Cloud infrastructure / KakaoCloud Virtual Machine alternative

KakaoCloud Virtual Machine alternative for Linux agents

KakaoCloud VMs use separately provisioned Block Storage root volumes, so installed system state is already durable storage. Its Stop and Shut down (shelve) actions have different resource and billing effects. For agents, model the actual state and volume lifecycle before comparing a stopped machine with a paused runtime.

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

When KakaoCloud Virtual Machine fits

Choose KakaoCloud when full VMs, its regional infrastructure, device options or cloud integrations are requirements. General-purpose, burstable, compute and GPU families have distinct performance and billing conditions.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 for compatible Linux agents needing automatic online RootFS growth and supported file access while guest compute is paused. Keep specialized hardware, full-kernel and Kakao-specific application services where required.

Capabilities

KakaoCloud Virtual Machine and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeKakaoCloud Virtual MachineNot 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 filesKakaoCloud Virtual MachineRoot and data volumes are provisioned through Block Storage with their own lifecycle.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSKakaoCloud Virtual MachineThe root device volume contains the installed OS and its writable system filesystem.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 stateKakaoCloud Virtual MachineShelve/unshelve can release compute while retaining volume state; ordinary Stop remains billed.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateKakaoCloud Virtual MachineStop and shelve state descriptions do not establish arbitrary process/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.

KakaoCloud already supports root-volume and filesystem expansion, including using expanded space without a restart. It is an explicit volume/partition/filesystem operation; applying revised root QoS needs a separate shutdown/start. This differs from automatic low-space-triggered whole-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.

The root volume cannot be detached through the documented volume workflow. Retention, console management and snapshots do not establish native file-level operations throughout a shelved OS filesystem while guest compute remains stopped.

See paused file operations →

Stopped is still an allocated and billed state

The VM state table bills Stopped because resources remain allocated. Shelved_offloaded releases hypervisor resources and is not billed for instance compute. Retained volumes and other resources remain separate; verify family-specific terms rather than assigning this CPU VM rule to every GPU product.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗

Root growth includes guest filesystem work

KakaoCloud permits explicit volume enlargement and then requires partition/filesystem expansion inside the guest. The guide says expanded filesystem space can be used without restarting the instance. Applying new root-volume QoS separately requires Shut down and Start; that is distinct from the capacity extension itself.

Source 1 ↗

Root storage and OS charges sit outside the VM rate

The VM price table bills root and additional volumes through Block Storage, and OS image charges can be separate. Deleting an instance while retaining its volumes keeps those volume charges. Use the selected family’s resource unit and a complete storage/network budget.

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.

KakaoCloud Virtual Machine

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-19

m1ix.large VM reference
KRW 125 per instance-hour
2 vCPU / 8 GiB; public table excludes VAT and separate root/data volumes.
Rate source ↗
m1ix.large displayed monthly illustration
KRW 90,000 for 30 days
A 720-hour illustration, not a second charge or universal calendar-month cap.
Rate source ↗
Root/data storage and licensed OS
Separate applicable charges
Retained volumes keep billing after instance deletion when not deleted.
Rate source ↗

The billing guide meters instance use by the minute; the public table shows hourly and 30-day monthly references. Preserve GiB memory units and check effective state, family, region, VAT, storage, OS and networking. No equal-throughput claim follows from a nominal vCPU comparison.

Check current KakaoCloud Virtual Machine 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 KakaoCloud Virtual Machine

  1. Inventory VM family, Stop versus Shelve behavior, root/data volumes, deletion settings, licensed OS and actual state-based charges.
  2. Export consistent system/user files and recreate compatible Linux tools and policies; retain hardware or cloud-specific services as needed.
  3. Validate installed-state retention, online expansion, paused files and total VM, retained Block Storage, OS, network and VAT costs.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in KakaoCloud Virtual Machine 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.kakaocloud.com/en/service/bcs/vm/vm-main ↗docs.kakaocloud.com/en/service/bcs/vm/vm-pricing ↗docs.kakaocloud.com/en/service/bcs/vm/how-to-guides/vm-manage-volume ↗www.kakaocloud.com/services/virtual-machine/pricing ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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