OpenShell vs opensandbox
Two of the top projects in Sandboxes, side by side: who leads on each score part and who each one suits, then setup, license, activity and what each review found.
OpenShell
Policy-enforced sandbox runtime for autonomous AI agents
opensandbox
Sandbox API for running AI agent code, commands and browsers in isolation
Verdict
OpenShell ranks higher, 89 to 87. Of the 4 score parts we measure for both, OpenShell leads on 2, opensandbox on 1 and 1 is even.
- AdoptionOpenShell leads by 5 points, 79 to 74.
- FreshnessEven at 100.
- Maintenanceopensandbox leads by 3 points, 93 to 90: close to even.
- Agent-readyOpenShell leads by 15 points, 85 to 70: a wide gap.
Pick OpenShell if you are
Teams running autonomous agents that need enforced access limits
- Filesystem, syscall and network rules declared per agent in a policy
- Agents never see real credentials; injected only for approved endpoints
Pick opensandbox if you are
Engineers needing isolated code execution for agents on their own infrastructure
- SDKs in five languages plus osb CLI and MCP server
- Same lifecycle API for local Docker and Kubernetes deployments
| What we compare | OpenShell | opensandbox |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 79, popular | 74, popular |
| Freshness | 100, active | 100, active |
| Maintenance | 90, healthy | 93, healthy |
| Agent-ready | 85, ready | 70, partly |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 21.5k | 17.2k |
| License | Apache-2.0 (permissive) | Apache-2.0 (permissive) |
| Last commit | Nov 2026 | Nov 2026 |
| Last release | Nov 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Language | Rust | Go |
| Docker | Yes | Yes |
| GPU | Optional | Not needed |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Mentioned | Not stated |
OpenShell
OpenShell runs each agent in an isolated sandbox where kernel controls restrict file access and system calls, and every outbound network connection is checked against a declared policy. Real credentials are injected only into requests bound for approved endpoints, and policy changes are checked with formal verification so risky new access waits for human review. It ships a CLI and gateway, SDKs for four languages, and a Helm chart.
Who it is for: Teams running autonomous agents that need enforced access limits
Strengths
- Filesystem, syscall and network rules declared per agent in a policy
- Agents never see real credentials; injected only for approved endpoints
- Policy changes are formally verified and gated for human review
- SDKs for Python, TypeScript, Go and Rust; Helm chart for Kubernetes
Weaknesses
- Default sandbox image is minimal Ubuntu with no agent installed
- Windows support is via WSL 2 and marked experimental
- Kubernetes needs a CNI that enforces NetworkPolicy
- Anonymous telemetry is on by default; opt-out required
- GPU optional
- Docker + Compose
- Needs Docker, Podman or host virtualization, Kubernetes with NetworkPolicy-enforcing CNI (optional)
- Models: OpenRouter (example provider)
opensandbox
OpenSandbox provides isolated environments where agents execute code, run shell commands, manage files and drive browsers or desktops, through a single lifecycle API. It runs locally on Docker and scales to Kubernetes, with SDKs for Python, Java/Kotlin, TypeScript, C#/.NET and Go, plus an `osb` CLI and an MCP server. Egress policies, an ingress gateway and a credential vault control network access.
Who it is for: Engineers needing isolated code execution for agents on their own infrastructure
Strengths
- SDKs in five languages plus osb CLI and MCP server
- Same lifecycle API for local Docker and Kubernetes deployments
- Per-sandbox egress policies and a credential vault keep real secrets out of workloads
- Firecracker runtime with pause/resume; reported 64 ms P50 creation time
Weaknesses
- Docker required for local use; Kubernetes setup needed for the fast runtime
- No hosted demo or playground listed in the README
- Firecracker and pause/resume features documented only for the Kubernetes fast runtime
- Server needs separate install and TOML configuration before first use
- no GPU
- Needs Docker, Python 3.10+, Kubernetes (optional, for cluster deployment)
More in Sandboxes
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