# SPACE — AI Coding Tool Review & Pricing

> SPACE (Sandboxed Platform for Agentic Code Execution) is Perplexity's open-source sandbox platform, the sandbox layer behind Perplexity Computer. Applications use its HTTP API to create isolated Firecracker microVM sandboxes from templates, run commands, collect output, and keep, pause, suspend or delete each environment.

Source: https://ai.dosa.dev/tools/space · Updated Oct 21, 2026 · Category: Developer Productivity & Workflow · Published by dosa.dev

## At a glance

- **Tool**: SPACE
- **Company**: Perplexity
- **Category**: [Developer Productivity & Workflow](https://ai.dosa.dev/category/productivity)
- **Pricing model**: Open Source
- **Official website**: https://github.com/perplexityai/SPACE

## Key features

- Firecracker microVM sandboxes, each with its own VM and writable filesystem
- HTTP API for templates, sandboxes, command sessions and asynchronous lifecycle operations
- Keep, pause, suspend and wake sandboxes, with base snapshots and Kubernetes warm pools
- E2B Compatibility Wrapper so existing E2B Python clients can use SPACE as a backend
- Operator CLI, egress profiles and observability hooks for self-hosted deployments

## Pricing

**Model**: Open Source

Free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license; you run it on your own Linux/KVM and Kubernetes infrastructure and pay only for that compute.

## Who it is for

- **Best for**: Platform teams building agent products that need self-hosted, hardware-isolated sandboxes for agent and user code, especially those looking for an E2B-compatible backend.
- **Not ideal for**: Individual developers wanting a local sandbox for a single coding agent; setup requires a Linux x86_64 host with KVM and a Kubernetes (Kind) deployment.

## Verdict

A production-grade, open-source microVM sandbox platform from a major AI company that gives agent builders a credible self-hosted alternative to hosted code-execution sandboxes.

## Recent updates

Open-sourced by Perplexity in mid-October 2026 as the sandbox platform behind Perplexity Computer, with coverage on Hacker News and in the press; the repository receives daily commits, with updates on October 21, 2026.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is SPACE free?

Yes - SPACE is Open Source. Free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license; you run it on your own Linux/KVM and Kubernetes infrastructure and pay only for that compute.

### Is SPACE open source?

Yes - SPACE is open source. Free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license; you run it on your own Linux/KVM and Kubernetes infrastructure and pay only for that compute.

### Who is SPACE best for?

Platform teams building agent products that need self-hosted, hardware-isolated sandboxes for agent and user code, especially those looking for an E2B-compatible backend.

### Who is SPACE not ideal for?

Individual developers wanting a local sandbox for a single coding agent; setup requires a Linux x86_64 host with KVM and a Kubernetes (Kind) deployment.

### What are the best SPACE alternatives?

The closest SPACE alternatives on ai.dosa.dev are Pieces for Developers, agenttrace, Vibe Kanban - all listed under Developer Productivity & Workflow.

### Who makes SPACE?

SPACE is developed by Perplexity. It is listed in the Developer Productivity & Workflow category on ai.dosa.dev.

## Top alternatives

- [Pieces for Developers](https://ai.dosa.dev/tools/pieces-for-developers) (Freemium) — Developers and teams who need to manage disparate workflow context, revisit past coding decisions, and maintain consistent documentation across multiple tools and projects.
- [agenttrace](https://ai.dosa.dev/tools/agenttrace) (Open Source) — Developers who need a privacy-conscious way to audit, monitor, and diagnose the behavior, costs, and performance of various AI coding agents locally.
- [Vibe Kanban](https://ai.dosa.dev/tools/vibe-kanban) (Free) — Solo developers and individual power users who need to run multiple AI coding agents in parallel while managing separate git worktrees and tasks locally.
- [ai-memory](https://ai.dosa.dev/tools/ai-memory) (Open Source) — Developers who frequently switch between multiple AI coding agents or machines and want a unified, persistent knowledge base that survives session ends and tool switches.
- [smolvm](https://ai.dosa.dev/tools/smolvm) (Open Source) — Running untrusted code, powering coding agents with persistent/resettable workspaces, and deploying portable VM-based workloads that require a real Linux kernel.
- [coop](https://ai.dosa.dev/tools/coop) (Open Source) — Security-conscious developers who want to run autonomous coding agents on real projects without risking host machine compromise.
- Full alternatives guide: https://ai.dosa.dev/tools/space/alternatives