Vercel Sandbox
Last verified 2026-07-26
Vercel Sandbox brings secure code execution into the Vercel platform for AI apps. Firecracker isolation, JS/TS-native, persistent by default, single-region. Session caps are 45 minutes on Hobby and 24 hours on Pro/Enterprise.
Key specs
| Isolation | Firecracker microVM |
| Cold start | 400ms |
| Price / vCPU-hr | $0.128 |
| Pricing model | Active CPU + per-creation fee |
| GPU | No |
| Session limit | 45min (Hobby) / 24h (Pro) |
| Persistence | Persistent by default |
| Languages | JavaScript/TypeScript (native), Python |
| MCP support | n/a |
| Integrations | OpenAI Agents SDK, Vercel AI SDK |
| Deployment | Managed (Vercel platform) |
| Free tier | Included allowance on Hobby |
| Active CPU | $0.128/vCPU-hr |
| Creations | $0.60 / 1M |
Strengths
- Tight Vercel/AI SDK integration
- Firecracker isolation
- Persistent by default
Trade-offs
- Single region
- Creation fee ($0.60/1M)
- Short Hobby session cap
Best for: Teams already on Vercel building JS/TS AI apps.
How Vercel Sandbox works
Vercel Sandbox runs on Firecracker microVMs, so each sandbox gets a real kernel boundary, and it is built for JavaScript and TypeScript first, with Python also supported. Sandboxes are persistent by default rather than torn down after a run. Cold start is around 400ms. It runs in a single region, and session length is capped at 45 minutes on Hobby and 24 hours on Pro and Enterprise. The natural home for it is a team already on Vercel building AI apps, where it slots into the AI SDK and the platform they already run.
Pricing in practice & watch-outs
Billing has two parts: active CPU at about $0.128 per vCPU-hour, plus a per-creation fee of $0.60 per million sandboxes created. If your pattern is many short-lived sandboxes, that creation fee is worth modelling, since it is charged separately from compute. Watch the Hobby session cap of 45 minutes, which is tight for longer agent runs; you need Pro for the 24-hour limit. It is also single-region, so latency and data residency are fixed to one location. The value case is strongest if you already pay for Vercel.
Head-to-head
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Sources: Vercel Sandbox docs ↗
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