Agent sandboxes / Daytona alternative

A Daytona sandbox alternative for an expanding agent computer

Daytona preserves installed packages and files, and its VM sandboxes can preserve memory too. The choice depends on sandbox class, how disk growth interrupts execution, and where state lives between sessions.

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

When Daytona fits

Daytona fits an application using its language SDKs and multiple sandbox classes. Choose the class explicitly: container, Linux VM, Windows, and GPU environments have different persistence and memory behavior.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 when the main requirement is a durable Linux agent identity with an online-growing RootFS, incremental remote storage, and file access during compute pauses. Validate gVisor compatibility for the agent tools you run.

Capabilities

Daytona and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeDaytonaPersistent by default; container auto-stop can be disabled with 0. Sandbox class and configured deletion policy matter.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 filesDaytonaContainer and VM files, packages, and repositories persist across stop/start; GPU semantics differ.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSDaytonaDocumented disk-level environment persistence for container and VM classes.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 stateDaytonaVM pause/resume preserves memory; container stop/start is filesystem-only.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateDaytonaHot snapshots and forks preserve memory on supported VM classes.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.

Daytona can increase disk capacity after the sandbox stops, with resizing enabled for the organization. This is a different operational choice from automatic mounted-RootFS growth during a running task.

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 →

Choose the Daytona class before comparing pause

Daytona VM pause preserves memory; container stop/start retains files but clears memory. GPU sandboxes are documented separately as ephemeral on stop. These class-specific boundaries determine which installed files and running processes can return after a lifecycle change.

Source 1 ↗

Disk resizing needs a stopped sandbox

Daytona documents increasing CPU and RAM on a running sandbox, while disk growth requires stopping first and organization-level enablement. Sandbox0 can grow the mounted RootFS as it fills on enabled templates, keeping the current agent processes running.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗

Separate stopped storage from archival policy

A stopped Daytona container keeps its filesystem on the runner until archival moves it into object storage. VM stop offloads the filesystem and releases disk quota. Map this class-specific lifecycle to your retention requirements before estimating storage costs.

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.

Same size. Lower compute cost.

2 vCPU · 4 GiB RAM · 730 running hours / month

Save $77.09 / month

The same CPU and memory allocation, with runtime aggregated across sessions. Monthly allowances and credits below are applied to this workload.

Daytona

Linux pay as you go

$120.89

$0.1656/hour before monthly allowances

Sandbox0

Pay as you go · no monthly plan fee

$43.80

$0.06/hour · 63% lower in this example

Linux CPU and memory rates are added together. Storage beyond the included allowance is separate; one-time trial and startup credits are excluded.

Compute and stated plan fees only. Storage, network, taxes and one-time credits are excluded; hardware and throughput can differ.

Calculation and billing assumptions

Daytona: $120.888 compute after 0 included vCPU-hours and 0 included GiB-hours, plus $0.00 plan fee, minus $0.00 applied monthly credit.

Sandbox0: 4 GiB × 730 hours × its published compute rate. CPU uses the Cloud allocation shown on the pricing page.

Includes compute and the selected plan. Excludes storage, network, taxes, one-time grants and negotiated discounts. Assumes this workload can use the full listed monthly allowances. CPU and memory counts do not guarantee equal hardware or throughput.

Checked Daytona rate source ↗Sandbox0 rates ↗

Daytona

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-18

CPU
$0.0504 per vCPU-hour
Rate source ↗
Memory
$0.0162 per GiB-hour
Rate source ↗
Storage
$0.000108 per GiB-hour after the first 5 GiB free
Rate source ↗

Usage is calculated per second. These are the published general compute meters; Windows CPU, GPUs, Enterprise terms, and organization limits require their own configuration.

Check current Daytona 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
Understand storage billing →

Before migrating from Daytona

  1. Record whether each Daytona workload uses a container, Linux VM, Windows VM, or GPU sandbox; migrate only compatible Linux workloads.
  2. Export the persistent filesystem and any independently mounted volumes, and recreate template and network settings.
  3. Test the disk-growth path and process-restoration requirements separately; Sandbox0 memory checkpoints are explicit and experimental.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Daytona replacement?

Evaluate API compatibility and product scope. A shared sandbox category does not make SDKs, lifecycle semantics, or limits interchangeable.

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 ↗www.daytona.io/docs/en/persistence/ ↗www.daytona.io/docs/en/sandboxes/ ↗/docs/sandbox/template/configuration ↗www.daytona.io/pricing ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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