CodeSandbox
By Together AI
CodeSandbox is a cloud-based integrated development environment (IDE) that enables developers to rapidly build, share, and collaborate on web applications directly from the browser. Founded in 2017 by Ives van Hoorne and Bas Buursma, the company aims to simplify the web development process by removing the complexities associated with traditional local development setups.
Established in Amsterdam, Netherlands, CodeSandbox was conceived to address the challenges developers face in setting up development environments. The platform quickly gained traction, attracting a substantial user base due to its ease of use and collaborative features. By 2020, CodeSandbox reported over 2 million monthly users who had created more than 10 million projects on the platform.
CodeSandbox has secured a total of $15.2 million in funding over two rounds. The initial seed round in May 2019 raised $2.4 million, followed by a Series A round in October 2020 that garnered $12.8 million. Investors include EQT Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, and Arches Capital, among others.
The platform offers a range of features designed to enhance the development experience:
Live Collaboration: Multiple users can work on the same project in real-time, facilitating seamless teamwork.
Pre-Built Templates: A variety of templates are available to help developers start projects quickly without configuring environments from scratch.
GitHub Integration: Users can synchronize their projects with GitHub repositories, streamlining version control and collaboration.
Embeddable Sandboxes: Developers can embed live code examples into documentation or blogs, enhancing interactivity and learning.
In December 2024, CodeSandbox was acquired by Together AI, a move aimed at integrating code interpretation technology into generative AI platforms. This acquisition led to the launch of the CodeSandbox SDK, an API that allows developers to programmatically spin up isolated development environments for tasks such as AI agent execution and secure code interpretation.
Post-acquisition, CodeSandbox introduced several enhancements:
CodeSandbox SDK: Enables the creation of isolated sandboxes for instant code execution, particularly useful for AI applications and code playgrounds.
Improved Performance: Utilizing microVM infrastructure, the platform can spin up virtual machines in under 2 seconds, enhancing efficiency for developers.
Operating as a remote-first organization, CodeSandbox fosters a culture of creativity and collaboration. The team comprises professionals from diverse backgrounds, unified by the mission to make coding more accessible and efficient. The company emphasizes autonomy, peer-led development, and a commitment to building tools that empower the developer community.
CodeSandbox serves over 4.5 million developers monthly. The platform is utilized by organizations such as Shopify, Netflix, and Stripe, and supports numerous open-source projects, including React, Vue, and Babel. The active community contributes to a rich ecosystem of templates, extensions, and collaborative projects, continually enhancing the platform's value.
