# FAQ & troubleshooting

The questions we actually get, and the footguns worth knowing before they find you. If your question isn't here, [ask us](https://orkestr.eu/contact) - good questions end up on this page.

## Why can't my sandbox reach the internet?

Because the default network mode is `off` - the VM has no network device at all. Create with `network="restricted"` for the curated allowlist (package registries, GitHub, major model APIs) or `network="open"` for full egress. See [Networking & egress](https://orkestr.eu/docs/sandboxes/networking).

## pip / npm works in restricted mode, but my code's HTTP call fails

Restricted egress is an HTTPS forward proxy. Proxy-aware tools (pip, npm, curl, standard HTTP libraries - `HTTP_PROXY` and `HTTPS_PROXY` are pre-set) work as-is, but raw sockets and direct DNS do not resolve, and only allowlisted hosts are reachable. If you need another host, pass your own `allow_domains` - and note it **replaces** the default list, so keep the registries you still need on it.

## My custom allowlist broke pip install

`allow_domains` replaces the default set rather than extending it. Start from `default_egress_domains` (returned by the limits API) and add your hosts to that list.

## Where did my files go after terminate?

`/workspace` and `/tmp` are RAM-backed scratch - gone the moment the sandbox terminates, by design. Anything you want to keep goes on a [volume](https://orkestr.eu/docs/sandboxes/volumes) under `/persist`, or read it out with `files.read` before terminating.

## Why did my paused sandbox disappear?

Paused snapshots have a retention window: 7 days on the free tier, 30 days with a card on file, no expiry on enterprise. The deadline is returned as `paused_expires_at`, and every resume restarts the clock. If your agent parks sessions for days, check that field and resume in time.

## get_host raises / returns 409

Preview URLs need two things: a networked sandbox (`restricted` or `open` - an `off` sandbox has no port to expose) and a card on file. Both requirements are checked at call time.

## My exec timed out - is the sandbox dead?

No. `ExecTimeout` kills the command, not the sandbox - it stays alive so you can read partial output, grab logs, and decide what to do next. The sandbox's own lifetime clock is separate.

## I stopped reading exec_stream early and things got weird

Breaking out of a stream leaves the in-sandbox process running until its own timeout fires. Iterate streams to completion; if you need to abandon a command, follow up with a kill (for example `pkill` via a second exec).

## Do runtime installs survive? apt-get, npm -g?

They work, but they don't survive. The root filesystem is a writable per-sandbox overlay, so `apt-get install` (on `debian-12`), `npm install -g`, and writes anywhere on the filesystem all work at run time - and all vanish when the sandbox terminates, exactly like `/workspace`. If every run installs the same packages, bake them into a [custom template](https://orkestr.eu/docs/sandboxes/templates) once: you skip the install time on every boot and the image is captured permanently.

## How many sandboxes can I run in parallel?

Concurrency is a RAM budget, not a count: your live sandboxes' combined memory must fit your tier's `max_concurrent_memory_mb`. Small sandboxes pack more parallelism than large ones, and paused sandboxes don't count. Check [Limits & quotas](https://orkestr.eu/docs/sandboxes/limits).

## Does pausing stop billing?

Pausing stops the per-second compute meter. The snapshot itself meters as storage (GB-month), like volumes and templates - small compared to compute, but not zero.

## Can I extend a running sandbox's lifetime?

Not currently - the timeout is fixed at create, so create with the lifetime the task needs (up to your tier's ceiling). For long-lived sessions, pause between turns and resume: resuming restarts the lifetime clock.

## Is my data used to train anything?

No. Sandbox contents are your data; we run them, meter them, and delete them per the lifecycle on the [data residency page](https://orkestr.eu/docs/sandboxes/data-residency).