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Need help?

For immediate assistance, use the Crisp chat widget in the bottom-right corner of our landing page or web app to reach our support team directly. This guide covers common issues and their solutions. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to reach out.

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API errors

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Catching errors

All API errors throw SandboxApiError with HTTP status and response details: 
import { Sandbox, SandboxApiError } from "@simplesandbox/sdk";

const client = Sandbox();

try {
  await client.sandboxes.list();
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof SandboxApiError) {
    console.error("Status:", error.status);
    console.error("Message:", error.response.message);
    console.error("Details:", error.response.details);
  }
}

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Common API errors

401 Unauthorized
  • Invalid or missing API key
  • Check SANDBOX_API_KEY environment variable
  • Verify key in dashboard
404 Not Found
  • Sandbox ID doesn’t exist or was deleted
  • Sandbox belongs to different organization
400 Bad Request
  • Invalid parameters (e.g., negative timeout)
  • Malformed request body
429 Too Many Requests
  • Rate limit exceeded
  • Wait and retry with exponential backoff

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Networking issues

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Connection refused

Symptoms: Can’t reach exposed service, connection refused errors Solutions:
  1. Check IPv6 binding:
// ❌ Wrong - IPv4 only
app.listen(3000, '0.0.0.0');

// ✅ Correct - IPv6
app.listen(3000, '::');
  1. Verify process is running:
const ps = await sandbox.exec("ps aux | grep server");
console.log(ps.stdout);
  1. Check server logs:
const logs = await sandbox.exec("tail -n 100 /tmp/server.log");
console.log(logs.stdout);
  1. Wait for server startup:
await sandbox.exec("node server.js >/tmp/server.log 2>&1", {
  background: true
});

// Wait 2 seconds for startup
await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 2000));

const host = sandbox.expose(3000);

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Invalid port

Error: “Invalid port provided” Solution: Port must be a positive integer: 
// ❌ Wrong
sandbox.expose(0);
sandbox.expose(-1);
sandbox.expose(NaN);

// ✅ Correct
sandbox.expose(3000);
sandbox.expose(8080);

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Command execution issues

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Timeout errors

Symptoms: Commands fail with timeout Solutions:
  1. Increase timeout (max 60s):
await sandbox.exec("npm install", {
  timeoutMs: 60_000  // 60 seconds
});
  1. Use background mode for long-running processes:
await sandbox.exec("python train.py >/tmp/train.log 2>&1", {
  background: true
});
  1. Split into smaller commands:
// Instead of one long command
await sandbox.exec("npm install", { timeoutMs: 30_000 });
await sandbox.exec("npm build", { timeoutMs: 30_000 });
await sandbox.exec("npm test", { timeoutMs: 30_000 });

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Command fails silently

Symptoms: Command returns success but doesn’t work Solutions:
  1. Check exit code and stderr:
const result = await sandbox.exec("my-command");
if (!result.success || result.exitCode !== 0) {
  console.error("Failed:", result.stderr);
}
  1. Add error handling in shell:
await sandbox.exec("set -e && npm install && npm test");

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Background process exits immediately

Symptoms: Background process doesn’t stay running Solutions:
  1. Check logs for errors:
await sandbox.exec("node server.js >/tmp/server.log 2>&1", {
  background: true
});

await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 1000));

const logs = await sandbox.exec("cat /tmp/server.log");
console.log(logs.stdout);
  1. Verify process is running:
const pid = await sandbox.exec("pgrep -f server.js || echo 'not running'");
console.log(pid.stdout);

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File operation issues

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File size limit exceeded

Error: FileSizeError: File size X bytes exceeds maximum allowed size Solution: SDK enforces 10 MB limit per write: 
// For large files, split or host externally
const chunkSize = 5 * 1024 * 1024; // 5 MB chunks

for (let i = 0; i < data.length; i += chunkSize) {
  const chunk = data.slice(i, i + chunkSize);
  await sandbox.files.write(`/tmp/data.part${i}`, chunk);
}

// Combine inside sandbox
await sandbox.exec("cat /tmp/data.part* > /tmp/data.bin");

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File not found

Symptoms: Read fails with “Failed to read file” Solution: Check if file exists before reading: 
const check = await sandbox.exec("test -f /app/config.json && echo exists || echo missing");
if (check.stdout.includes("exists")) {
  const content = await sandbox.files.read("/app/config.json");
}

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Sandbox management issues

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Sandbox stops unexpectedly

Symptoms: Sandbox terminates before work completes Solutions:
  1. Check stopAt timestamp:
const info = await sandbox.info();
console.log("Stops at:", info.stopAt);
  1. Extend timeout proactively:
// Extend by 15 minutes
await sandbox.setTimeout(15 * 60_000);
  1. Set longer timeout on creation:
const sandbox = await client.sandboxes.create({
  image: "node:lts",
  timeoutMs: 30 * 60_000  // 30 minutes
});

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Can’t rehydrate sandbox by ID

Error: 404 when calling get(id) Reasons:
  • Sandbox was deleted
  • Sandbox timed out and auto-terminated
  • ID belongs to different organization
  • Typo in ID
Solution: Check sandbox still exists: 
const sandboxes = await client.sandboxes.list();
const exists = sandboxes.some(s => s.id === savedId);

if (exists) {
  const sandbox = await client.sandboxes.get(savedId);
} else {
  console.log("Sandbox no longer exists");
}

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Getting help

If you’re still experiencing issues:
  1. Check logs: Review sandbox execution logs and stderr output
  2. Verify configuration: Double-check API keys, image names, and parameters
  3. Test locally: Try reproducing with Docker locally first
  4. Contact support: Reach out via the app with:
    • Sandbox ID
    • Error messages
    • Steps to reproduce
    • Expected vs actual behavior