Windows compute / Azure Windows Virtual Machines alternative

Azure Windows VM alternative for portable agent stages

Azure Windows VMs already preserve their installed system on managed OS disks and can hibernate on supported configurations. Stopping the guest, deallocating compute and hibernating are different operations. Match those state requirements and Windows dependencies before moving portable agent work to Linux.

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

When Azure Windows Virtual Machines fits

Choose Azure Windows for native Windows Server applications, full VM control and Microsoft/Azure integrations. Keep Windows-specific application and kernel requirements on an appropriate supported Windows deployment.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 for compatible Linux agent stages needing an automatically growing durable whole RootFS and supported paused files. Retain the Windows-only parts and transfer required artifacts between stages.

Capabilities

Azure Windows Virtual Machines and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeAzure Windows Virtual MachinesNot established in this reviewSandbox0ttl 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 filesAzure Windows Virtual MachinesManaged OS/data disks remain attached during supported hibernation/deallocation; temporary disks have different retention.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSAzure Windows Virtual MachinesThe managed Windows OS disk contains the installed system and writable system/application state.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 stateAzure Windows Virtual MachinesEligible Windows configurations can hibernate and resume; ordinary deallocation does not retain RAM.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateAzure Windows Virtual MachinesRAM is saved to the OS disk for supported hibernation; OS/size and operation restrictions apply.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.

Azure already retains complete managed Windows OS disks and supports eligible memory hibernation. Current Windows OS-disk enlargement needs deallocation and guest-volume work; supported online data-disk expansion is a separate capability from automatic low-space RootFS growth.

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.

Managed disks and snapshots can support operator storage workflows, but hibernated VMs restrict disk modifications and attachment changes. The cited service does not establish native whole-OS file operations while retaining a paused process checkpoint; coordinate disk state explicitly.

See paused file operations →

Stopped remains billed; Deallocated releases compute

Azure’s state table bills Stopped because hardware remains allocated. Deallocated does not incur VM compute usage, while disks and networking can continue charging. Confirm the actual control-plane state rather than inferring the bill from an OS shutdown command.

Source 1 ↗

Eligible hibernation retains memory on the OS disk

Azure hibernation saves RAM into the OS disk and deallocates hardware. Supported sizes/OS versions are required, temporary-disk data is not preserved and storage/network charges remain. While hibernated, disk and attachment changes are restricted; a memory checkpoint is not permission to mutate its backing filesystem freely.

Source 1 ↗

OS disk growth is different from eligible online data disks

The Windows guide allows certain data-disk expansions without deallocation. OS disks still require deallocation, followed by disk and Windows volume expansion. Do not describe an online data-disk feature as automatic online growth of the running system disk.

Source 1 ↗

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.

Azure Windows Virtual Machines

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-19

East US D2s v5 Windows reference
$0.188 per VM-hour
Regular Windows Consumption rate for Standard_D2s_v5; disks, networking and additional software are separate.
Rate source ↗
Same SKU Linux OS reference
$0.096 per VM-hour
Different OS tariff, not the Windows license-included rate; not Spot/Low Priority.
Rate source ↗
Retained disks and networking
Separate applicable charges while deallocated
Hibernation ends VM usage charges but retains storage/network meters.
Rate source ↗

The retail references use USD, East US and the exact regular Consumption SKU/OS. Discounts, Hybrid Benefit/license eligibility, contracts, taxes and other resources can change invoices. Do not use the cheaper Linux/Spot row as a Windows quote or infer equal throughput with an isolated Linux runtime.

Check current Azure Windows Virtual Machines 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 Azure Windows Virtual Machines

  1. Inventory Windows VM/SKU/region, managed versus temporary disks, current power state, hibernation eligibility and license/contract terms.
  2. Export consistent portable files and rebuild Linux-compatible agent stages while preserving native Windows applications on suitable compute.
  3. Test system retention, process requirements, growth downtime, paused files and complete Windows VM, disk/network and Linux runtime costs.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Azure Windows Virtual Machines 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 ↗learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/states-billing ↗learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/hibernate-resume ↗learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machines/windows/expand-disks ↗prices.azure.com/api/retail/prices ↗azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/virtual-machines/windows/ ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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