Application platforms / Zeabur Application Platform alternative

A Zeabur alternative for the agent’s Linux system

Zeabur manages application services on purchased or customer-owned infrastructure. Its subscriptions control dashboard and product features, while server resources have separate provider-specific prices. Services can suspend with retained configuration and volumes, but ordinary runtime files reset when services restart.

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

When Zeabur Application Platform fits

Zeabur fits teams deploying applications with managed builds, domains, service controls and persistent data volumes. Retain required app delivery and infrastructure management capabilities when moving an agent workflow.

When to consider Sandbox0

Consider Sandbox0 for compatible Linux agents that repeatedly change installed tools and system configuration across a complete durable writable RootFS, with enabled automatic online growth and supported paused files.

Capabilities

Zeabur Application Platform and Sandbox0: what persists?

Feature comparison with documentation and verification status
Environment and runtime lifetimeZeabur Application PlatformNot 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 filesZeabur Application PlatformMounted service volumes retain data across restarts and suspension, scoped to a single service.View evidence ↗Sandbox0The writable RootFS survives successful checkpoints, including software, system configuration, dependencies, and user data.Read documentation →
Whole RootFSZeabur Application PlatformFiles outside retained mounts revert to their initial state after service restart; full mutable service OS retention is not provided by those mounts.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 stateZeabur Application PlatformServices suspend with retained configuration/volumes and resume through a fresh deployment; underlying server charges have a separate lifecycle.View evidence ↗Sandbox0Pause compute between tasks; resume on available capacity. Default resume starts fresh processes from the saved filesystem.Read documentation →
Memory and process stateZeabur Application PlatformResume starts a new deployment, rather than restoring the previous running process memory.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.

Zeabur service resource controls and provider server plans are separate from automatic online expansion of a complete durable writable agent RootFS. Persistent service-volume capacity does not make other runtime paths durable.

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.

Zeabur offers a container file manager and Config Editor; file operations can depend on utilities available inside the container. The docs do not establish direct whole-RootFS operations while the service container remains stopped. Sandbox0 supports paused durable RootFS files under its filesystem-only and retained-memory rules.

See paused file operations →

Subscription and build specifications do not buy the runtime server

Current Dev and Pro subscriptions are $5 and $19 per month; Team includes three seats for $79. Server purchases specify provider, region, CPU, RAM, disk and a separate monthly price. The pricing page explicitly distinguishes CI build-machine size from the service’s actual runtime resources.

Volumes retain selected directories with restart tradeoffs

The volume guide says files outside mounted persistent paths reset to defaults on restart. A volume is scoped to one service and cannot be shared by reusing its ID in another service. Enabling volumes removes zero-downtime restart behavior, and initially mounting a directory clears its previous contents; export needed files first.

Service suspension resumes as a new deployment

Suspend shuts down the service container, retains configuration and volume data and stops service compute charges. Resume starts a new deployment and health-check cycle, not the previous process memory. A purchased server and its renewal agreement are separate, so suspending one service does not cancel its underlying server bill.

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.

Zeabur Application Platform

Pricing reviewed 2026-10-19

Free platform subscription
$0/month
Limited managed-own-server count and platform features; purchased infrastructure is separate.
Rate source ↗
Dev subscription
$5/month
Advertised 14-day trial eligibility and terms apply.
Rate source ↗
Pro subscription
$19/month
Rate source ↗
Team subscription
$79/month for 3 seats
Additional seats: $24 per seat-month.
Rate source ↗
Purchased runtime server
Separate provider/region/resource-specific monthly quote
Rate source ↗

Dashboard subscriptions, CI build specs and runtime infrastructure are distinct. Confirm server renewal, retained volume and other resource charges separately; stopping service execution does not cancel a monthly server purchase. The current server and cluster offerings should not be priced using deprecated shared-cluster assumptions.

Check current Zeabur Application Platform 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 Zeabur Application Platform

  1. Inventory purchased versus owned servers, subscriptions, service images, volume paths, config files and restart requirements.
  2. Export non-volume files before restart or mounting a volume and retain required application/server infrastructure.
  3. Port compatible Linux agents and test full-system retention, growth and supported paused files separately from app deployment and server renewal costs.

Common questions

Is Sandbox0 a drop-in Zeabur Application Platform 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.

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