userland.run vs CodeSandbox Sandpack and Nodebox
Sandpack is CodeSandbox's open-source toolkit for embedding live code editors; for Node.js projects it uses Nodebox, a Node-compatible runtime built on browser APIs. It is quick to embed for front-end playgrounds. userland.run instead emulates a Linux machine, so the comparison is mostly about how much of Node — and of Linux — you need.
Last verified: · sources cited below
The short answer
- Choose Sandpack for React/front-end playgrounds in docs and blogs: the components are Apache-2.0, polished, and start fast.
- Be careful with Nodebox for new commercial work: its license is the Sustainable Use License, and its last npm release dates from November 2023.
- Choose userland.run when you need real Node.js semantics, a shell, native Linux tools or an open-source license that permits commercial distribution under AGPL terms.
Side by side
| Sandpack + Nodebox | userland.run | |
|---|---|---|
| License | sandpack-react / sandpack-client: Apache-2.0. @codesandbox/nodebox: Sustainable Use License v1.0 — use "only for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial or personal use". [1][2] | Runtime: AGPL-3.0 or commercial UEL. SDK: MPL-2.0 or UEL. Source on GitHub. |
| How it works | "Nodebox does not emulate Node.js but is, instead, a Node.js-compatible runtime", implementing Node APIs module by module on browser APIs. [3] | User-mode RV64GC RISC-V emulator + Linux syscall layer in wasm, plus peer runners: Node on the host JS engine, a wasm32-wasip1 runner, a Boa JS sandbox. |
| Node.js | Partial compatibility; the README lists unsupported areas (N-API modules, sockets to external IPs, synchronous exec/spawn, async_hooks). No Node version is stated. [3] | Real Node.js v25.4.0 ELF on the emulator (fidelity), or nodert on the browser's JS engine (fast, with documented divergences). |
| Native binaries | No — N-API modules are listed as unsupported; no ELF execution. [3] | Yes — static riscv64 Linux ELF binaries (BusyBox, ripgrep, …) and wasm32-wasip1 apps. |
| Offline / self-hosting | "Runs entirely in the browser"; the runtime can be self-hosted, but the default is served from CodeSandbox. [3] | Static files you host yourself. Catalog apps come from a signed CDN index (mirrorable via CdnOptions.baseUrl) and are cached in OPFS. |
| Pricing | No price list found. The license allows internal business, non-commercial or personal use; other commercial use needs separate terms from CodeSandbox. [2] | Free under AGPL-3.0 / MPL-2.0. A commercial license (UEL) is available from And The Next GmbH for terms the open-source licenses don't provide. |
| Browsers | Chrome, Firefox and Safari; iOS Safari in beta. No COOP/COEP requirement is mentioned. [3] | Cross-origin isolation (COOP/COEP, or the shipped service worker) + SharedArrayBuffer. This site's sample suite runs in Chromium; other engines are not in the published test matrix. |
| Preview / networking | Previews via runtime.preview into an iframe; no sockets to external hosts. [3] | Inbound: in-tab servers previewed via a service worker (/sw/<port>/). Outbound: HTTP through the host fetch (CORS applies; an optional self-hosted CORS proxy ships). |
| Maintenance | Nodebox: last npm release 0.1.9 (2023-11-29). Sandpack: last release 2025-02-14. [1][4] | Active: SDK 0.2.7 and nano v0.2.1 in 2026 — see the changelog. |
Where Sandpack is better
- Embedding front-end examples. Sandpack's React components, themes and bundler are purpose-built for docs-style playgrounds and need very little setup.
- No cross-origin isolation. The Nodebox README doesn't require COOP/COEP headers, which matters on hosts where you can't set them. userland.run needs isolation (or its service worker).
- Light weight. For small JavaScript demos, a Node-compatible layer on browser APIs starts faster than booting an emulator.
Where userland.run is different
- Real Node when you need it. The RISC-V path runs the upstream Node.js v25.4.0 binary, so module coverage isn't a list of what has been reimplemented.
- A real shell and real tools. BusyBox, pipes, and signed catalog apps like ripgrep or jaq run as Linux binaries.
- Licensing. AGPL-3.0 / MPL-2.0 allow commercial use and redistribution on copyleft terms; a commercial license is available for closed derivatives.
- More than Node. A wasm runner and a sandboxed JS engine share the same filesystem.
If you use Sandpack's front-end bundler today and only need Node for a dev server, keep Sandpack for the editor UI and evaluate whether the server part needs a real runtime at all.
FAQ
Is Nodebox still maintained?
We found no deprecation notice, but its npm package and repository have not changed since November 2023 (checked 2026-10-11). Sandpack itself last released in February 2025.
Can I use Nodebox in a commercial product?
Its Sustainable Use License limits use to internal business, non-commercial or personal purposes and distribution to free, non-commercial use. Ask CodeSandbox for anything beyond that.
Does userland.run work without COOP/COEP headers?
Not without help: the VM needs SharedArrayBuffer. If you can't set headers, register the SDK's service worker, which adds them and reloads the page once.
Sources
- npm registry: @codesandbox/sandpack-react, sandpack-client, nodeboxwww.npmjs.com/package/@codesandbox/nodebox
- Nodebox runtime — LICENSE (Sustainable Use License v1.0)github.com/Sandpack/nodebox-runtime/blob/main/LICENSE
- Nodebox runtime — READMEgithub.com/Sandpack/nodebox-runtime
- codesandbox/sandpack on GitHubgithub.com/codesandbox/sandpack
- userland-run/nano — README and LICENSE.mdgithub.com/userland-run/nano
- userland-run/sdk — @userland-run/nano-sdk READMEgithub.com/userland-run/sdk
All third-party facts were checked against these pages on 2026-10-11. Products change — if something here is out of date, please open an issue.