Sandbox Environment Variables

Environment variables allow you to pass configuration information when creating a sandbox or executing code/commands. The sandbox supports setting environment variables at multiple scopes.

Default Environment Variables

The sandbox automatically sets the following metadata environment variables:

Variable Name	Description
E2B_SANDBOX	Set to true, used by processes to detect if running inside a sandbox
E2B_SANDBOX_ID	Unique identifier of the sandbox
E2B_TEMPLATE_ID	Template ID used

Three Ways to Set Environment Variables

Method 1: Set Global Variables When Creating a Sandbox

Global environment variables are visible to all code and commands throughout the sandbox's lifecycle.

import { Sandbox } from '@e2b/code-interpreter'

async function main() {
  const sandbox = await Sandbox.create({
    envs: {
      MY_VAR: 'my_value',
    },
  })
  await sandbox.kill()
}

main()

Method 2: Set Temporary Variables When Executing Code

These variables are only visible during that specific code execution and can temporarily override global variables.

import { Sandbox } from '@e2b/code-interpreter'

async function main() {
  const sandbox = await Sandbox.create()

  const result = await sandbox.runCode('import os; print(os.environ.get("MY_VAR"))', {
    envs: {
      MY_VAR: 'my_value',
    },
  })

  await sandbox.kill()
}

main()

Method 3: Set Temporary Variables When Running Commands

These variables are only visible during that specific command execution and can temporarily override global variables.

import { Sandbox } from '@e2b/code-interpreter'

async function main() {
  const sandbox = await Sandbox.create()

  await sandbox.commands.run('echo $MY_VAR', {
    envs: {
      MY_VAR: '123',
    },
  })

  await sandbox.kill()
}

main()

Environment Variable Isolation

Important: Code-level and command-level environment variables are not private within the operating system. They temporarily override global variables but remain visible to other parts of the operating system.