{"slug": "vercel-sandbox-now-runs-on-vercel-managed-images", "title": "Vercel Sandbox now runs on Vercel Managed Images", "summary": "Vercel introduced Vercel Managed Images (VMI), a set of versioned, open-source base images that replace the deprecated Sandbox runtimes, with the new default `vercel/sandbox/universal:latest` shipping Node.js 24, Python 3.14 with `uv`, and coding agents including `opencode`, `claude-code`, `codex`, and `pi` on Ubuntu 26.04. The images receive nightly releases with rolling tags that auto-update dependencies, while digest-pinned images offer immutable environments. Managed images run as the default `ubuntu` or `arch` user with passwordless sudo, and the previous `runtime` property remains deprecated but functional for teams needing Amazon Linux.", "body_md": "Today we are introducing Vercel Managed Images (VMI), a set of versioned, open-source base images you can use as-is or extend. The source for every image lives in the public [vercel/sandbox](https://github.com/vercel/sandbox) repository.\n\nManaged images replace Sandbox runtimes, which are now deprecated. Starting with version 3 of the Sandbox SDK, new sandboxes default to `vercel/sandbox/universal:latest`\n\n. It ships with Node.js, Python, common coding agents and standard utilities; so most users never build a custom image or install packages at boot.\n\nThe universal image switches our default operating system from Amazon Linux to Ubuntu, a lighter and more widely used system across the industry.\n\nEvery managed image gets a nightly release. Rolling tags such as `latest`\n\nand the major-version tags pick up operating system and dependency updates automatically, including security patches and new releases of Node.js, Python, and the preinstalled coding agents.\n\nWithin each release, dependencies are pinned to specific versions wherever possible, so a given image version stays consistent.\n\nIf you need a fully immutable, reproducible environment, pin to an image digest (SHA). Digest-pinned images opt out of automatic updates.\n\nEach managed image targets a different starting point:\n\n`vercel/sandbox/universal:latest`\n\nis the new default, a rolling release on Ubuntu 26.04 with Node.js 24, Python 3.14 with `uv`\n\n, the `opencode`\n\n, `claude-code`\n\n, `codex`\n\n, and `pi`\n\ncoding agents, and utilities including `git`\n\n, `vim`\n\n, `nano`\n\n, `tmux`\n\n, `ripgrep`\n\n, `jq`\n\n, and `fzf`\n\n.\n\n`vercel/sandbox/node:22`\n\n, `node:24`\n\n, and `node:26`\n\nprovide Node.js versions on Ubuntu 26.04.\n\n`vercel/sandbox/python:3.14`\n\nprovides Python on Ubuntu 26.04.\n\n`vercel/sandbox/ubuntu:latest`\n\nprovides base Ubuntu 26.04 with no extra tooling.\n\n`vercel/sandbox/arch:latest`\n\nprovides Arch Linux, regularly updated, with no Node.js or Python preinstalled. Its large package repository makes it useful for agents that install tools on the fly.\n\nSandboxes can use an image from any repository in your project, a repository which has been [shared with your team](https://vercel.com/changelog/share-vercel-container-registry-repositories-across-teams) or [any public repository](https://vercel.com/changelog/vercel-container-registry-repositories-can-now-be-made-public).\n\nImages are addressed by their full path, `team-slug/project/repo:tag`\n\n, for example `vercel/sandbox/universal:latest`\n\n. The SDK types the `image`\n\nproperty so built-in images autocomplete while any string is still accepted. The previous `runtime`\n\nproperty is deprecated, not removed, so existing code keeps working.\n\nAmazon Linux runtimes are not part of the managed image catalog, so teams that need AL2023 can stay on `runtime`\n\n. Managed images run as the default `ubuntu`\n\nor `arch`\n\nuser with passwordless sudo, rather than the `vercel-sandbox`\n\nuser.\n\nOpen an issue or a pull request to improve them, and read the [Vercel Sandbox images documentation](https://vercel.com/docs/vercel-sandbox/concepts/images) to get started.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/vercel-sandbox-now-runs-on-vercel-managed-images", "canonical_source": "https://vercel.com/changelog/vercel-sandbox-managed-images", "published_at": "2026-08-10 17:49:36.592469+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-10 17:49:39.229682+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["developer-tools", "ai-tools"], "entities": ["Vercel", "Vercel Managed Images", "vercel/sandbox/universal:latest", "Node.js", "Python", "Ubuntu", "Arch Linux", "Amazon Linux"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/vercel-sandbox-now-runs-on-vercel-managed-images", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/vercel-sandbox-now-runs-on-vercel-managed-images.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/vercel-sandbox-now-runs-on-vercel-managed-images.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/vercel-sandbox-now-runs-on-vercel-managed-images.jsonld"}}