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E2B

Secure cloud sandboxes for AI agents

E2B provides secure cloud sandboxes that let AI agents execute code, run terminal commands, and interact with filesystems in isolated environments. Each sandbox spins up in ~150ms with its own OS, giving agents a safe space to run untrusted code. Supports Python, JavaScript, and any language via custom Dockerfiles. Used by AI coding assistants, data analysis agents, and code interpreters. SDK available for Python and JavaScript with a simple API for programmatic sandbox control.

About E2B

E2B provides cloud-based sandboxed environments specifically designed for AI agents and LLM applications. Each sandbox is a lightweight micro-VM with its own isolated OS that starts in approximately 150 milliseconds, giving AI agents a secure space to execute code and interact with filesystems.

The platform solves a critical challenge in agentic AI: allowing AI agents to execute arbitrary code safely. Agents can run Python scripts, install packages, execute terminal commands, read and write files, and even run web servers — all within an isolated environment that cannot affect the host system.

Custom sandbox templates built from Dockerfiles enable pre-configuring environments with specific tools, libraries, and configurations. The SDK provides programmatic control over sandboxes through Python and JavaScript/TypeScript, with simple APIs for code execution, file operations, and process management.

E2B is used as the code execution backend for AI coding assistants, data analysis agents, code interpreters, computer-use agents, and automated testing pipelines. Public pricing currently starts with a free Hobby tier that includes one-time usage credits, then Pro at $150/month plus usage and custom Enterprise/BYOC options.

Pricing & Platform Specs

Pricing Summary

Free (Hobby) tier includes $100 free usage credit, 1-hour max sandbox runtime, and 20 concurrent sandboxes. Pro tier ($150/mo + compute) extends sandbox lifetime to 24 hours, 100+ concurrent sandboxes, and custom Docker templates. Pay-as-you-go compute is billed per-second at ~$0.0504/vCPU-hr and ~$0.0162/GB RAM-hr. Enterprise tier offers dedicated microVM clusters, VPC peering, SOC 2 Type II compliance, and 99.9% SLA with custom commitments.

full pricing breakdown →

Supported Platforms

API, Python SDK, JS/TS SDK, Docker

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Alternatives

All E2B alternatives →

Containerized sandboxes for AI coding agents

Dagger Container Use provides isolated container environments for AI coding agents, enabling multiple agents to work in separate sandboxed branches simultaneously. Built by the Dagger team, it ensures reproducibility and safety for autonomous code execution by giving each agent its own containerized workspace with full toolchain access.

Open Source

Open-source browser infrastructure for AI agents at scale

Steel is an open-source browser API purpose-built for AI agents, providing managed headless browser sessions with anti-bot bypass, proxy rotation, CAPTCHA solving, and session persistence. It handles the infrastructure layer that browser automation agents like Browser Use and Stagehand run on top of. Self-hostable or available as a cloud service. Over 6,000 GitHub stars.

freemiumOpen Source

Local microVM sandboxes for AI agent code execution

Microsandbox provides hardware-level isolated sandboxes for AI agents to execute code safely on local machines. Using libkrun microVMs and a 320ms bare-metal Linux/KVM homepage benchmark, it offers stronger isolation than Docker containers while staying lightweight enough for dev workstations. OCI-compatible with Python and Node.js runtimes. Apache-2.0 licensed with 6.6K+ GitHub stars.

Open Source

Secure sandboxed runtime for AI agent execution

NVIDIA OpenShell provides kernel-level isolation for AI agent workloads with Landlock, seccomp, and network namespace sandboxing. Announced at GTC 2026 with 17 enterprise partners including Adobe, Atlassian, SAP, and Salesforce, it offers declarative YAML policy enforcement, L7 HTTP inspection, and GPU passthrough — purpose-built to contain the blast radius when autonomous coding agents interact with filesystems and networks.

Open Source

macOS and Linux VM runtime for AI agents on Apple Silicon

Lume is an open-source CLI for creating and managing macOS and Linux virtual machines on Apple Silicon, built specifically for AI agent sandboxing, CI/CD pipelines, and desktop automation. Using Apple's native Virtualization.Framework for near-native performance, it provides the missing isolation layer for running coding agents safely — so an accidental destructive command doesn't affect your host machine.

freemiumOpen Source

Enterprise-grade sandbox for AI agent code execution

OpenSandbox is an open-source sandbox platform from Alibaba providing secure, isolated execution environments for AI coding agents. It supports Python, Java, JavaScript, and C# SDKs with a unified Sandbox Protocol for custom runtimes. Integrates with Docker and Kubernetes, offering isolation through gVisor, Kata Containers, and Firecracker microVMs with per-sandbox network controls.

Open Source

Side-by-Side Comparisons

Freestyle logo
Freestyle
vs
E2B logo
E2B

Freestyle vs E2B — Agent-Native VM Stack or Mature Code Execution

Freestyle and E2B both promise secure sandboxes for AI coding agents, but they make different bets about what that sandbox should contain. E2B is the mature, container-based runtime trusted across the agent ecosystem — LangChain, LlamaIndex, OpenAI cookbooks — while Freestyle is the newer, heavier stack that bundles Linux VMs, Git, deploys, and execution as one trust boundary.

E2B logo
E2B
vs
Daytona logo
Daytona

E2B vs Daytona — Ephemeral Code Sandboxes vs Stateful Development Environments for AI

E2B and Daytona provide isolated environments for AI code execution with different persistence models. E2B offers ephemeral Firecracker microVM sandboxes destroyed after use for clean-slate execution. Daytona provides stateful Docker-based workspaces that persist across sessions, treating each environment as a long-lived development workspace rather than a disposable execution unit.

E2B logo
E2B
vs
Microsandbox logo
Microsandbox

E2B vs Microsandbox — Cloud Firecracker Sandboxes vs Self-Hosted Container Isolation

E2B and Microsandbox both provide isolated environments for AI-generated code but with different deployment models. E2B offers managed Firecracker microVM sandboxes in the cloud with sub-200ms startup and Fortune 500 adoption. Microsandbox provides self-hosted lightweight container sandboxes that run on your own infrastructure with lower latency and no per-execution cloud costs.

Lume logo
Lume
vs
E2B logo
E2B

Lume vs E2B — macOS VM Runtime vs Cloud Sandbox Platform

Lume and E2B both provide isolated environments for running AI agents safely, but their architectures serve different deployment models. Lume creates native macOS and Linux VMs on Apple Silicon for local agent sandboxing, while E2B offers cloud-hosted micro-VMs optimized for code execution. The choice depends on whether you need local Apple Silicon isolation or scalable cloud sandboxes.

LumeE2B

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Sources & verification

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FAQ

What is E2B?

E2B provides secure cloud sandboxes that let AI agents execute code, run terminal commands, and interact with filesystems in isolated environments. Each sandbox spins up in ~150ms with its own OS, giving agents a safe space to run untrusted code. Supports Python, JavaScript, and any language via custom Dockerfiles. Used by AI coding assistants, data analysis agents, and code interpreters. SDK available for Python and JavaScript with a simple API for programmatic sandbox control.

Is E2B free?

E2B offers a free tier alongside paid plans. Free (Hobby) tier includes $100 free usage credit, 1-hour max sandbox runtime, and 20 concurrent sandboxes. Pro tier ($150/mo + compute) extends sandbox lifetime to 24 hours, 100+ concurrent sandboxes, and custom Docker templates. Pay-as-you-go compute is billed per-second at ~$0.0504/vCPU-hr and ~$0.0162/GB RAM-hr. Enterprise tier offers dedicated microVM clusters, VPC peering, SOC 2 Type II compliance, and 99.9% SLA with custom commitments.

Is E2B open source?

Yes — E2B is open source.

Is E2B still maintained?

Yes — E2B is active. Its listing was last verified on September 6, 2026.

What are the best E2B alternatives?

The first editor-selected E2B alternatives are Dagger Container Use, Steel, Microsandbox, and more.

How does E2B score in our review?

The published editorial review lists E2B at 87/100 overall across speed, privacy, and developer experience. Check the review's evidence status and test metadata for its verification level.