Manage sandbox instances

Create from the console

PAI-Sandbox provides three console entry points for creating instances:

1. Entry point 1: On the sandbox workspace, click the Create Sandbox button.

2. Entry point 2: In the Private Templates/Public Templates list, select the Create Sandbox action for the target template.

3. Entry point 3: On the template details page, click Create Sandbox in the Sandbox List.

In the Create Sandbox dialog box, configure the following parameters:

Click Create Sandbox to create the instance.

Create with the SDK

PAI-Sandbox is natively compatible with the E2B SDK. The usage is identical to E2B:

import os
from e2b import Sandbox

# Set authentication credentials
os.environ["E2B_API_KEY"] = "<YOUR-TOKEN>"
os.environ["E2B_DOMAIN"] = "sandbox01.cn-shanghai.pai-eas.aliyuncs.com"

# Create a sandbox instance
sandbox = Sandbox.create(
    template="<YOUR-TEMPLATE-ID>",
    timeout=300000,
)

print(f"Sandbox ID: {sandbox.sandbox_id}")          

On the Template Details page, click SDK Access in the upper-right corner to view the SDK connection configuration and Python sample code. For more API details, see E2B SDK integration.

View sandbox details

Go to the sandbox workspace, find the target sandbox in the Sandbox List, and click Details in the Actions column to open the sandbox details page.

The sandbox details page displays:

• Resource specifications: CPU, memory, and disk.

• Status information: status (Running/Paused) and uptime.

• Basic information: sandbox ID, template, creation time, expiration time, RAM user ID, Alibaba Cloud account ID, and Access Token.

• Metadata: key-value pairs such as sandbox.alicloud.com/service-name and userId.

Open a terminal

Click Open Terminal to open a Web Terminal window. The terminal displays the sandbox ID, template ID, and session timeout (10-minute idle timeout / 30-minute maximum by default).

Run any shell command directly in the terminal. This is equivalent to calling sandbox.commands.run() through the SDK, and is useful for debugging and environment verification.

Open VNC

For Desktop-type templates, click Open VNC to start a remote desktop session.

VNC is useful for:

• Debugging applications that require a graphical interface.

• Visual verification of browser automation (such as Playwright and Selenium).

• GUI testing and screenshot capture.

Manage files

The sandbox details page provides a File Management panel with a visual directory tree:

• Browse the directory structure inside the sandbox, such as bin, boot, code, dev, etc, and home.

• Create folders, upload files, refresh the view, navigate up one level, and return to the root directory.

• View file sizes and modification times.

File management is equivalent to calling sandbox.files.read() / sandbox.files.write() through the SDK, and provides quick access to runtime results without leaving the console.

Invoke services

The Service Invocation panel provides a visual HTTP interaction interface to call services running inside the sandbox.

Configuration options:

• Request method: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, and more.

• Port: the listening port of the service inside the sandbox.

• Path: the URL path for the request, such as /health.

• Request headers: custom HTTP headers, such as Content-Type: application/json.

• Preview URL: the full request URL assembled by the system, which you can copy and use directly.

Click Send Request. The HTTP Interaction History panel on the right displays the request and response content for real-time debugging.

View request logs

Switch to the Request Logs tab to view all HTTP requests forwarded to the sandbox through the data plane. Use these logs for auditing and troubleshooting.

Pause and resume

PAI-Sandbox supports pausing and resuming sandbox instances. Use this to preserve the sandbox state for later recovery or to save the instance as a template.

• Pause: Click Pause in the sandbox list or call sandbox.pause(). The sandbox state is persisted to the sandbox space storage.

• Resume: Click Resume in the sandbox list or call Sandbox.connect("<sandbox-id>"). The sandbox quickly recovers to the running state.

Save as a template

PAI-Sandbox can save the current state of a sandbox instance -- including files, installed dependencies, and running processes -- as a new template for environment reuse.

Typical scenarios:

• After completing code changes and environment configuration during development, save the sandbox as a template to avoid rebuilding the image for every change.

• Capture a fully configured agent runtime environment as a standard template for team reuse.

Prerequisites: The sandbox space must have a configured Enterprise Edition Image Instance (Standard or Enterprise Edition).

Procedure:

1. Pause the sandbox instance that you want to save as a template.

2. Click Save as Template.

3. Enter a name and description for the new template.

4. Click OK. The system creates a new template based on the current instance state.

Extend sandbox timeout

PAI-Sandbox provides two methods to extend the timeout: