E2B self-hosting now has two materially different routes. E2B Embed is an open-source, single-machine evaluation stack you can run with Docker Compose on a Linux host with KVM. Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC) is an enterprise deployment operated with E2B in your AWS or Google Cloud account. E2B explicitly says Embed is for evaluation, not its recommended production pattern. The older Terraform, Nomad, and Consul instructions still found in search results describe a retired repository path; do not use them as the current quickstart. (Source: E2B Embed README; Source: E2B Enterprise)

For a developer proving sandbox behavior, start with Embed on an isolated host. For a production workload that needs a specific cloud account or region, ask E2B about BYOC and its support boundary. For variable traffic without a residency requirement, compare E2B Cloud first: Hobby is free plus usage, while Pro is $150 per month plus usage. These options have different operational and commercial terms, so “self-hosted is cheaper” cannot be inferred from the software license alone. (Source: E2B Embed README; Source: E2B Pricing)

Which E2B deployment should you choose?

RouteIntended useWho operates itPublished price
E2B Cloud HobbySmall trials, one-hour sessionsE2B$0 base, $100 one-time credits, then usage
E2B Cloud ProManaged production with longer sessionsE2B$150/month plus usage
E2B EmbedLocal evaluation of the full stackYouOpen-source software; host and operations extra
E2B BYOCEnterprise deployment in your AWS or GCP accountContract-dependent, confirm with E2BCustom quote plus usage

The table separates the two meanings of “self-hosting” that competing guides often collapse. Embed gives you a runnable stack for evaluation, but it is not an endorsed production substitute for BYOC. Cloud gives you a managed service. The public Enterprise page names AWS and GCP BYOC; it does not publish a standard monthly BYOC tariff or a universal support agreement. Ask for those terms in writing before making a cost comparison. (Source: E2B Embed README; Source: E2B Enterprise; Source: E2B Pricing)

E2B Embed requirements and setup

The current Embed documentation calls for a Linux x86-64 or arm64 host with KVM and 4 KiB memory pages, Docker Engine 27 or newer, and Docker Compose 2.24 or newer. It recommends 12 GiB of memory and 20 GiB of disk. KVM access is the gating requirement: a laptop or cloud VM that lacks nested virtualization may run Docker but fail to launch sandbox microVMs. Verify /dev/kvm and its permissions before spending time on API configuration. (Source: E2B Embed README; Source: E2B Compose README)

The official Compose quickstart downloads compose.yaml and .env from the current runtime repository and starts the stack with docker compose up -d --wait. For a reproducible evaluation, review those files, pin them to a specific repository commit, and record that commit with the host architecture and Docker versions. Downloading main each time can silently change the stack between runs. The documentation also describes Terraform for GCP and Kubernetes deployment paths; those are separate from the single-host Compose trial. (Source: E2B Compose README; Source: E2B Embed README)

Before the first sandbox, limit network exposure. The Compose guide warns that multiple ports listen on all interfaces. Only ports 3000, 3001, and 3002 should be reachable by trusted clients; its unauthenticated gRPC service on port 5008 must remain private. Put the host behind a firewall or private network, check actual bound ports, and avoid treating the supplied development configuration as an internet-facing production setup. (Source: E2B Compose README)

This is a documentation-based setup path, not a claim that we deployed Embed. A useful proof of concept should record whether a sandbox starts, executes a command, persists or discards files as expected, and terminates cleanly. It should also measure concurrent starts, host memory, startup latency, and recovery after service restart on your hardware. Those results determine whether the deployment meets your workload; the README alone cannot. (Source: E2B Embed README)

What happened to the Nomad self-hosting guide?

The former E2B infrastructure repository and archived self-hosting guide documented Terraform, Nomad, Consul, Cloudflare, PostgreSQL, GCP quotas, and an AWS beta path. That guide is useful as history but is not the current Embed procedure. In particular, its 2,500 GB SSD and 24 CPU quota was a requirement for that historical deployment recipe, not a minimum for today's single-host Embed. A cost calculation that turns those quotas into a universal $1,250 monthly floor is misleading. (Source: Archived E2B Self-Host Guide; Source: E2B Embed README)

If an old tutorial tells you to run make set-env, make provider-login, or make prep-cluster, check its repository revision before following it. The present repository puts Embed documentation under runtime/embed. Keep historical deployment assumptions out of a new budget or security review. (Source: Archived E2B Self-Host Guide; Source: E2B Embed README)

E2B Cloud pricing versus self-hosting

E2B's published Cloud pricing separates the plan fee from runtime. Hobby includes a $100 one-time credit, one-hour maximum sessions, and 20 concurrent sandboxes. Pro costs $150 monthly before usage, allows sessions up to 24 hours, and starts at 100 concurrent sandboxes, with paid expansion. Enterprise and BYOC require a quote. Published compute rates list 2 vCPUs at $0.000028 per running second and 2 GiB RAM at $0.000009 per second; storage and other terms need checking against the plan. (Source: E2B Pricing)

For a clearly stated illustration, 10,000 sandbox executions lasting 60 seconds each at 2 vCPUs and 2 GiB amount to 600,000 running seconds. At the published CPU-plus-memory rate of $0.000037 per second, that is $22.20 in modeled usage, or $172.20 with the Pro base fee. It excludes storage overages, other charges, tax, discounts, idle time, and any time that falls outside the exact assumption. It is arithmetic, not an E2B invoice or throughput test. (Source: E2B Pricing)

Embed has no published monthly infrastructure floor. Your bill depends on the actual host, disks, networking, backups, and staff time. BYOC has custom commercial terms. To compare fairly, measure sandbox-hours and peak concurrency, then request a BYOC proposal and price an Embed host sized from a load test. Do not compare an untested single VM with a managed service-level commitment as though they provided the same reliability. (Source: E2B Embed README; Source: E2B Enterprise; Source: E2B Pricing)

A production evaluation checklist

Use the following questions in a proof of concept or BYOC sales discussion. They cover the gaps left by a simple “open source versus SaaS” comparison:

  1. Which route is supported for production, and who patches the host, microVM runtime, API, and database? (Source: E2B Embed README; Source: E2B Enterprise)
  2. Where do sandbox code, logs, templates, and secrets reside, and what crosses the E2B control plane? Ask E2B to document the exact BYOC boundary. (Source: E2B Enterprise)
  3. Can the target host expose KVM and launch the required number of sandboxes under load? Record startup latency and failure rates. (Source: E2B Embed README)
  4. Which ports are reachable, especially the unauthenticated gRPC endpoint called out by the Compose guide? (Source: E2B Compose README)
  5. What are the contracted limits, support response, upgrade process, and full monthly charges at the expected sandbox-hours? (Source: E2B Pricing; Source: E2B Enterprise)

FAQ

Can you self-host E2B?

Yes. E2B Embed provides an open-source evaluation stack that runs on your Linux host with KVM. E2B also offers enterprise BYOC deployment in AWS or Google Cloud. Embed's README says it is for evaluation, so production teams should confirm whether BYOC or another supported arrangement meets their security and operational requirements. (Source: E2B Embed README; Source: E2B Enterprise)

What hardware does E2B Embed need?

The current documentation specifies Linux on x86-64 or arm64 with KVM and 4 KiB pages. It recommends 12 GiB RAM and 20 GiB disk, plus recent Docker Engine and Compose versions. These are setup prerequisites, not a tested capacity guarantee for your workload. Validate concurrency and sandbox startup on the actual host. (Source: E2B Embed README; Source: E2B Compose README)

Is E2B self-hosting free?

The Embed software is open source, but a suitable KVM host, storage, network security, operations, and maintenance still cost money. There is no universal infrastructure price for Embed. BYOC is an enterprise offering with custom pricing; request the full commercial and support terms before comparing it with Cloud Pro. (Source: E2B Embed README; Source: E2B Enterprise; Source: E2B Pricing)

Is the old Terraform and Nomad guide still current?

No. It describes an archived deployment path. The current runtime repository documents E2B Embed and its Compose, Terraform, and Kubernetes routes. The old GCP quota figures should not be treated as requirements for Embed. Verify a guide's repository path and revision before copying its commands into a new deployment. (Source: Archived E2B Self-Host Guide; Source: E2B Embed README)

Related coverage

References