Agent sandboxes / GKE Agent Sandbox alternative

GKE Agent Sandbox alternative

Agent Sandbox on GKE provides isolated stateful environments with stable identity, persistent storage and optional Pod snapshots. Those snapshots can retain full container rootfs and execution state. Compare this Kubernetes-based system with the storage, lifecycle and operational contract of a hosted agent runtime.

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

When GKE Agent Sandbox fits

Choose GKE Agent Sandbox when your platform needs Kubernetes primitives, cluster-level policies and integration with existing GKE workloads. Google manages the managed add-on controller’s lifecycle; your cluster, workloads and storage still have their own configuration and billing.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 for a hosted Linux sandbox interface with whole-RootFS online growth and supported paused-file operations. Recreate required Kubernetes orchestration, IAM and network integrations explicitly if moving a workload out of the cluster.

Capabilities

GKE Agent Sandbox and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeGKE Agent SandboxNot 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 filesGKE Agent SandboxStateful storage and configured Pod snapshots support retained data.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSGKE Agent SandboxSnapshots include the sandbox container rootfs; PVC and other excluded volumes have separate lifecycles.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 stateGKE Agent SandboxCompatible sandbox environments can save and restore through Pod snapshots.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateGKE Agent SandboxSnapshots include process memory, execution threads and CPU registers; external connections are excluded.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.

GKE Pod snapshots already retain the complete container rootfs and RAM, and persistent volumes have their own storage capabilities. The reviewed sandbox/snapshot contract does not establish automatic online growth of the complete RootFS as a uniform sandbox lifecycle feature.

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.

Cloud Storage snapshot objects and separate persistent volumes can outlive a Pod. They do not by themselves expose a complete supported-RootFS read/write interface for a paused sandbox without restoring execution.

See paused file operations →

Pod snapshots preserve more than a mounted workspace

The snapshot contents include container rootfs, emptyDir, tmpfs, process memory, threads, CPU registers and open descriptors. PersistentVolumeClaim objects and other unlisted volumes are excluded. External active connections close on restore; the retained process state is not a guarantee that external streams survive.

Source 1 ↗

Snapshot support has compatibility and infrastructure conditions

The Agent Sandbox snapshot tutorial requires GKE 1.35.3-gke.1234000 or later and excludes E2 machine types. Snapshots are stored in a configured Cloud Storage bucket with matching policies and permissions. Validate current supported versions, node families and scope before counting on portable restore.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗

The bill spans cluster, compute and storage

GKE’s cluster-management fee is separate from node or Autopilot workload compute and snapshot/Persistent Disk/Cloud Storage costs. Removing a sandbox Pod does not by itself prove that all underlying cluster capacity or retained storage charges stop.

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.

GKE Agent Sandbox

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-19

GKE cluster management
$0.10 per cluster-hour
Charged in one-second increments; separate from execution nodes and data storage.
Rate source ↗
Eligible cluster-management free credit
$74.40 per billing account/month
Applies to eligible Autopilot/zonal Standard cluster fees, not compute or regional cluster fees.
Rate source ↗
Execution and retained state
Node/workload plus storage service rates
Machine family, GKE mode, region, snapshot buckets and persistent volumes determine the full bill.
Rate source ↗

The cluster fee is not a per-sandbox compute rate. Free credit does not pay for node compute or every cluster type. Capture scope, snapshot retention, restore compatibility, feature availability and separate volume state all need to match the workload.

Check current GKE Agent Sandbox 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 GKE Agent Sandbox

  1. Inventory GKE mode/version, node compatibility, sandbox templates, rootfs/PVC split, snapshot scopes and IAM/network policies.
  2. Export the appropriate filesystem and volume state and map compatible agent execution to Sandbox0 while retaining required cluster services.
  3. Test all system paths, process restore, external reconnect behavior, online growth, paused files and complete cluster/node/storage/network costs.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in GKE Agent Sandbox 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 ↗docs.cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs/concepts/pod-snapshots ↗docs.cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs/how-to/agent-sandbox-pod-snapshots ↗cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/pricing ↗docs.cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs/concepts/machine-learning/agent-sandbox ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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