> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openhands.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

> Where OpenHands runs code in V1: Docker sandbox, Process, or Remote.

A **sandbox** is the environment where OpenHands runs commands, edits files, and
starts servers while working on your task.

In **OpenHands V1**, we use the term **sandbox** (not “runtime”) for this concept.

## Sandbox providers

OpenHands supports multiple sandbox “providers”, with different tradeoffs:

* **Docker sandbox (recommended)**
  * Runs the agent server inside a Docker container.
  * Good isolation from your host machine.

* **Process sandbox (unsafe, but fast)**
  * Runs the agent server as a regular process on your machine.
  * No container isolation.

* **Remote sandbox**
  * Runs the agent server in a remote environment.
  * Used by managed deployments and some hosted setups.

## Selecting a provider (current behavior)

In some deployments, the provider selection is still controlled via the legacy
<code>RUNTIME</code> environment variable:

* <code>RUNTIME=docker</code> (default)
* <code>RUNTIME=process</code> (aka legacy <code>RUNTIME=local</code>)
* <code>RUNTIME=remote</code>

<Note>
  The user-facing terminology in V1 is <b>sandbox</b>, but the configuration knob
  may still be called <code>RUNTIME</code> while the migration is in progress.
</Note>

## Terminology note (V0 vs V1)

Older documentation refers to these environments as **runtimes**.
Those legacy docs are now in the <b>Legacy (V0)</b> section of the Web tab.