generated: '2026-07-19'
method: searched
source: https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/build/sandbox
docs: https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/build/sandbox
kind: compute-sandbox
important_note: >-
  Lightning AI is not a payments or transactional provider, so it publishes no
  test-mode keys, test cards or magic test values. What it does publish - and
  what this artifact captures - is a first-class product named Sandbox: isolated,
  on-demand Linux environments developers create programmatically to run
  untrusted or agent-generated code. Alongside it, AI Studios provide the
  interactive browser console. No test credentials are invented here; every value
  below is published in the docs.
summary: >-
  Lightning AI Sandbox gives every workload its own isolated Linux environment,
  started in milliseconds and torn down on completion. It is used to run
  LLM-generated code safely, isolate untrusted third-party scripts, test
  repositories, and power code playgrounds and live preview environments.
interfaces:
- name: Python SDK
  package: lightning-sdk
  entrypoint: from lightning_sdk import Sandbox
  docs: https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/developers/sdk/sandbox/python-sandbox-sdk
- name: JavaScript SDK
  package: '@lightningai/sdk'
  entrypoint: import { Sandbox } from "@lightningai/sdk"
  docs: https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/developers/sdk/sandbox/js-sandbox-sdk
  requires: Node.js 22+, ESM-only
- name: CLI
  command: lightning sandbox
  docs: https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/developers/cli/sandbox
authentication:
  env_var: LIGHTNING_SANDBOX_API_KEY
  fallback_env_var: LIGHTNING_API_KEY
  key_prefix: sk-lit-
  scope: teamspace-scoped API key (recommended)
  base_url_env_var: LIGHTNING_CLOUD_URL
  base_url_default: https://lightning.ai
  provisioning: Organization settings -> Members -> API keys -> Create API Key
    (Name, Description, Role, Teamspace)
runtimes:
- python313
- node22
- node24
instance_types_documented:
- cpu-1
features:
- name: Isolation
  detail: Filesystem, network and processes isolated from everything else
- name: Root access
  detail: sudo available in every sandbox; system-privileged processes supported
- name: Fast startup
  detail: Sandboxes start in milliseconds
- name: Persistent sandboxes
  detail: Auto-save state on stop, resume where you left off
- name: Snapshotting
  detail: Save a running sandbox filesystem and restore it later to skip dependency
    installation
- name: PTY sessions
  detail: Interactive terminal sessions via sandbox.process.createPty()
- name: Network policy
  detail: Egress firewall policy (NetworkPolicy with allowCidrs) passed at create
    time
- name: Custom images
  detail: Bring your own OCI image
- name: Live preview URLs
  detail: Run a development server inside a sandbox and reach it via a preview URL
console:
  name: Lightning AI Studio
  description: >-
    Browser-based persistent development workspace used as the interactive
    console for the platform.
  url: https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/build/ai-studio
  free_tier: Every account includes one free 4-CPU Studio and the first 10 GB of
    Drive storage
free_allowances:
- allowance: 30 million free Model API tokens per month for every user
  source: https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/inference/model-apis
- allowance: One free 4-CPU Studio per account
  source: https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/overview/faq/billing
- allowance: First 10 GB of Drive storage free
  source: https://lightning.ai/docs/platform/overview/faq/billing