# Quickstart

This guide shows you how to run your first code in a Vercel Sandbox.

## Prerequisites

- A [Vercel account](https://vercel.com/signup)
- [Vercel CLI](/docs/cli) installed (`npm i -g vercel`)
- Node.js 22+ or Python 3.10+

- ### Set up your environment
  Create a new directory and connect it to a Vercel project. This is the recommended way to authenticate because the project handles secure [OIDC token authentication](/docs/vercel-sandbox/concepts/authentication) for you.

  When prompted, select **Create a new project**. The project doesn't need any code deployed. It just needs to exist so Vercel can generate authentication tokens for you.

  Once linked, pull your environment variables to get an authentication token:
  ```bash filename="Terminal"
  vercel env pull
  ```
  This creates a `.env.local` file containing a token that the SDK uses to authenticate your requests. When you deploy to Vercel, token management happens automatically.

- ### Install the SDK

- ### Write your code
  Create a file that creates a sandbox and runs a command:

- ### Run it
  You should see: `Hello from Vercel Sandbox!`

  Sandboxes automatically stop after 5 minutes. To adjust this or manage running sandboxes, see [Working with Sandbox](/docs/vercel-sandbox/working-with-sandbox).

## What you just did

1. **Set up authentication**: Connected to a Vercel project and pulled credentials to enable sandbox creation.
2. **Created a sandbox**: Spun up an isolated Linux microVM.
3. **Ran a command**: Executed code inside the secure environment.

## Next steps

- [SDK Reference](/docs/vercel-sandbox/sdk-reference): Full API documentation for TypeScript and Python.
- [CLI Reference](/docs/vercel-sandbox/cli-reference): Manage sandboxes from the terminal.
- [Snapshots](/docs/vercel-sandbox/concepts/snapshots): Save sandbox state to skip setup on future runs.
- [Examples](/docs/vercel-sandbox/working-with-sandbox#examples): See real-world use cases.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
title: "Sandbox SDK Reference"
description: "A comprehensive reference for the Vercel Sandbox SDK, which allows you to run code in a secure, isolated environment."
last_updated: "2026-02-03T02:58:49.989Z"
source: "https://vercel.com/docs/vercel-sandbox/sdk-reference"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------