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Sandboxer vs GitHub Codespaces

Each codespace is a Docker container on a VM, with limited access to the host VM, machine sizes from 2 cores / 8 GB to 32 cores / 128 GB, and port forwarding on app.github.dev. Sessions end at 12 hours. Pick Codespaces for GitHub-integrated dev containers; pick Sandboxer for a full VM with root, Docker and nested KVM.

Checked against GitHub Codespaces' public docs on October 24, 2026. Sources are linked in the table and listed below.

At a glance

Sandboxer and GitHub Codespaces compared
CapabilitySandboxerGitHub Codespaces
IsolationmicroVM
Cloud Hypervisor, its own kernel
container on a VM
Limited access to the outer VM host.
Full Linux with root
Ubuntu 24.04, sudo, systemd
Docker inside
Preinstalled
Nested virtualization (/dev/kvm)
Pause and resume with memory
Running processes come back
Fork a sandbox
Copy-on-write disk copy that boots fresh
HTTPS URL per port
Private with a token, or public
Ports private, organisation or public at CODESPACENAME-PORT.app.github.dev.
Longest sessionNo limit on paid plans
Auto-stop is up to 30 days or off
12 h maximum lifetime; idle timeout 30 min default, up to 240 min
BillingPer second, flat rate per size
Stopped sandboxes are free
per hour by core count plus storage $0.07/GB-month
Free monthly hours: 120 (Free), 180 (Pro) for personal accounts.
GPUs
Self-host or open source
RegionsUS East (Virginia) and EU Central (Finland)

= not documented publicly.

Published prices

Sandboxer
$0.036/hour
Flat per-second rate for the default size
GitHub Codespaces
$0.36/hour
4-core machine at $0.36 per hour (RAM not listed on the billing page; the 2-core is $0.18 and the overview lists 2 cores as 8 GB); storage extra

List prices from each provider's pricing page, before free credits, plans and storage. This compares price only.

Where GitHub Codespaces is strong

  • Tight GitHub integration and dev containers.
  • Free monthly hours for personal accounts.
  • Port visibility controls (private, organisation, public).
  • Machines up to 32 cores / 128 GB.

Where Sandboxer differs

  • Codespaces run in a container with limited host access; Sandboxer gives each sandbox its own VM with root via sudo.
  • Codespaces cap at 12 hours; Sandboxer paid plans can run unlimited.
  • Codespaces has no documented memory-preserving pause or nested KVM.
  • Sandboxer ships coding agents and an agent API.

Pick GitHub Codespaces if

  • Your work lives in GitHub and uses devcontainer.json.
  • You want free monthly hours and org policies.
  • You want VS Code in the browser per repository.

Pick Sandboxer if

  • You need a full Ubuntu 24.04 VM with root, systemd, Docker and nested KVM, with agents like Claude Code and Codex preinstalled.
  • You want stop to save memory and disk and resume to bring processes back, with stopped sandboxes costing nothing.
  • You want a REST API, CLI, TypeScript and Python SDKs, and an MCP server on per-second billing.

Sources

Products change. If something here is out of date, email hello@sandboxer.com and we'll fix it. GitHub Codespaces is a trademark of its owner. Sandboxer is an independent product and is not affiliated with GitHub Codespaces.

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