Cloud infrastructure / Oracle Cloud Infrastructure alternative

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure alternative for Linux agents

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure already offers durable complete boot volumes and online volume expansion. Many VM shapes stop compute billing when stopped through the service, while other families remain charged. For agents, compare the selected shape and the storage/lifecycle automation rather than assuming a general cloud VM only saves a workspace.

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

When Oracle Cloud Infrastructure fits

Choose OCI for full VM administration, Arm/x86 choices and Oracle’s broader cloud services. Whole-system disks and supported compute-free stopped states are real capabilities to retain when the workload needs OCI integrations or full-kernel control.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 for a compatible Linux agent runtime with low-space-triggered whole-RootFS growth and supported paused-file operations. Assess gVisor compatibility and required CPU architecture before moving tools or machine images.

Capabilities

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeOracle Cloud InfrastructureNot 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 filesOracle Cloud InfrastructureBoot volumes can be retained, enlarged, cloned and used to start instances.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSOracle Cloud InfrastructureThe boot volume retains the installed OS and user filesystem, beyond a workspace.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 stateOracle Cloud InfrastructureSupported shapes can stop compute billing while retaining separate volumes; RAM continuity is not established here.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateOracle Cloud InfrastructureOrdinary stopped-instance billing does not establish arbitrary RAM checkpoint/resume.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.

OCI already supports online boot/block capacity increases followed by guest partition/filesystem expansion. Sandbox0 integrates the low-free-space trigger and durable agent RootFS lifecycle; persistence and online expansion themselves are not exclusive capabilities.

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.

A retained boot volume can be used in another instance workflow, but reading its guest files through a helper machine uses other compute and mount orchestration. That differs from a native whole-RootFS file interface while the agent’s guest compute stays paused.

See paused file operations →

The shape determines stopped-instance billing

Standard shapes and optimized VMs pause instance billing when stopped through the console/API. Dense I/O, HPC, optimized bare metal and most GPU shapes keep billing; A10-series GPU VMs are an exception. Stopped instances still count toward service limits. An OS-level shutdown alone does not stop instance billing.

Source 1 ↗

Boot volumes already support explicit online expansion

OCI can enlarge a block or boot volume without detaching it. Rescan the disk and extend its partition/filesystem as required. IDE boot attachments have resizing restrictions, and replicated volumes need their replication workflow handled. This is online growth, with low-space detection and policy automation a separate responsibility.

Source 1 ↗Source 2 ↗

OCPU is not a universal synonym for vCPU

OCI bills its published CPU resource in OCPUs. The x86 convention commonly provides two threads per OCPU, whereas Arm shapes have their own core/thread relationship. An A1 rate is an Arm reference, not a performance-equivalent x86 or Sandbox0 machine quote.

Source 1 ↗

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.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-19

Ampere A1 CPU reference
$0.01 per OCPU-hour
Published Arm A1 rate; verify shape/architecture availability and account terms.
Rate source ↗
Ampere A1 memory reference
$0.0015 per GB-hour
Separate from OCPU, boot/block storage and other services.
Rate source ↗
Supported stopped VM shapes
Instance compute billing pauses
Shape-specific exceptions, retained volumes, IP/network and software costs still apply.
Rate source ↗

Do not translate an OCPU price into a vCPU price without the architecture’s thread convention. Include retained boot/data disks, performance tiers, snapshots, networking and licenses. Free-tier eligibility or a small reference shape is not proof of general free capacity or guaranteed startup availability.

Check current Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 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 Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

  1. Inventory exact OCI shape, OCPU/thread convention, boot attachment, disk performance and shape-specific stopped charges.
  2. Export consistent system/user files and configure compatible architecture/tooling on Sandbox0 while retaining required OCI services.
  3. Test installed-tool retention, online growth, paused files and the combined active compute, retained storage, IP, license and network bill.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 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.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/Compute/Tasks/resource-billing-stopped-instances.htm ↗docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/Block/Tasks/update-online-resize-block-boot-volume.htm ↗docs.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/Block/Tasks/resizingavolume.htm ↗www.oracle.com/cloud/compute/arm/ ↗Sandbox0 RootFS capacity →

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