Workflow orchestration / Mastra alternative

Mastra sandbox alternative

Mastra combines an agent framework, deployment platform, storage and on-demand sandboxes. PlatformSandbox can recover a previous filesystem checkpoint using a stable ID. Compare that provider-specific recovery with complete RootFS scope, process continuity and the storage lifecycle your agent requires.

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

When Mastra fits

Choose Mastra when its TypeScript framework, agent workflows, memory, observability and hosted application deployment are central. Its sandbox adapters can fit into that broader stack; preserve the framework behavior you depend on.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 for the underlying isolated Linux computer and online growth of its durable whole RootFS. Integrating it with a Mastra application still requires an appropriate adapter and explicit credential, command and lifecycle mapping.

Capabilities

Mastra and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeMastraNot 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 filesMastraStable-ID filesystem checkpoint recovery is documented; latest uncheckpointed writes and provider cleanup rules remain excluded.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSMastraFilesystem recovery is explicit, but a uniform complete writable RootFS guarantee across providers is not established here.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 stateMastraLive reattachment and filesystem recovery differ; provider-specific destroy/checkpoint behavior applies.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateMastraFilesystem recovery does not restore processes; no uniform arbitrary RAM snapshot contract is established.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.

Mastra’s filesystem checkpoint recovery is acknowledged. Its complete RootFS coverage, disk geometry and growth behavior depend on the selected backend; the reviewed adapter contract does not establish automatic online growth of a whole retained Linux RootFS.

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 environment bucket supports durable application files separately from sandbox execution. It is not automatically the sandbox filesystem, so bucket access does not establish read/write access to every supported path of a paused sandbox RootFS.

See paused file operations →

Checkpoint recovery and live reattachment differ

A stable caller-supplied ID lets PlatformSandbox boot a new sandbox from its latest filesystem checkpoint; generated IDs do not provide that recovery. Processes and writes after the checkpoint are lost. Reattaching with sandboxId instead joins the exact live sandbox and its existing processes.

Source 1 ↗

Filesystem storage and sandbox providers have separate lifecycles

The environment bucket is durable but is not automatically mounted into PlatformSandbox. Current workspace docs distinguish Railway and E2B behavior: Railway destroy deletes the recovery checkpoint, while E2B destroy kills the VM and leaves a separately managed snapshot. Verify the selected provider’s effective retention policy.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗

Platform CPU hours do not establish a sandbox resource rate

Mastra’s price table publishes application CPU time, observability events, database services and model gateway charges. Those platform meters should not be relabeled as a universal sandbox vCPU/RAM rate. Confirm the selected sandbox provider’s actual compute, checkpoint and storage billing.

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.

Mastra

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-19

Platform Starter
$0/month base
Includes 24 CPU hours and 100K observability events; these are platform meters.
Rate source ↗
Starter CPU overage
$0.35 per CPU hour
Application platform CPU time; not a verified sandbox CPU/RAM tariff.
Rate source ↗
Platform Teams
$250/month base
Includes 250 CPU hours and 1M events; CPU overage $0.25/hour.
Rate source ↗
Starter event overage
$10 per 100K events
Separate from runtime compute, model and database charges.
Rate source ↗

Mastra’s Apache-2.0 framework can be self-operated with separate hosting costs. Platform persistent-server, database, storage, egress and gateway charges have separate scopes. Obtain effective sandbox/provider terms before estimating a retained machine bill.

Check current Mastra 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 Mastra

  1. Record framework features, provider, stable recovery IDs, sandboxId reattachment, checkpoint timing and bucket contents.
  2. Build the compatible runtime integration and export required files before destructive provider cleanup; preserve workflow and memory services.
  3. Test system paths, latest checkpoint recovery, process expectations, RootFS growth, paused files and full platform/provider/model costs.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Mastra 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 ↗mastra.ai/reference/workspace/platform-sandbox ↗mastra.ai/docs/mastra-platform/workspaces ↗mastra.ai/pricing ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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