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Sandboxer vs GKE Agent Sandbox

GKE Agent Sandbox lets you run isolated sandbox pods on a GKE cluster using gVisor and Kubernetes resources (SandboxTemplate, SandboxClaim, SandboxWarmPool). It is built on the open-source kubernetes-sigs/agent-sandbox project. Pick it if you already operate GKE and want sandboxes in your own cluster; pick Sandboxer for a hosted full-VM sandbox without running Kubernetes.

Checked against GKE Agent Sandbox's public docs on October 24, 2026. Sources are linked in the table and listed below.

At a glance

Sandboxer and GKE Agent Sandbox compared
CapabilitySandboxerGKE Agent Sandbox
IsolationmicroVM
Cloud Hypervisor, its own kernel
gVisor
Example template sets runtimeClassName gvisor; the page mentions Kata Containers only as a separate open-source option.
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
The page links to pod snapshots in a separate guide but does not describe pause.
Fork a sandbox
Copy-on-write disk copy that boots fresh
HTTPS URL per port
Private with a token, or public
Longest sessionNo limit on paid plans
Auto-stop is up to 30 days or off
BillingPer second, flat rate per size
Stopped sandboxes are free
standard GKE pricing; no extra charge for Agent Sandbox
Resources you create are billed as normal GKE resources.
GPUs
Self-host or open source
Open source (kubernetes-sigs/agent-sandbox), run on your own GKE cluster.
RegionsUS East (Virginia) and EU Central (Finland)Wherever your GKE cluster runs; example uses us-central1

= not documented publicly.

Where GKE Agent Sandbox is strong

  • No extra charge for Agent Sandbox on GKE.
  • Warm pools start new sandboxes in under a second.
  • Open-source project with Kubernetes CRDs.
  • Runs in your own cluster and project, with GKE Autopilot or Standard.

Where Sandboxer differs

  • You operate a GKE cluster; Sandboxer is a hosted service with no cluster to run.
  • The documented isolation is gVisor in pods; each Sandboxer sandbox is a microVM with its own kernel.
  • The page does not document root, Docker or nested KVM; Sandboxer has all three.
  • The page links to separate Pod snapshot save/restore docs for GKE; Sandboxer stop/resume saves memory and disk and brings running processes back.

Pick GKE Agent Sandbox if

  • You already run GKE and want sandboxes in your own cluster and VPC.
  • You want an open-source, Kubernetes-native control plane.
  • You need sub-second warm-pool starts at cluster scale.

Pick Sandboxer if

  • You want a ready-to-use Ubuntu 24.04 VM with Docker, nested KVM and coding agents preinstalled, with no cloud account or networking to set up.
  • You want stop/resume that brings running processes back, instant forks of a disk snapshot, and stopped sandboxes that cost nothing.
  • You want any port exposed as an HTTPS URL and a prompt API, MCP server and SDKs for agents out of the box.

Sources

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

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