Docker Sandboxes vs NVIDIA OpenShell: MicroVM Coding-Agent Sandbox vs Policy Runtime for Agent Fleets
Docker Sandboxes
Docker's microVM sandboxes for running AI coding agents isolated from your host
NVIDIA OpenShell
NVIDIA's open-source runtime that sandboxes autonomous AI agents under enforced policy
Veredictos por tarea
Ten named agents plus a Shell sandbox, a documented install for macOS, Windows 11 and Ubuntu, and a clone mode that gives the agent a private copy of the repo
The default mount is read-write, so the agent edits your working tree in place; CVE-2026-77179, a macOS escape from the shared workspace, was fixed in 0.42.0; a Docker account sign-in is required
Filesystem, network and process rules with an advisor and prover that check policy changes before approval
It is 0.1.x and the default image has no agent in it, so you bring and configure the agent
Gateway control plane and Helm deployment are documented in the README
The cluster CNI must enforce NetworkPolicy; we have not tested either product
Docker lists Windows 11 on 64-bit Intel or AMD as a supported platform, while OpenShell runs on Windows through WSL 2 and marks it experimental
Docker does not cover Windows 10 on the install page we read; OpenShell's WSL 2 path is the fallback
Comparación de funciones
| Dimensión | Docker Sandboxes | NVIDIA OpenShell |
|---|---|---|
| IA nativa | Con IA | Con IA |
| Isolation model | microVM per sandbox: a separate kernel, no shared memory or processes with the host, and its own Docker Engine with no path to the host daemon | Kernel controls confine which files an agent can access and which system calls it can make, and every network connection passes a policy check; requires Docker, Podman or host virtualization |
| Credential handling | API keys are injected into HTTP headers by a host-side proxy; credential values never enter the VM | Agents never see real credentials; OpenShell adds them only to requests bound for approved endpoints |
| Policy and review | Outbound traffic is deny-by-default (the get-started page lists a Balanced default of default deny with common dev sites allowed); organization admins can centrally manage network, filesystem and MCP policies through a separate paid subscription | Filesystem, network and process policy rules, with an advisor tool and a prover that formally verifies policy changes before approval |
| Ready-to-run agents | Ten named agents: Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, Cursor, Devin, Docker Agent, Droid, Gemini, Kiro and OpenCode, plus an agent-less Shell sandbox for manual setup or testing | None listed in the README text we read; the default image is a minimal Ubuntu with no agent installed, and OpenCode is the documented example |
| Platforms | macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon, Windows 11 on 64-bit Intel or AMD, Ubuntu 24.04 or later; no Docker Desktop needed; sign-in to a Docker account required | Linux, macOS on Apple Silicon, and Windows with WSL 2 (experimental) |
| Price and licence | The sbx CLI and local sandbox compute are free, including for commercial work; cloud sandboxes are pay-as-you-go with model-provider costs billed separately; organization governance needs a paid subscription | Apache License 2.0, open source |
| Scale and control plane | Local sandboxes on your machine or cloud sandboxes on Docker-managed infrastructure, managed with the sbx CLI | A gateway is the control plane for sandboxes and policy; Kubernetes deployment via Helm (the cluster CNI must enforce NetworkPolicy); SDKs for Python, TypeScript, Go and Rust |
| Release maturity | Version 0.45.1 released 2026-09-22; release notes record CVE-2026-77179 (a macOS virtio-fs symlink escape from the shared workspace) fixed in 0.42.0 | GitHub lists v0.1.0 on September 25, 2026, v0.1.1 on September 26 and v0.1.2 on September 28; v0.1.1 notes list changes making the WebSocket tunnel opt-in and requiring mTLS for the snap gateway; earlier v0.0.x tags run Aug 20-28, 2026 |
Docker documents a separate kernel per sandbox; the OpenShell README text we read does not say whether each sandbox has its own kernel
Both keep real credentials out of the agent; on the pages we read, only Docker documents the mechanism (a host-side proxy injecting HTTP headers)
OpenShell documents pre-approval verification of policy changes; the Docker pages we read describe no equivalent
Docker Sandboxes
Docker for native Windows 11; OpenShell reaches Windows only through experimental WSL 2
OpenShell has no paid tier on the pages we read; Docker's local use is also free
OpenShell documents the fleet-style control plane
Neither is at 1.0 on the pages we read
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