CapabilitiesSnapshots and forks
Snapshots with memory
A snapshot also keeps memory and running programs.
Who offers it
Part of Snapshots, forks and templates, which explains why it matters.
Fully: boxd, E2B, Lizard, Morph, Runtime, Sandboxer and Tensorlake. With a catch: Blaxel, Daytona and Modal. Not at all: Agent 37, Boat, Cloudflare Sandbox, InstaBox, Sprites and Vercel Sandbox.
A machine made from a snapshot comes back already running what the source ran.
docs-confirmed “A machine created from a snapshot resumes in the state you captured. Nothing boots.” Source
- E2BYes
A memory snapshot resumes the running processes.
docs-confirmed “The fork starts with the original’s files, processes, and memory” Source
- LizardYes
Each restore starts a new sandbox with the captured memory.
docs-confirmed “A snapshot saves a running sandbox’s memory, running processes and every file on its disk.” Source
- MorphYes
A snapshot captures the running processes as well as the disk.
docs-confirmed “When you take a snapshot, it captures the complete state of a running instance, including all running processes and services.” Source
- RuntimeYes
Memory mode keeps files, memory and running programs.
docs-confirmed “Snapshots default to `mode: "memory"`. That mode keeps files, memory and running processes.” Source
- SandboxerYes
The memory image is written to disk on a stop and read back on resume.
docs-confirmed “pauses the VM and writes its **memory and device state** to disk” Source
- TensorlakeYes
A memory snapshot restores the files, memory and running processes.
docs-confirmed “`memory`: captures filesystem, memory, and running process state and restores with a warm start.” Source
- BlaxelWith a catch
The catch: A snapshot keeps memory and running programs, but the whole feature is in private preview.
docs-confirmed “A snapshot captures the state of a sandbox at a point in time: its filesystem, its running processes, and its memory.” Source
- DaytonaWith a catch
The catch: Memory snapshots are only for full virtual machines; container sandboxes get files only.
docs-confirmed “container sandboxes capture filesystem state only (**cold snapshots**), VM sandboxes capture filesystem and memory state (**hot snapshots**)” Source
The catch: Memory snapshots are still labelled experimental and are deleted after seven days, which cannot be extended.
docs-confirmed “To take a memory snapshot, create a Sandbox with memory snapshots enabled, then call its experimental snapshot method” Source
- Agent 37No
A fork copies files only; nothing that was running is carried over.
docs-confirmed “What is copied is the source’s disk, not its memory: processes running in the source do not carry over, and the fork boots fresh with the same files.” Source
- BoatNo
Snapshots hold the disk only, never memory or running programs.
inferred “Resume and fork both start a machine from the **newest** snapshot of a sandbox.” Source
A snapshot does not save memory or the processes that were running.
docs-confirmed “It does not save separately mounted filesystems, memory, or processes.” Source
- InstaBoxNo
Snapshots never include memory or running programs.
docs-confirmed “It does not hold memory or running processes.” Source
- SpritesNo
A checkpoint never includes memory or running processes.
docs-confirmed “It does not touch the base image itself, and it does not capture anything that only lives in memory.” Source
A snapshot never includes memory; the next session starts the programs again.
docs-confirmed “When you resume it, a new session boots from that snapshot with a fresh [session timeout](/docs/sandbox/pricing#runtime-limits).” Source
Related
Need several capabilities at once? Add more in the capability finder. Something wrong here? Use the report link at the bottom of the page.