Self-managed runtimes / Cedana alternative

A Cedana alternative depends on whether you need workload migration or hosted agent compute

Cedana supplies checkpoint, migration and restoration infrastructure for containerized CPU/GPU workloads and customer clusters. It can retain running process state and container filesystem changes. Compare that orchestration layer with a hosted per-user agent computer rather than treating Cedana as a generic rented sandbox rate card.

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Reviewed 2026-10-18 · Published by the Sandbox0 team

When Cedana fits

Cedana fits existing Kubernetes, SLURM or container/process fleets that need supported execution-state capture, migration and policy-driven orchestration, including GPU workloads. Keep it in scope when preserving that existing compute workload is the core requirement.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 for compatible hosted Linux agents needing a complete durable writable RootFS, online growth and supported file operations during compute pauses. It does not replace Cedana’s general GPU/container migration integration across your own fleet.

Capabilities

Cedana and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeCedanaNot 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 filesCedanaContainer RootFS diffs and separately managed volume state can accompany execution checkpoints, subject to configured storage.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSCedanaDefault container checkpoints include RootFS filesystem changes; mounted volumes have separate handling and qualifications.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 stateCedanaSupported process/container checkpoint and restore can release/recreate execution; plugin and cluster compatibility are required.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateCedanaThe storage guide explicitly covers CPU and GPU process state as well as filesystem changes.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.

Capturing container RootFS changes and moving execution state do not establish automatic online growth of a hosted durable RootFS. Compare that storage-growth requirement separately from checkpoint and migration integration.

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.

See paused file operations →

Container RootFS changes are included in the checkpoint

The Kubernetes storage guide explicitly takes a filesystem diff alongside process/system state, including installed/JIT-created files. This is more than workspace-only retention. The guide recommends volumes for very large output files and marks coordinated CSI volume snapshotting as early work, so supported mount/storage behavior must be validated separately.

Source 1 ↗

Checkpoint durability depends on the configured storage path

The storage guide says initial charts write locally and documents POSIX, S3-compatible and CSX/NFS options. CSX stages checkpoints before persisting them to NFS. Preserve the difference between a local/staged capture and a remotely retained recovery point, along with plugin and infrastructure compatibility.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗

Price the platform and underlying fleet separately

Cedana’s instance-pricing configuration has separate spot and on-demand hourly fields. Underlying provider rates do not include the complete software or support contract. Compare the agreed Cedana terms plus compute, checkpoint storage, transfers and operations rather than treating an instance rate as an all-in hosted-agent price.

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.

Cedana

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-18

Cedana software / managed terms
Obtain deployment-specific commercial terms
Rate source ↗
Underlying instance cost
Provider and capacity-type specific
Authenticated configuration fields are not a verified public numeric quote.
Rate source ↗
Checkpoint storage and transfer
Depends on local, object-storage or CSX/NFS deployment
Rate source ↗

No free-software, hosted-GPU unit price or universal savings percentage is inferred from the docs. Include infrastructure ownership, storage durability, checkpoint compatibility, support and orchestration overhead in any cost comparison.

Check current Cedana 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 Cedana

  1. Inventory CPU/GPU and runtime dependencies, container RootFS and mounted volumes, checkpoint plugins, storage paths and actual deployment/commercial terms.
  2. Select compatible Linux work for Sandbox0 and retain any GPU or existing-fleet migration infrastructure the workflow still needs.
  3. Validate full system-path persistence, growth, paused file access, execution-state expectations and total compute, software, storage and operations cost.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Cedana 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 ↗docs.cedana.ai/cedana-kubernetes/storage/what-we-checkpoint.md ↗docs.cedana.ai/cedana-kubernetes/storage/where-we-checkpoint-to.md ↗docs.cedana.ai/daemon/checkpoint-restore/basics.md ↗docs.cedana.ai/references/api/pricing.md ↗docs.cedana.ai/ ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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