E2B vs Daytona: which sandbox for AI agent code?
Updated By Agent Radar6 min read
Short answer
E2B vs Daytona: E2B runs agent code in open-source Linux VM sandboxes you can self-host; Daytona, now closed source, adds Windows, macOS and GPU sandboxes.
Top pick: E2B. E2B is open-source infrastructure for running AI-generated code in isolated cloud sandboxes, each a Linux VM controlled from the JavaScript or Python SDK.
Pick E2B if you want an open-source sandbox stack you can run on your own cloud account later, and your agents are written in Python or TypeScript. Pick Daytona if you need Windows, macOS or GPU sandboxes, or an SDK in Go, Ruby or Java, and you are fine with a hosted, closed-source platform. Sources checked 2026-10-26.
Quick comparison
| E2B | Daytona | |
|---|---|---|
| What a sandbox is | An isolated Linux VM created on demand | Linux container by default; Linux or Windows VM, GPU and macOS options |
| SDKs | JavaScript/TypeScript, Python | Python, TypeScript, Ruby, Go, Java, plus API and CLI |
| Computer use | Desktop SDK (mouse, keyboard, screenshots, app launch) | VNC access, web terminal and a computer-use toolset |
| Idle and run limits | Up to 24 h continuous on Pro, 1 h on Hobby; pause keeps state | Auto-stop after 15 min idle by default; 0 disables it |
| Self-hosting | Documented: e2b-dev/runtime with Terraform on AWS, GCP, Azure or Linux | Only the frozen v0.190.0 code is public |
| Source code | Open (Apache-2.0 per the GitHub API) | Private since June 2026; last public code AGPL-3.0 |
| Latest release checked | e2b 2.59.0 (October 22, 2026) | daytona 0.226.1 on PyPI (October 23, 2026) |
| GitHub stars (2026-10-26) | about 14,600 | about 71,500, on the now-archived repository |
The column order follows the query wording, not a ranking.
How they differ
Open source versus a closed platform
This is the change most older comparisons miss. The daytonaio/daytona README now opens with a notice that the repository is no longer maintained: as of June 2026, core development moved to a private codebase, and the public code stays available "as is" under its AGPL-3.0 license at v0.190.0. Daytona's SDKs are still published (the Python package daytona 0.226.1 is listed as Apache-2.0 on PyPI), but the platform itself is no longer developed in the open.
E2B goes the other way. The E2B repository holding the SDKs is Apache-2.0 per the GitHub API, and the README points to e2b-dev/runtime, described as "the runtime behind every E2B stack: Cloud, Enterprise, and your own machine," also Apache-2.0. It deploys with Terraform on AWS, Google Cloud, Azure or a general Linux machine.
Kinds of machines
E2B's documentation describes a sandbox as an isolated Linux VM for your agent. On top of that, the Code Interpreter SDK adds runCode() / run_code(), and the Desktop SDK gives an agent mouse, keyboard, screenshot and application control on a Linux desktop.
Daytona offers a wider menu. Its sandboxes run as Linux containers by default, and the docs list VM sandboxes with Linux or Windows, GPU sandboxes with NVIDIA and AMD acceleration, and macOS sandboxes on dedicated Apple silicon hardware. Each sandbox gets its own kernel, filesystem, network stack and allocated vCPU, RAM and disk.
Lifecycle and persistence
E2B sandboxes stay up until their timeout, which you set at creation and can change while running. On timeout they can pause automatically with full state preserved, and the docs cap continuous runtime at 24 hours on Pro and 1 hour on Hobby; pausing resets that window. Snapshots, forking and auto-resume on request are documented.
Daytona manages lifecycle with intervals: auto-stop (15 minutes of inactivity by default, 0 to disable), plus auto-pause, auto-archive and auto-delete, a wall-clock TTL, and fork and recover operations. Stateful snapshots and volumes cover persistence across sessions.
Languages and tooling
If your agent stack is in Go, Ruby or Java, Daytona has an SDK and E2B does not. Daytona also documents an MCP server, a language server protocol toolset, Git operations, SSH, VNC and a web terminal. E2B covers the same core operations (commands, filesystem, templates, SSH access, a CLI) from Python and JavaScript only.
Which one to choose
- You may need to self-host later, or open source is a procurement requirement: E2B.
- Your agents need Windows, macOS or GPU machines: Daytona.
- Your backend is Go, Ruby or Java: Daytona, unless you are happy to call E2B over its API.
- Python or TypeScript agents that run code and occasionally drive a Linux desktop: either works; E2B keeps the exit door open.
How we compared
We read both GitHub repositories and their READMEs, the E2B sandbox lifecycle docs, the Daytona sandboxes docs, the e2b-dev/runtime repository metadata and the PyPI pages for e2b and daytona, all on 2026-10-26. We did not create sandboxes or measure start-up times, so the start-up figures each vendor quotes are not repeated here.
Limitations
Neither vendor's pricing is in the cited sources. Plan limits change, so check the current billing pages before you commit. Star counts change daily and the Daytona figure belongs to an archived repository.
For more on this space, read E2B alternatives, the E2B 2.56.0 launch, the Daytona and E2B hubs and the Agent infra category.
The tools
E2B is open-source infrastructure for running AI-generated code in isolated cloud sandboxes, each a Linux VM controlled from the JavaScript or Python SDK.
Pros
- The runtime behind E2B Cloud is public (e2b-dev/runtime, Apache-2.0) and self-hostable on AWS, Google Cloud, Azure or a plain Linux machine
- Separate SDKs for code interpreting and for desktop computer use (mouse, keyboard, screenshots)
- Pause and resume preserves a sandbox's full state indefinitely
- Active releases: e2b 2.59.0 shipped on October 22, 2026
Cons
- SDKs only for JavaScript/TypeScript and Python
- A sandbox runs continuously for at most 24 hours on Pro or 1 hour on Hobby before it must be paused
- Hosted pricing is not stated in the cited sources
- Rank 2
Daytona
Daytona is infrastructure for running AI-generated code in sandboxes with a dedicated kernel, filesystem, network stack and allocated vCPU, RAM and disk.
Pros
- Linux container sandboxes by default, plus Linux and Windows VMs, NVIDIA and AMD GPU sandboxes and macOS on Apple silicon
- SDKs for Python, TypeScript, Ruby, Go and Java, plus an API and CLI
- Built-in auto-stop, auto-archive and auto-delete intervals; auto-stop can be disabled to run indefinitely
- Snapshots, volumes, warm pools, SSH, VNC and a web terminal are documented
Cons
- Core development moved to a private codebase in June 2026; the public AGPL-3.0 repository is frozen at v0.190.0
- Self-hosting the current platform is not documented in the cited sources
- Hosted pricing is not stated in the cited sources
Questions
What is the main difference between E2B and Daytona?
E2B is an open-source sandbox stack whose runtime you can host yourself, with Linux VM sandboxes driven from JavaScript or Python. Daytona is now a closed-source platform with a wider choice of sandbox types, including Windows, macOS and GPU machines, and SDKs in five languages.
Is Daytona open source?
Not any more for new development. The daytonaio/daytona README says core development moved to a private codebase in June 2026 and the repository will get no further updates. The last public version, v0.190.0, remains available under AGPL-3.0. The Python SDK on PyPI is listed as Apache-2.0.
Can I self-host E2B or Daytona?
E2B documents self-hosting: its runtime repository (Apache-2.0) deploys with Terraform on AWS, Google Cloud, Azure or a general Linux machine. For Daytona, only the frozen AGPL-3.0 code from June 2026 is public; the cited sources do not describe self-hosting the current platform.
How long can a sandbox run in E2B and Daytona?
E2B sandboxes run continuously for up to 24 hours on Pro or 1 hour on Hobby; pausing resets that window and keeps full state. Daytona sandboxes auto-stop after 15 minutes of inactivity by default, and setting the interval to 0 lets them run indefinitely.
Which one supports Windows or macOS sandboxes?
Daytona. Its docs list Windows VM sandboxes and macOS sandboxes on dedicated Apple silicon. E2B's docs describe its sandboxes as Linux VMs, with a separate Desktop SDK for Linux desktop computer use.