provides a full Linux environment where you can install dependencies, run commands, and use Docker. Depot manages the underlying compute, so you don't need to operate a fleet of machines.

Sandboxes run on Depot Metal, the compute and storage platform that powers Depot CI. Use the Sandbox SDK to create and control sandboxes from your own code.

Get started with the Sandbox SDK

The @depot/sandbox package provides a Node.js SDK for creating sandboxes, running commands, and working with files. It requires Node.js 20 or newer.

Follow the SDK quickstart to create a sandbox, run a command, write a file, and stop the sandbox. The reference also covers authentication, resource configuration, and timeouts.

Feature summary

FeatureWhat you can do
Isolated Linux environmentsRun workloads in microVMs with a full Linux system call interface, including support for Docker.
Configurable resourcesChoose CPU, memory, and disk resources when you create a sandbox.
Command executionRun commands, stream their output, and inspect their exit codes from your application.
File system access

Read and write files, create directories, and inspect file metadata through an interface modeled on node:fs/promises.

Lifecycle control

Create, get, list, stop, and kill sandboxes. Set timeouts to control how long environments remain available.

Custom images

Start with Depot's default base image or specify an image with the tools and dependencies your workload needs.

How Depot Sandboxes work

Your application requests a sandbox through the SDK. Depot provisions a microVM with the requested resources and starts its Linux environment. You can then run commands and modify files remotely. Stop the sandbox when your work finishes, or let its configured timeout end the run.

Sandbox lifecycle, compute, and storageYour application requests a sandbox through the SDK. Depot manages its resources and lifetime and starts a Linux microVM on a bare-metal compute host. The microVM runs your commands and tools. Dedicated storage servers provide its disk over NVMe-oF/TCP, cache disk blocks on NVMe SSDs, and read and write base images and snapshots in S3.Your applicationSandbox SDKSandbox managementResources, startup, and lifetimeCreate sandboxStarts microVMDepot MetalBare-metal compute hostDepot sandboxLinux microVMCommands, tools, and DockerMicroVM hypervisorIn-memory disk cacheStorage serversNVMe SSDs cache disk blocksIn-memory disk cacheS3Base images and snapshotsDurable disk block storageDisk reads / writesNVMe-oF/TCPDisk blocks

Depot Metal separates compute from storage. MicroVMs run on bare-metal compute hosts, while dedicated storage servers provide their disks from NVMe-backed storage. Depot Metal uses S3 to store base images and snapshots, and caches disk blocks close to the compute. You don't need to configure these infrastructure components to use a sandbox.

Depot on Depot Sandboxes

Sandboxes also provide the execution environments for Depot products:

  • Depot CI: Workflow jobs run in sandboxes with the tools needed to execute GitHub Actions workflows. Depot CI handles job scheduling, logs, and workflow orchestration. See the Depot CI overview.
  • Managed agents: Depot provisions sandboxes to run coding agents through connected providers. Managed agents handles provider setup and workspace snapshots so sessions can continue across sandbox runs.

Use the Sandbox SDK when you want to control the environment and execution directly, such as giving each task a separate test environment or building your own agent runner.

Products that use Depot SandboxesDepot CI runs workflow jobs, Managed agents runs coding agents, and your application uses the Sandbox SDK. Each workload runs in an isolated Linux microVM on Depot Metal, with bare-metal compute and NVMe-backed storage.Depot CIWorkflow jobsDepot sandboxLinux microVMBuilds and testsManaged agentsCoding agent sessionsDepot sandboxLinux microVMAgent commands and toolsYour applicationSandbox SDKDepot sandboxLinux microVMYour code and processesDepot MetalBare-metal compute · NVMe-backed storage · Base images and snapshots in S3

Pricing

Pricing details coming soon.

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