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Sandboxer vs OpenAI Containers (Code Interpreter)

OpenAI Containers are sandboxed environments inside the OpenAI API that the model uses for Code Interpreter and hosted shell. They expire after 20 minutes idle and are priced per session. Sandboxer is a long-lived full VM you control directly. Pick OpenAI containers for quick model-run analysis inside an OpenAI app.

Checked against OpenAI Containers (Code Interpreter)'s public docs on October 24, 2026. Sources are linked in the table and listed below.

At a glance

Sandboxer and OpenAI Containers (Code Interpreter) compared
CapabilitySandboxerOpenAI Containers (Code Interpreter)
IsolationmicroVM
Cloud Hypervisor, its own kernel
Sandboxed virtual machine (per OpenAI docs)
Described as a fully sandboxed virtual machine.
Full Linux with root
Ubuntu 24.04, sudo, systemd
Hosted shell commands do not run with sudo.
Docker inside
Preinstalled
Not stated on the official pages checked.
Nested virtualization (/dev/kvm)
Not stated on the official pages checked.
Pause and resume with memory
Running processes come back
Expired containers cannot be reactivated and in-memory state is lost.
Fork a sandbox
Copy-on-write disk copy that boots fresh
Not stated on the official pages checked.
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
expires after 20 minutes without use
BillingPer second, flat rate per size
Stopped sandboxes are free
per container session (20 minutes) by memory size
$0.03 for 1 GB to $1.92 for 64 GB per 20-minute session.
GPUs
Self-host or open source
RegionsUS East (Virginia) and EU Central (Finland)
Not stated on the official pages checked.

= not documented publicly.

Where OpenAI Containers (Code Interpreter) is strong

  • Built into the OpenAI API: the model writes and runs code with no separate infrastructure.
  • Memory options of 1g, 4g, 16g and 64g.
  • Preinstalled Python 3.11, Node.js 22, Java, PHP, Ruby and Go in the hosted shell.
  • Org-level network allow-lists, with domain secrets kept out of model-visible context.

Where Sandboxer differs

  • OpenAI containers expire after 20 minutes without use and cannot be reactivated; Sandboxer sandboxes persist and resume.
  • Hosted shell has no sudo and no outbound network by default; Sandboxer gives root and public IPv6.
  • OpenAI documents no inbound ports or public URLs for containers; Sandboxer exposes any port as an HTTPS URL.

Pick OpenAI Containers (Code Interpreter) if

  • Your agent already runs on the OpenAI Responses API and needs quick code execution or data analysis.
  • You want zero sandbox infrastructure and per-session pricing.

Pick Sandboxer if

  • Each Sandboxer sandbox is a full Ubuntu 24.04 VM with its own kernel, root/sudo, systemd and Docker preinstalled.
  • Stopping saves memory and disk and resume brings running processes back; stopped sandboxes cost nothing.
  • Coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode and others) are preinstalled and driven through a prompt API, with an MCP server, REST API, CLI and TypeScript and Python SDKs.

Sources

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

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