--- title: Vercel Sandbox now runs on Vercel Managed Images | daily.dev description: Vercel has introduced Vercel Managed Images (VMI), replacing the deprecated Sandbox runtimes starting with Sandbox SDK version 3. The new default image,... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/vercel-sandbox-now-runs-on-vercel-managed-images-dg98pfh0d twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Vercel Sandbox now runs on Vercel Managed Images | daily.dev og:description: Vercel has introduced Vercel Managed Images (VMI), replacing the deprecated Sandbox runtimes starting with Sandbox SDK version 3. The new default image,... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/vercel-sandbox-now-runs-on-vercel-managed-images-dg98pfh0d og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/Dg98PFh0d.png og:image:alt: Vercel Sandbox now runs on Vercel Managed Images og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Vercel Sandbox now runs on Vercel Managed Images **[Vercel](https://daily.dev/sources/vercel)** · 3 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Vercel has introduced Vercel Managed Images (VMI), replacing the deprecated Sandbox runtimes starting with Sandbox SDK version 3. The new default image, `vercel/sandbox/universal:latest`, runs on Ubuntu 26.04 and ships with Node.js 24, Python 3.14, coding agents (opencode, claude-code, codex, pi), and common utilities. Images receive nightly releases with automatic security patches, while digest-pinned images remain fully immutable. The catalog includes specialized images for Node.js versions (22, 24, 26), Python 3.14, bare Ubuntu 26.04, and Arch Linux. The previous `runtime` property is deprecated but not removed, so existing code continues to work. All Dockerfiles are open-source in the public vercel/sandbox GitHub repository. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the new default base image for Vercel Sandbox starting with Sandbox SDK v3? The default is vercel/sandbox/universal:latest, part of the new Vercel Managed Images catalog. It runs on Ubuntu 26.04 instead of the previous Amazon Linux default, and ships with Node.js 24, Python 3.14 with uv, coding agents including opencode, claude-code, codex, and pi, plus utilities like git, vim, tmux, ripgrep, jq, and fzf. _Teams migrating sandbox environments can follow platform changes like this one on daily.dev._ ### Is the runtime property in the Vercel Sandbox SDK deprecated? Yes, the runtime property is deprecated in favor of the new image property, but it has not been removed so existing code keeps working. Teams that specifically need Amazon Linux (AL2023) can continue using runtime, since Amazon Linux is not included in the new Managed Images catalog. _Developers weighing sandbox migration timing can track deprecation notices like this on daily.dev._ ### How can I get a fully immutable and reproducible Vercel Sandbox image? Pin the image to its digest (SHA) rather than using a rolling tag like latest. Rolling tags automatically pick up operating system and dependency updates, including security patches for Node.js, Python, and preinstalled coding agents, while digest-pinned images opt out of those automatic updates for full reproducibility. _Engineers deciding between rolling updates and reproducible builds can follow sandbox tooling changes via daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Node.js 24 LTS is now available on Sandbox](https://daily.dev/posts/node-js-24-lts-is-now-available-on-sandbox-gfyblehjq) · Vercel · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Node.js 26.x now available on Vercel Sandboxes](https://daily.dev/posts/node-js-26-x-now-available-on-vercel-sandboxes-v2usdbgqr) · Vercel · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#python](https://daily.dev/tags/python), [#nodejs](https://daily.dev/tags/nodejs), [#containers](https://daily.dev/tags/containers), [#vercel](https://daily.dev/tags/vercel) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/vercel-sandbox-now-runs-on-vercel-managed-images-dg98pfh0d) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Vercel Sandbox now runs on Vercel Managed Images","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/vercel-sandbox-now-runs-on-vercel-managed-images-dg98pfh0d","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/vercel-sandbox-now-runs-on-vercel-managed-images-dg98pfh0d"},"datePublished":"2026-08-10T17:51:46.829Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T06:29:39.737Z","description":"Vercel has introduced Vercel Managed Images (VMI), replacing the deprecated Sandbox runtimes starting with Sandbox SDK version 3. 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