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n8n-sandbox-api

Code sandbox for the n8n Assistant and n8n Agents, self-hosted on Unraid.

  • AI
  • Development
  • Tools & Utilities
Code sandbox for the n8n Assistant and n8n Agents, self-hosted on Unraid. Only useful together with an existing n8n container: this is not n8n itself, it is the isolated environment n8n uses to run AI-generated code and work with files. n8n stays where it is; you only point it at this service. The sandbox is two containers and both are needed: n8n-sandbox-api (this one, the control plane n8n talks to) and n8n-sandbox-runner (privileged Docker-in-Docker that starts one throwaway container per sandbox). They talk to each other over mutual TLS. This container creates the certificates on its first start, so there is nothing to generate by hand.

Platform availability

Available on 1 of 9 platforms

  • Unraid
  • TrueNAS (not listed)
  • Umbrel (not listed)
  • ZimaOS (not listed)
  • Proxmox (not listed)
  • Helm (not listed)
  • Mac (not listed)
  • Windows (not listed)
  • Linux (not listed)

Health score?A 0-100 score computed nightly from four factors: maintained (40%: recent commits and steady activity), popular (25%: GitHub stars, log scale), easy to install (20%: platforms, install notes, setup guides, Docker image) and light to run (15%: minimum RAM, ARM support). When the source code has been checked, a fifth factor, security check (20%: automated scan for committed secrets, unsafe desktop-app settings, known-vulnerable dependencies and project hygiene; any serious finding caps it at 20), is added. Factors without data are left out and the rest are rescaled.

64/100 Good

Maintained
100last commit 3 days ago
Popular
2928 GitHub stars
Easy to install
351 install platform, install notes, Docker image
Light to run
No data

Based on 3 of 4 factors.

Availability: platform listings confirmed today

GitHub stars
28
Open issues
5
Last commit
2026-10-19
Latest release
service/v1.9.0
Activity
steady

Checked 3 days ago - source: GitHub (n8n-io/n8n-sandbox-service)

Resources & Compatibility

Requirements not published yet.

Checked 3 days ago - source: Docker Hub image tags and published docs

First-install notes

  • Install Docker before using the installer Before running the one-line install command, install Docker (a free program that runs apps in safe containers), because the install script needs it and will fail to start n8n without it. source
  • Unraid network setup Before installing, enable 'Preserve user defined networks' in Settings - Docker so Unraid keeps the shared network across restarts, then create it once in the terminal: docker network create n8n-sandbox. Both n8n-sandbox-api and n8n-sandbox-runner must be attached to this network. source
  • Deploy the runner container too You must also deploy the n8n-sandbox-runner container; both are required — the API is the control plane n8n talks to, and the runner (privileged Docker-in-Docker) starts one throwaway container per sandbox. The API auto-generates the mutual-TLS certificates on first start, so there is no manual certificate work. source

Fetched 2 days ago - each note links to its source

Alternatives (12)

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Checked 2 days ago - source: AlternativeTo

Common questions

How does the central API coordinate sandbox execution?

Runners register with the central API. The API places sandboxes and proxies requests to them.

How are commands and file operations performed inside a sandbox?

A small HTTP daemon inside each sandbox runs commands and handles files.

What license applies to the source and .ee files?

The source is under the Sustainable Use License. Files and directories with .ee in the name are under the n8n Enterprise License.

Answers sourced from github.com

Community

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