Cloud infrastructure / Alibaba Cloud ACK / Harbor backend alternative

Alibaba Cloud ACK alternative for returning Linux agents

Alibaba Cloud ACK operates Kubernetes clusters, and Harbor has an ACK backend for evaluation environments. ACK also supports several persistent storage services. Compare the particular pod, volume and lifecycle design with a managed computer an agent returns to across tasks.

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Reviewed 2026-10-19 · Published by the Sandbox0 team

When Alibaba Cloud ACK / Harbor backend fits

Choose ACK when Kubernetes APIs, Alibaba Cloud networking, existing clusters or Harbor integration are requirements. Its CSI integrations provide storage choices that can preserve application state independently of a pod.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 when a compatible Linux agent needs its complete writable RootFS retained, automatic online growth and supported file operations while guest compute stays paused. Keep required Alibaba databases, object storage and other cloud services separately.

Capabilities

Alibaba Cloud ACK / Harbor backend and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeAlibaba Cloud ACK / Harbor backendExecution lifetime depends on the configured workload, Harbor lifecycle and cluster resources; the backend is not a universal per-agent duration contract.View evidence ↗Sandbox0ttl and hard_ttl default to 0 (disabled). Configure idle pause and deletion policies for the same persistent sandbox identity; an idle running sandbox still accrues compute charges.Read documentation →
Persistent filesAlibaba Cloud ACK / Harbor backendCSI-backed persistent storage is available; retention depends on selected volumes and reclaim policy.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSAlibaba Cloud ACK / Harbor backendCSI support alone does not establish complete writable-container RootFS retention for every workload.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Persistence extends beyond /workspace to paths such as /usr/local, /etc, and /home. Runtime tmpfs and virtual filesystems are excluded.Read documentation →
Release compute, keep stateAlibaba Cloud ACK / Harbor backendThe Harbor backend does not establish a general managed memory-preserving agent pause API.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateAlibaba Cloud ACK / Harbor backendStorage snapshots and Kubernetes persistence do not establish arbitrary RAM checkpoint recovery.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Experimental memory checkpoints can preserve compatible process state. Use memory: true on both pause and resume on a compatible deployment. A filesystem checkpoint alone does not preserve running processes.Read documentation →

Online RootFS growth

On growth-enabled images, Sandbox0 automatically expands the writable RootFS as free space runs low, within a configured sparse logical ceiling up to 64 TiB. Agent processes keep running. Growth is enabled in the qualified Cloud region; confirm activation for other regions. Existing images and snapshots retain their captured storage geometry. The ceiling is logical capacity, not preallocated host disk.

ACK can provision and manage supported persistent storage through CSI. The documented storage integrations do not establish one automatic low-free-space policy for the agent’s entire durable writable RootFS.

Files while compute is paused

Sandbox0's Files API reads persistent files without resuming compute. Filesystem-only pauses also permit edits; retained-memory pauses are read-only and reject mutations with 409. SSH, SFTP, file watching, and runtime-only mounts require running compute.

Storage APIs, mounted volumes and custom helper workloads can access selected data. A Harbor environment or CSI driver alone does not establish native file operations throughout a paused agent RootFS without waking its guest compute.

See paused file operations →

A Harbor backend is one use of the cluster

Harbor’s ACK implementation provisions evaluation workloads and permits configured extra volumes and mounts. Its temporary build helpers do not define the storage guarantees of every ACK workload. Review the actual pod specification and mounted paths before deciding what survives replacement.

Source 1 ↗

CSI persistence follows the selected storage

ACK integrates disk, NAS, OSS and other CSI storage. Persistent volumes preserve the data placed on them; they do not by themselves prove that every writable container system path or live process is retained. Whole-system persistence depends on the workload and storage configuration.

Source 1 ↗

Cluster management is only one bill

The managed Pro guide lists $0.09 per cluster-hour, subject to region. Worker compute and services such as load balancing, NAT and storage are separate. ACK Serverless Pro currently waives its management fee, while its cloud resource charges remain; the waiver is not free agent execution.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗

Pricing

Compare billing models, then price your workload

CPU allocation, memory, billing minimums, disk, plan fees, and supported workload differ. These meters are not equal-performance machine quotes. Confirm region, resource units, and included allowances before estimating a total.

Alibaba Cloud ACK / Harbor backend

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-19

ACK managed Pro cluster management
$0.09 per cluster-hour reference
Regional rates can vary; first/last partial cluster billing cycles are not charged.
Rate source ↗
ACK Serverless Pro management
Currently free; cloud services still billed
A current management-fee policy, not a zero-cost ECI or storage plan.
Rate source ↗
Workers, storage and networking
Separate Alibaba Cloud resource charges
Use the actual ECS/ECI deployment, disks, NAT, load balancers and traffic.
Rate source ↗

A cluster fee is not a per-agent runtime price. Include worker capacity and idle headroom, storage, networking and applicable region/tax terms. Do not compare the control-plane fee alone with a complete sandbox charge.

Check current Alibaba Cloud ACK / Harbor backend pricing ↗

Sandbox0

$0.015/GiB-hour compute (billed by the second at approximately $0.000004167/GiB-second), plus $0.02/GiB-month of retained incremental RootFS and memory checkpoint data. Shared base images and platform recovery retention are excluded; paused sandboxes accrue storage charges only.

Compute / GiB-hour
$0.015
Retained data / GiB-month
$0.02
Paused compute
$0.00

A 4 GiB agent, 100 running hours

$6.00 compute

4 GiB × 100 hours, billed by the second. Keeping 20 GiB of billable incremental data for a full billing month adds $0.40. CPU is derived from memory by the platform; choose a tier that fits your workload.

Understand storage billing →

Before migrating from Alibaba Cloud ACK / Harbor backend

  1. Inventory ACK type, Harbor pod configuration, runtime class, mounted paths, reclaim policies and all related resource bills.
  2. Export consistent system/user state and port compatible agent commands, credentials and network rules; retain cloud-specific application dependencies.
  3. Test repeated tasks, installed-package retention, low-space growth, paused files and total cluster, worker, storage and network costs.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Alibaba Cloud ACK / Harbor backend replacement?

Evaluate API compatibility and product scope. These products serve different core workflows, so a change may require a different architecture.

Does keeping files also keep a running agent?

Filesystem state and volatile process state are separate. Sandbox0 requires explicit compatible memory checkpoints to preserve running processes; its default filesystem resume starts fresh processes.

Sources and review scope

The Boat team's Battleships directory is the discovery source. References below describe the product and plan discussed on this page. Check current availability, regional terms and billing units before migrating. Where the cited material does not establish a capability or price, the comparison identifies that uncertainty.

Battleships research record ↗github.com/laude-institute/harbor/blob/main/src/harbor/environments/ack.py ↗www.alibabacloud.com/help/en/ack/ack-managed-and-ack-dedicated/user-guide/csi-overview-1 ↗www.alibabacloud.com/help/en/ack/ack-managed-and-ack-dedicated/product-overview/ack-pro-cluster-billing ↗www.alibabacloud.com/help/en/ack/serverless-kubernetes/product-overview/ack-serverless-cluster-billing-instructions ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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