# Vercel Sandbox now runs on Vercel Managed Images

DevFeed: [Vercel Sandbox now runs on Vercel Managed Images](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/vercel-sandbox-now-runs-on-vercel-managed-images-1175.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://vercel.com/changelog/vercel-sandbox-managed-images>)

Author: Luke Phillips-Sheard

Published: 2026-08-10T18:00:00Z

Content type: release

Language: en

Sources: [Vercel News](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/vercel-news.md>)

Topics: [Vercel](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/vercel.md>), [releases](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/releases.md>), [SDKs](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/sdks.md>), [Node.js](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/node-js.md>), [Python](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/python.md>), [Security](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/security.md>), [Ubuntu](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ubuntu.md>), [Python 3.14](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/python-3-14.md>), [Tooling](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/tooling.md>), [Arch Linux](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/archlinux.md>)

Tags: [claude-code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/claude-code.md>), [codex](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/codex.md>), [coding-agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/coding-agents.md>), [linux](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/linux.md>), [node-js](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/node-js.md>), [open-source](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/open-source.md>), [python](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/python.md>), [python-3-14](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/python-3-14.md>), [releases](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/releases.md>), [sdk](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/sdk.md>), [security](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/security.md>), [ubuntu](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ubuntu.md>), [vercel](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/vercel.md>)

## AI overview

Vercel introduces Managed Images, versioned open-source base images for Vercel Sandbox that replace deprecated runtimes. The default universal image runs on Ubuntu and includes Node.js, Python, coding agents, and common utilities, with rolling releases, pinned dependencies, and digest-based immutability options.

## Source excerpt

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 repository. Managed images replace Sandbox runtimes, which are now deprecated. Starting with version 3 of the Sandbox SDK, new sandboxes default to vercel/sandbox/universal:latest. 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. The universal image switches our default operating system from Amazon Linux to Ubuntu, a lighter and more widely used system across the industry. Secure by default Every managed image gets a nightly release. Rolling tags such as latest and 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. Within each release, dependencies are pinned to specific versions wherever possible, so a given image version stays consistent. If you need a fully immutable, reproducible environment, pin to an image digest (SHA). Digest-pinned images opt out of automatic updates. Choose a managed image from the catalog Each managed image targets a different starting point: vercel/sandbox/universal:latest is the new default, a rolling release on Ubuntu 26.04 with Node.js 24, Python 3.14 with uv, the opencode, claude-code, codex, and pi coding agents, and utilities including git, vim, nano, tmux, ripgrep, jq, and fzf. vercel/sandbox/node:22, node:24, and node:26 provide Node.js versions on Ubuntu 26.04. vercel/sandbox/python:3.14 provides Python on Ubuntu 26.04. vercel/sandbox/ubuntu:latest provides base Ubuntu 26.04 with no extra tooling. vercel/sandbox/arch:latest provides 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. Reference an image and migrat