Definition
Plain language
A cloud platform for running code in sandboxes on demand, used by AI agents.
As stated in the literature
A serverless container platform offering managed sandbox environments, used as a cost-comparison point against self-hosted sandbox stacks.
Why it matters: Serverless sandboxes make it practical to run thousands of isolated agent trials without managing infrastructure yourself.
For example, a developer might use Modal to spin up a fresh sandbox for each agent rollout and tear it down when done.
Heard on the show
“Option one is a managed service — companies like E2B, Daytona, Modal that rent you sandboxes by the hour.”Episode 047 — When Agent Benchmarks Lie: The Harness Problem in Open-Source AI