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A snapshot is a reusable saved state of a sandbox. It captures the sandbox filesystem and memory state so you can start new sandboxes from that point later. Novita also describes this concept as committing a sandbox into a snapshot. Use snapshots when you want to:
  • Prepare dependencies once and reuse them in later sandboxes.
  • Save a known-good state before running risky or expensive work.
  • Start multiple sandboxes from the same captured environment.
  • Keep a reusable state after the original sandbox is no longer needed.
For continuing the same sandbox later, use Sandbox Persistence. For creating new sandboxes from a saved point, use snapshots.

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Terminology

  • Origin Sandbox: The sandbox instance used to create the snapshot.
  • Snapshot: The saved state that can be used to create new sandboxes.
  • New Sandbox: A sandbox created from the snapshot.

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Create a snapshot

You can use the createSnapshot method in JavaScript or create_snapshot method in Python to create a snapshot from a running sandbox. The sandbox is paused while the snapshot is being created, then can continue running after the operation completes. 
from novita_sandbox.code_interpreter import Sandbox

sandbox = Sandbox.create()
sandbox.commands.run("echo ready > /tmp/status.txt")

snapshot = sandbox.create_snapshot()
print(snapshot.snapshot_id)
You can also create a snapshot by sandbox ID. 
snapshot = Sandbox.create_snapshot(sandbox_id)
Store the returned snapshot ID. Then you can use it as the template when creating a new sandbox.

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Create a sandbox from a snapshot

You can pass the snapshot ID to create to start a new sandbox from the captured state. 
snapshot_id = snapshot.snapshot_id

new_sandbox = Sandbox.create(template=snapshot_id)
result = new_sandbox.commands.run("cat /tmp/status.txt")
print(result.stdout)
The new sandbox has its own sandbox ID and lifecycle. Killing the original sandbox does not delete the snapshot.

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List snapshots

You can use the listSnapshots method in JavaScript or list_snapshots method in Python when you need to find saved states for a sandbox or for your account. 
# List snapshots created from one sandbox.
paginator = sandbox.list_snapshots(limit=20)

while paginator.has_next:
    for snapshot in paginator.next_items():
        print(snapshot.snapshot_id)

# Or list all snapshots.
paginator = Sandbox.list_snapshots(limit=20)
You can filter by source sandbox ID when listing all snapshots. 
paginator = Sandbox.list_snapshots(sandbox_id=sandbox_id, limit=20)

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Delete a snapshot

You can use the deleteSnapshot method in JavaScript or delete_snapshot method in Python to delete snapshots you no longer need. A snapshot may not be deletable while running sandboxes are still using it as their source, so kill those sandboxes before deleting the snapshot. 
new_sandbox.kill()
Sandbox.delete_snapshot(snapshot_id)

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Snapshot recommendations

  • Snapshot after setup steps finish successfully.
  • Keep snapshot IDs in your own database if jobs need to reuse them later.
  • Use metadata on sandboxes to track where saved states came from.
  • Delete unused snapshots to avoid keeping stale saved states.
  • Use Sandbox Persistence instead if you only need to pause and resume the same sandbox.
Last modified on June 10, 2026