Agent sandboxes / Nodus Compute alternative

A Nodus Compute sandbox alternative beyond saved workspace files

Nodus Compute offers long-running sandboxes within a broader compute platform. Its default stop/start continuity restores workspace files, while a separate hard lifetime can delete the sandbox even when stopped. Check the complete retention policy before making a machine the home of a returning agent.

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

When Nodus Compute fits

Nodus Compute fits teams that want sandbox work alongside its jobs, functions, pipelines, GPU workloads, and budget controls. Its deny-by-default egress and snapshotted workspace may suit bounded agent tasks with an explicit lifetime.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 when the same durable agent environment should retain system changes beyond /workspace, expand its RootFS online, and let the application inspect or edit supported persistent files while compute stays paused. Configure lifetime and spending controls deliberately on either service.

Capabilities

Nodus Compute and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Capability	Nodus Compute	Sandbox0
Environment and runtime lifetime	Nodus ComputemaxLifetime defaults to 24 hours and permits up to 720 hours; the deadline deletes running or stopped sandboxes. Idle detection can be disabled independently.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 files	Nodus ComputeDefault Snapshotted continuity saves /workspace across stop/start; Ephemeral mode does not.View evidence ↗	Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFS	Nodus ComputeThe published continuity contract specifies /workspace, not the complete writable RootFS.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 state	Nodus ComputeStop/start restores saved workspace files; this does not establish retained process state.View evidence ↗	Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process state	Nodus ComputeNo RAM/process restoration contract is established by the reviewed sandbox continuity guide.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.

The reviewed sandbox guide documents restored workspace files and requested CPU/disk shapes, not automatic expansion of the complete persistent RootFS. Evaluate that storage boundary separately from the broader platform’s volume and checkpoint products.

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.

Nodus documents file requests that can wake a platform-stopped sandbox, with startup retry responses. Sandbox0’s supported paused Files API leaves compute paused; memory-paused mutation restrictions still apply.

See paused file operations →

Idle stop and maximum lifetime have different consequences

Nodus defaults to stopping after five idle minutes, with a running process counting as busy. Disabling idle detection does not disable maxLifetime. That hard creation-based deadline defaults to 24 hours, accepts up to 720 hours, and deletes the sandbox whether running or stopped. Export required state or renew the application’s environment strategy before that boundary.

Source 1 ↗

Saved workspace files are not a complete process checkpoint

The default Snapshotted continuity mode saves /workspace for the next start; Ephemeral mode starts empty. The guide does not establish whole-RootFS or RAM/process restoration. Platform-stopped sandboxes can wake on command or file requests, so those reads can incur a startup wait and compute use. Manual stop and budget blocks have their own start rules.

Source 1 ↗

Supply price examples are not a complete sandbox invoice

Nodus publishes CPU configuration supply prices, while the usage guide describes prepaid funds reserved before work. Cost views include boot, restore, running, and teardown groups. Verify the effective offer and applicable charges instead of assuming that one supply example covers every sandbox lifecycle and retained artifact.

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.

Nodus Compute

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-18

Published CPU supply configuration: $0.0075 per hour; 1 vCPU, 1 GiB RAM, 25 GB disk. Supply price, not a verified complete sandbox bill.; Rate source ↗
Published larger CPU supply configuration: $0.0357 per hour; 2 vCPU, 4 GiB RAM, 80 GiB disk. Preserve the source’s units and confirm effective offer.; Rate source ↗
Funding model: Prepaid credits with funds reserved before starting work; Confirm boot, restore, running, teardown, retained storage, and network charges for the chosen workload.; Rate source ↗

The public price page labels these CPU configurations as supply costs. It does not establish a universal all-in sandbox rate, markup, or equal-performance comparison. The billing guide’s example balance is illustrative, not a free-credit entitlement or advertised plan allowance.

Check current Nodus Compute 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 Nodus Compute

Export needed workspace files before hard-lifetime deletion and record continuity mode, idle action, budget rules, image changes, and active process requirements.
Rebuild system dependencies in a Sandbox0 template and port command/file access, network destinations, credentials, and private service access.
Validate recurring tasks, system-package persistence, growing RootFS data, paused file operations, lifetime behavior, and the complete effective cost across lifecycle phases.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Nodus Compute 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.nodus-compute.ai/docs/guides/sandboxes/ ↗www.nodus-compute.ai/pricing/ ↗www.nodus-compute.ai/docs/concepts/costs/ ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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