Sandbox
Also known as: Sandboxed Environment, Isolated Environment, Safe Execution Environment
Definition
An isolated execution environment where code can run without affecting the host system or accessing sensitive resources. In AI systems, sandboxes are used to safely execute AI-generated code, test untrusted scripts, or provide controlled environments for agents to operate. Sandboxes limit filesystem access, network connectivity, and system calls to prevent unintended side effects or security breaches.
What this is NOT
- Not a virtual machine (sandboxes can use VMs but also containers, WASM, etc.)
- Not the same as a staging environment (staging tests features; sandboxes isolate execution)
- Not a development environment (dev environments may have full access)
- Not just 'running locally' (local execution isn't necessarily sandboxed)
Alternative Interpretations
Different communities use this term differently:
ai-agents
An isolated environment where AI agents can execute code, run commands, or interact with systems without risk of damaging production systems or exposing sensitive data. Essential for autonomous coding agents.
Sources: E2B documentation, Modal documentation, Ralph Wiggum best practices
security
A security mechanism that isolates running programs, restricting their access to system resources to limit the impact of malicious or buggy code.
Sources: OWASP guidelines, Browser sandbox documentation
development
A testing environment that mirrors production but is isolated from it, allowing safe experimentation without affecting real users or data.
Sources: Software development best practices
Examples
- E2B cloud sandboxes for AI code execution
- Modal containers for running AI-generated scripts
- Docker containers with restricted permissions for agent testing
- Browser sandboxes that isolate JavaScript execution
- WebAssembly sandboxes for portable, isolated code execution
Counterexamples
Things that might seem like Sandbox but are not:
- Running code directly on a production server (no isolation)
- A development laptop with full system access (not sandboxed)
- SSH access to a shared server (shared, not isolated)
Relations
- usedBy code-executing-agent (Code-executing agents need sandboxes for safe operation)
- overlapsWith edge-deployment (Edge functions often run in sandbox-like environments)
- requires inference-endpoint (Sandboxed AI execution often connects to inference endpoints)
Implementations
Tools and frameworks that implement this concept:
- Cloudflare Workers secondary
- E2B primary
- Modal primary
- Ralph Wiggum secondary