E2B (13,266 Stars) 2026: Secure Cloud Sandboxes for AI Agents - Run Untrusted Code Safely
E2B (13,266 stars) provides secure cloud sandboxes for AI agents to run code safely - perfect for agent tool use, code execution and browser automation. Here is how to use it.
💡 What You Will Learn
E2B (13,266 stars) provides secure cloud sandboxes for AI agents to run code safely - perfect for agent tool use, code execution and browser automation. Here is how to use it.
## The short answer
**e2b-dev/e2b** (13,266 stars, TypeScript) is an open-source infrastructure for AI agents: secure cloud sandboxes where agents can execute code, run tools, and automate browsers without touching your production environment. Each sandbox is an isolated microVM that boots in milliseconds and is destroyed when done.
## Why agents need sandboxes
- **Safety**: generated code runs in isolation - it cannot touch your host
- **Statefulness**: keep a filesystem and processes alive across agent steps
- **Browser automation**: run Playwright inside the sandbox for web agents
- **Cleanup**: sandboxes are ephemeral - no lingering containers or VMs
## Quick start
```bash
npm install e2b
```
```typescript
import { Sandbox } from "e2b";
const sandbox = await Sandbox.create();
const result = await sandbox.commands.run(
"python3 -c 'print(40 + 2)'"
);
console.log(result.stdout); // 42
await sandbox.close();
```
Or use the Python SDK: `pip install e2b` with the same workflow.
## Common agent patterns
- **Code interpreter**: let the model write and run Python/JS iteratively
- **Web scraping**: run Playwright in the sandbox, return screenshots + HTML
- **Data processing**: mount a file, transform it, download the result
## Practical tips
- Always close sandboxes (`await sandbox.close()`) to avoid leaking resources.
- Use templates to preload dependencies (Python, Node, Playwright) for faster starts.
- Set a timeout for long-running commands to control costs.
## FAQ
**Is it free?** The SDK is open source (Apache-2.0); cloud sandbox execution has a free tier with paid plans for scale.
**Can I self-host?** Yes - the project supports self-hosting the sandbox infrastructure.
**Is it secure?** Sandboxes are isolated microVMs; treat them as disposable and never put production secrets inside.
Related Articles
2026-06-29
The Mainline Dragon Strategy โ Chasing the Leader Without Paying for Data
2026-06-29
The AI Hiding in Your Laptop
2026-07-14
Free AI Coding Assistant Setup 2026: 5-Min VS Code Guide (Continue, Copilot, Windsurf)
