E2B vs ellul
Ephemeral code execution, or persistent agent work.
E2B is for short bursts of code execution inside a sandbox. Ellul is for an agent that lives on a workstation indefinitely. Different problems.
Updated
The fundamental difference
E2B sandboxes are ephemeral by design: they exist for the duration of a code-execution call, capped at 24 hours on Pro. Ellul workstations are persistent by design: they exist until you cancel your subscription. If you're building an LLM app that runs untrusted code, use E2B. If you're an engineer who wants an always-on agent, use Ellul.
Where E2B is strong
Firecracker microVMs with strong isolation. Solid SDK for building 'run user code in a sandbox' features. The right primitive for code interpreters and untrusted-input scenarios.
Where ellul is stronger
Persistence. An Ellul workstation is yours for the duration of your account. Your installed packages, your config, your in-progress branches stay where you left them. E2B sandboxes don't.
Feature comparison
| Capability | E2B | ellul | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandbox lifetime | Minutes to 24h (Pro cap) | Indefinite (account lifetime) | |
| State preserved between sessions | no | yes | |
| Designed for agents | Code execution; agents bolt on | Agent-native | |
| Built-in agent chat | no | yes | |
| Passkey gating | no | yes | |
| Code-interpreter use case | Excellent | Possible but overkill | |
| Time-to-first-sandbox | Sub-second cold start | Sandbox already running |
Pricing
| Tier | E2B | ellul |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby | Per-second usage | $20/mo flat |
| Pro | Per-second usage | $50/mo flat |
| Heavy unattended use | Per-second wins for bursty / short-lived workloads | $50/mo flat is cheaper for daily-driver |
Verdict
E2B for code interpreters. Ellul for an engineer's daily-driver agent workstation.
Some products use both: E2B for code interpreters and Ellul for the engineering workstation that builds them. They aren't substitutes; they're tools at different layers of the stack.
When to use each
Use E2B when
- You're building an LLM app that needs to run untrusted user code.
- Your sandboxes live for seconds to minutes, not hours.
- You want per-second billing tied to actual usage.
- You don't need state to survive between sandbox lifetimes.
Use ellul when
- You're an engineer who wants an agent, not an SDK.
- Your agent needs hours or days of context, not seconds.
- You want a persistent home for installed packages, branches, and in-progress work.
- You want passkey-gated git push and deploys.
Common questions
Is E2B competitive with Ellul?
They solve different problems. E2B is the right answer for ephemeral code execution. Ellul is the right answer for persistent agent work. Some products use both: E2B for code interpreters and Ellul for the engineering workstation that builds them.
Could I use E2B as my agent's workstation?
It would work for short tasks. For anything taking longer than the sandbox cap (24h on Pro), the sandbox dies and the agent's work goes with it. Ellul exists because that ceiling is too low for serious unattended work.
What about persistence in E2B?
E2B's Pro plan supports sessions up to 24 hours. After that the sandbox tears down. State has to be exfiltrated and re-loaded, which is fine for code interpreters and painful for agents.
Pricing comparison?
If your sandbox usage is bursty (lots of short sessions), E2B's per-second pricing is cheaper. If you're keeping an agent alive for hours every day, Ellul's flat monthly wins.
Does E2B have passkey gating?
No. E2B is sandbox infrastructure; gating is something you build at the application layer. Ellul ships a FIDO2-enforced gate as a first-class part of the product.
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Move your agent off your laptop.
Hobby is $20/month. Pro is $50/month. Bring any agent: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode.
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