Key takeaways
- Fastest sandbox creation at sub-90ms, built on Docker with declarative image building
- Unique Computer Use support enables Linux, Windows, and macOS desktop automation
- Open-source with self-hosting option and SOC2/HIPAA/GDPR compliance
FAQ
What is Daytona?
Daytona is an open-source platform for running AI-generated code in secure, isolated sandboxes with sub-90ms creation time and Computer Use desktop automation.
How is Daytona different from E2B?
Daytona offers faster creation (90ms vs 150ms), Computer Use support, and Docker-based isolation. E2B has stronger Firecracker isolation and larger enterprise adoption.
Who competes with Daytona?
E2B, Modal, Runloop, CodeSandbox SDK, and Fly.io Sprites are direct competitors.
Executive Summary
Daytona is an open-source platform for running AI-generated code in secure, isolated sandboxes. It differentiates through the fastest sandbox creation time (sub-90ms) and unique Computer Use support enabling desktop automation on Linux, Windows, and macOS virtual environments.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Company | Daytona |
| Founded | 2023 |
| Funding | $7M (Seed) |
| Employees | ~20 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, CA (Croatian founders) |
Product Overview
Daytona pivoted in early 2025 from development environments to become infrastructure specifically designed for running AI-generated code. The platform emphasizes speed, providing sub-90ms sandbox creation — the fastest in the category.
The company was founded by Ivan Burazin (CEO), who previously founded Codeanywhere and the Shift developer conference. Daytona's open-source approach and focus on "agent experience" positions it as a developer-friendly alternative to proprietary sandbox platforms.
Key Capabilities
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Lightning-Fast Creation | Sub-90ms sandbox creation from code to execution |
| Computer Use Sandboxes | Linux, Windows, and macOS virtual desktops for automation |
| Declarative Image Builder | Build Docker images via SDK without CLI or registry |
| File/Git/LSP APIs | Programmatic control over files, git, and language servers |
| Execute API | Run commands with real-time output streaming |
| Human-in-the-Loop | SSH, VS Code Browser, and web terminal for debugging |
Product Surfaces / Editions
| Surface | Description | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| TypeScript SDK | Primary SDK for sandbox control | GA |
| Python SDK | Python bindings for sandbox APIs | GA |
| Computer Use | Linux/Windows/macOS desktops | GA |
| Self-Hosted | Deploy on your infrastructure | GA |
| Cloud Managed | Daytona-hosted sandboxes | GA |
Technical Architecture
Daytona uses Docker containers for isolation, trading the stronger hardware-level isolation of Firecracker (used by E2B) for faster creation times and easier customization.
The declarative image builder allows agents to define dependencies and have Daytona build Docker images on the fly, eliminating the need for pre-built templates in many cases.
Key Technical Details
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Isolation | Docker containers (container-level) |
| Cold Start | Sub-90ms |
| Persistence | Persistent sandboxes supported |
| Computer Use | Linux, Windows, macOS virtual desktops |
| Open Source | Yes (Apache 2.0) |
| Self-Hosting | Full self-hosted deployment option |
Computer Use Architecture
┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Daytona Computer Use │
├──────────────────────────────────────┤
│ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌───────┐ │
│ │ Linux │ │ Windows │ │ macOS │ │
│ │ Desktop │ │ Desktop │ │Desktop│ │
│ └────┬─────┘ └────┬─────┘ └───┬───┘ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ ┌────┴────────────┴───────────┴───┐ │
│ │ Programmatic Control API │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────┘ │
└──────────────────────────────────────┘
Strengths
- Fastest creation — Sub-90ms sandbox creation is industry-leading; critical for high-throughput workloads
- Computer Use — Only sandbox platform with built-in Linux/Windows/macOS desktop automation
- Open source — Apache 2.0 license with full self-hosting option; no vendor lock-in
- Declarative building — Agents define dependencies; Daytona builds images automatically
- Human-in-the-loop — SSH, VS Code Browser, web terminal for debugging and oversight
- Compliance — SOC2, HIPAA, GDPR compliant with customer-managed compute option
- Full Docker support — Docker Compose, Docker-in-Docker, and nested containers
Cautions
- Docker isolation — Container-level isolation is weaker than Firecracker microVMs; less suitable for highly adversarial code
- Smaller ecosystem — Less adoption than E2B; fewer integrations and community resources
- No checkpoints — Cannot snapshot running sandboxes (feature requested but not yet available)
- Newer pivot — AI sandbox focus only since early 2025; less battle-tested at scale
- Limited GPU support — No GPU access; ML workloads need Modal or alternatives
- Networking constraints — Some reports of IPv4-only limitations and localhost issues
Pricing & Licensing
| Tier | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Limited sandboxes for development |
| Cloud | Usage-based | Managed sandboxes with pay-per-use |
| Self-Hosted | Free | Deploy on your own infrastructure |
| Enterprise | Custom | Priority support, SLAs, compliance |
Licensing model: Open source (Apache 2.0) + optional managed cloud
Hidden costs: Computer Use (Windows/macOS) may have higher costs than Linux sandboxes
Competitive Positioning
Direct Competitors
| Competitor | Differentiation |
|---|---|
| E2B | E2B has Firecracker isolation and Fortune 100 adoption; Daytona has faster creation and Computer Use |
| Modal | Modal supports GPUs and serverless Python; Daytona focuses on agent sandboxes with desktop automation |
| Runloop | Runloop offers disk snapshots and SWE-bench; Daytona has Computer Use and faster starts |
| Sprites | Sprites has checkpoint/restore and persistent VMs; Daytona has faster creation and desktop automation |
When to Choose Daytona Over Alternatives
- Choose Daytona when: You need Computer Use (desktop automation), fastest creation time, or want self-hosted open source
- Choose E2B when: Security isolation is critical or you need Fortune 100-validated infrastructure
- Choose Modal when: You need GPU access for ML workloads
- Choose Runloop when: You need disk snapshots for reproducible agent development
Ideal Customer Profile
Best fit:
- Teams building browser automation or desktop agents (Computer Use)
- Organizations wanting self-hosted, open-source sandbox infrastructure
- High-throughput workloads where 90ms creation time matters
- Companies needing Windows or macOS automation capabilities
- Teams valuing open-source transparency and no vendor lock-in
Poor fit:
- Security-sensitive workloads requiring hardware-level isolation
- Enterprise teams needing proven Fortune 100 scale
- ML workloads requiring GPU access
- Teams wanting checkpoint/restore for experimentation
Viability Assessment
| Factor | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Financial Health | Moderate — $7M seed funding; earlier stage than competitors |
| Market Position | Challenger — Growing but behind E2B in adoption |
| Innovation Pace | Rapid — Active development, Computer Use is unique differentiator |
| Community/Ecosystem | Growing — 10K+ GitHub stars, active development |
| Long-term Outlook | Positive — Unique positioning with Computer Use |
Daytona is well-positioned in the growing AI sandbox market with unique Computer Use capabilities. The pivot from dev environments to AI infrastructure shows adaptability. Key risk is competition from well-funded players like E2B.
Bottom Line
Daytona offers the fastest sandbox creation (90ms) and unique Computer Use capabilities that no other platform matches. The combination of speed, desktop automation, and open-source transparency makes it compelling for teams building browser automation agents or needing cross-platform desktop control.
The trade-off is weaker isolation (Docker vs Firecracker) and a smaller ecosystem compared to E2B. For highly security-sensitive workloads, E2B's Firecracker isolation is stronger. For Computer Use and speed-critical applications, Daytona leads.
Recommended for: Teams building Computer Use agents, browser automation, or needing the fastest possible sandbox creation with self-hosting option.
Not recommended for: Security-sensitive workloads requiring hardware-level isolation, or teams needing proven enterprise scale.
Outlook: Daytona's Computer Use capabilities position it well for the growing desktop automation agent market. Expect continued investment in agent experience and potential expansion of GPU support.
Research by Ry Walker Research • methodology