The Rust SDK for a3s-box direct runtime APIs.
By default, the SDK does not spawn the a3s-box CLI. A3sBoxClient calls
a3s-box-runtime stores and socket clients directly, returning typed Rust data
for management apps, automation, and tests.
The high-level Sandbox API is local and zero-configuration. It does not read
E2B_API_KEY, A3S_BOX_API_KEY, an endpoint, or a domain:
use a3s_box_sdk::Sandbox;
# async fn example() -> Result<(), a3s_box_sdk::ClientError> {
let sandbox = Sandbox::create("python:3.12-alpine").await?;
let result = sandbox
.commands
.run("python -c 'print(6 * 7)'")
.await?;
println!("{}", result.stdout);
sandbox.files.write("/workspace/note.txt", "hello").await?;
assert_eq!(
sandbox.files.read_text("/workspace/note.txt").await?,
"hello"
);
sandbox.kill().await?;
# Ok(()) }MicroVM isolation is the default. Shared-kernel Sandbox isolation is an explicit opt-in and requires a certified Linux host:
use a3s_box_sdk::{ExecutionIsolation, Sandbox, SandboxCreateOptions};
# async fn example() -> Result<(), a3s_box_sdk::ClientError> {
let sandbox = Sandbox::create_with_options(
SandboxCreateOptions::new("python:3.12-alpine")
.isolation(ExecutionIsolation::Sandbox)
.cpus(2)
.memory_mb(1024),
)
.await?;
sandbox.kill().await?;
# Ok(()) }The facade also provides connect, pause, resume, generation-fenced
stop, idempotent restart, explicit terminal remove, is_running, bounded
structured logs, current stats, command environment/working-directory/stdin
options, and file metadata and mutation operations. kill is the convenient
stop-and-remove composition. A3sBoxClient remains available for lower-level
management APIs.
use a3s_box_sdk::{
OperationId, SandboxLogOptions, SandboxRestartOptions,
};
# async fn lifecycle(sandbox: &a3s_box_sdk::Sandbox) -> Result<(), a3s_box_sdk::ClientError> {
let logs = sandbox.logs(SandboxLogOptions::tail(100)).await?;
let stats = sandbox.stats().await?;
println!("{} log entries; active stats: {}", logs.len(), stats.is_some());
sandbox.stop().await?;
sandbox
.restart(
SandboxRestartOptions::default()
.operation_id(OperationId::new("ci-restart-1")?)
.stop_timeout_seconds(10),
)
.await?;
sandbox.stop().await?;
sandbox.remove().await?;
# Ok(()) }Callers should persist an operation ID until a restart outcome is known; a retry with that identity resolves the same durable restart instead of allocating a second lifecycle transition. Log tails must contain 1 through 10,000 entries.
The E2B-style facade and the fluent builders are two entry styles over the same typed client and lifecycle implementation:
use a3s_box_sdk::{A3sBoxClient, SandboxNetwork};
# async fn example() -> Result<(), a3s_box_sdk::ClientError> {
let client = A3sBoxClient::new();
let image = client
.image("./ci")
.dockerfile("Dockerfile")
.tag("local/ci-base:latest")
.build_arg("NODE_VERSION", "24")
.build()
.await?;
let cache = client
.volume("npm-cache")
.label("purpose", "ci-cache")
.size_limit(10 * 1024 * 1024 * 1024)
.create()?;
let network = client
.network("ci-net")
.subnet("10.89.40.0/24")
.create()?;
let sandbox = client
.sandbox(image.reference)
.cpus(4)
.memory_mb(4096)
.mount_named(cache.name, "/root/.npm")
.network(SandboxNetwork::bridge(network.name))
.publish_tcp(8080, 8080)
.workdir("/workspace")
.start()
.await?;
let result = sandbox
.script("npm ci\nnpm test\n")
.interpreter(["/bin/sh", "-se"])
.env("CI", "true")
.run()
.await?;
sandbox.kill().await?;
if result.exit_code != 0 {
return Err(a3s_box_sdk::ClientError::Guest(result.stderr));
}
# Ok(()) }Named volumes and networks must be created explicitly before selection.
Scripts are sent through standard input to the selected interpreter and are
not interpolated into a host shell command. Typed bind mounts, named-volume
mounts, tmpfs, TSI/disabled/bridge networking, TCP publications, DNS, host
aliases, workdir/user/hostname, read-only root filesystems, persistence,
automatic cleanup, and filesystem-snapshot restore are available on
SandboxBuilder and SandboxCreateOptions.
Named bridge networks and published ports are currently MicroVM-only. The shared-kernel Sandbox resolver rejects either before runtime mutation.
The same native Python and TypeScript packages expose the Rust client's local
image lifecycle; Sandbox list/get/stop/restart/remove/logs/stats; runtime
diagnostics and disk usage; and filesystem snapshot list/get. Pull accepts
typed registry credentials and cosign verification policies; push accepts
typed credentials and an explicit HTTPS or trusted plain-HTTP registry
protocol. Named volumes and networks also expose prune. sdk_capabilities
reports the exact operation inventory supported by the installed runtime so
applications can fail closed before using a newer API.
use a3s_box_sdk::{
A3sBoxClient, BuildImage, CreateNetwork, CreateSnapshot, CreateVolume, ListBoxesOptions,
PullImage, ReadBoxLogsOptions, RemoveBox, RestoreSnapshot, StopBox,
};
# async fn example() -> Result<(), a3s_box_sdk::ClientError> {
let client = A3sBoxClient::new();
let boxes = client.list_boxes(ListBoxesOptions::all())?;
let disk = client.runtime_disk_usage()?;
let stats = client.list_box_stats()?;
let logs = client.read_box_logs("web", ReadBoxLogsOptions::tail(20))?;
let stopped = client.stop_box("web", StopBox::new()).await?;
let snapshot = client.create_snapshot("web", CreateSnapshot::new().name("web-snapshot"))?;
let restored = client.restore_snapshot(&snapshot.id, RestoreSnapshot::new())?;
let removed = client.remove_box("web", RemoveBox::new())?;
let pulled = client.pull_image(PullImage::new("alpine:latest")).await?;
let inspect = client.inspect_image("alpine:latest").await?;
let history = client.image_history("alpine:latest").await?;
let built = client
.build_image(BuildImage::new(".").tag("local/app:dev").quiet(true))
.await?;
let tagged = client
.tag_image(a3s_box_sdk::TagImage::new("local/app:dev", "local/app:latest"))
.await?;
let volume = client.create_volume(CreateVolume::new("cache").label("role", "build"))?;
let network = client.create_network(CreateNetwork::new("dev").subnet("10.89.44.0/24"))?;
println!(
"{} boxes, {} disk bytes, {} stats, {} logs, stopped {}, snapshot {}, restored {}, removed {}, pulled {}, inspected {}, history {}, built {}, tagged {}, volume {}, network {}",
boxes.len(),
disk.total_bytes,
stats.len(),
logs.len(),
stopped.name,
snapshot.name,
restored.name,
removed.name,
pulled.reference,
inspect.is_some(),
history.as_ref().map_or(0, Vec::len),
built.reference,
tagged.reference,
volume.name,
network.name
);
# Ok(()) }Use A3sBoxClient::from_home(path) for tests or tools that should operate on a
non-default a3s-box state directory.
The SDK submits lifecycle requests directly to the same generation-fenced
ExecutionManager used by the CLI and compatibility service. It does not spawn
the CLI or construct a parallel box record.
use std::collections::BTreeMap;
use a3s_box_sdk::{
A3sBoxClient, BoxConfig, CreateExecutionRequest, ExecutionIsolation,
ExecutionRecordPolicy, OperationId,
};
# async fn lifecycle() -> Result<(), a3s_box_sdk::ClientError> {
let client = A3sBoxClient::new();
let operation = OperationId::new("example-create")?;
let request = CreateExecutionRequest {
external_sandbox_id: "example-sandbox".to_string(),
config: BoxConfig {
image: "alpine:latest".to_string(),
isolation: ExecutionIsolation::Sandbox,
cmd: vec!["sleep".to_string(), "60".to_string()],
..BoxConfig::default()
},
labels: BTreeMap::new(),
policy: ExecutionRecordPolicy {
name: Some("sdk-example".to_string()),
..ExecutionRecordPolicy::default()
},
};
let reservation = client.create_box(request, &operation).await?;
let lease = client
.start_box(&reservation.execution_id, reservation.generation)
.await?;
let status = client.inspect_execution(&lease.execution_id).await?;
client
.kill_execution(&status.execution_id, status.generation)
.await?;
# Ok(()) }run_box provides the idempotent create-and-start composition. Typed methods
also expose inspect, structured logs, pause, resume, restart, kill, terminal
removal, and operation reconciliation. A3sBoxClient::with_execution_manager
accepts an explicit typed manager for embedding or tests without changing
request semantics.
- Boxes: generation-fenced create, start, run, inspect, structured logs, pause, resume, restart, stop, kill, terminal remove, and reconciliation; plus list, get, legacy pause/unpause, Unix stop, prune inactive boxes, log snapshots, and host-side stats snapshots.
- Images: list, get, inspect local OCI metadata, read OCI history, pull, build, tag, push, remove, and evict.
- Volumes: list, get, create, remove, and prune.
- Networks: list, get, create, remove, connect inactive boxes, disconnect inactive boxes, and prune.
- Snapshots: list, get, create from a box rootfs, restore into a new created box record, remove, and prune.
- Diagnostics: a3s-box/core/runtime/SDK versions, home path, host virtualization availability, and runtime disk usage grouped by boxes, images, volumes, snapshots, state files, and other local data.
- Running boxes on Unix: exec, file transfer, heartbeat, main-process signal, deferred-main spawn, PTY client, and attestation report through runtime sockets.
- E2B-style local use: zero-configuration
Sandbox,commands,files, lifecycle, explicit MicroVM/shared-kernel isolation, and typed client injection for embedding and tests. - Language bridge: versioned capability inventory plus image get/inspect/history/pull/build/tag/push/remove/evict; volume/network create/get/list/remove/prune; Sandbox list/get/stop/restart/remove/logs/stats; runtime diagnostics/disk usage; and filesystem snapshot list/get parity in Python sync/async and TypeScript.
The client reads the shared boxes.json state format through an SDK-local model
so it does not depend on the CLI crate. Image, volume, network, snapshot, build,
registry, exec, PTY, and attestation operations use a3s-box-runtime directly.
Managed lifecycle methods preserve the complete typed BoxConfig and
ExecutionRecordPolicy request and call the canonical runtime facade. Pause,
unpause, Unix stop, and box removal remain available through the existing
query-based management surface for backwards compatibility. The default SDK
does not shell out for lifecycle commands.
Destructive APIs include remove_box, prune_boxes, remove_image, evict_images,
remove_volume, prune_volumes, remove_network, prune_networks,
remove_snapshot, and prune_snapshots. Product UIs should pair these with
selection state and confirmation prompts.
restore_snapshot is not destructive, but it creates a new box record and box
directory, so product UIs should still pair it with explicit source selection
and confirmation.
The historical programmable CI runner is still available behind an explicit feature:
cargo test -p a3s-box-sdk --features pipeline-cli
A3S_BOX=/path/to/a3s-box cargo run -p a3s-box-sdk --features pipeline-cli --bin a3s-box-ciThis optional runner drives lifecycle-heavy commands through the installed
a3s-box binary because those flows are not yet exposed as stable runtime client
APIs. It is not part of the default SDK surface.