Daytona vs E2B in 2026: which sandbox for AI code execution?

Daytona and E2B are two AI code execution sandbox platforms with distinct approaches to isolation and persistence. Daytona utilizes Docker containers to provide persistent workspaces, prioritizing fast startup and resource efficiency, making it suitable for long-term AI agent projects that require maintaining state across sessions. In contrast, E2B employs Firecracker microVMs for each execution, offering hardware-level isolation, which is crucial for running untrusted AI-generated code while ensuring strong security by preventing kernel-level exploits. Both platforms operate as managed services, but Northflank Sandboxes offers an alternative with bring-your-own-cloud deployment options, allowing users to deploy on various cloud providers or on-premise with advanced isolation choices like Kata and gVisor microVMs. This flexibility makes Northflank ideal for compliance-focused teams needing both the speed of containers and the security of microVMs, while also providing cost-effective scaling.