Sandbox Labs
Lab Workspace Guide
Navigate the sandbox editor, terminal, preview, and file explorer.
The sandbox lab provides a browser-based coding workspace for your enrolled labs.
Opening a lab workspace
Go to Labs (`/labs`), choose a lab, then Open sandbox — you land on `/labs/workspace/{labSlug}` for that lab.
Cloud session
When the workspace loads, Tedlab connects a persistent E2B MicroVM in the background. Sessions pause when idle and auto-resume when you return — you usually keep your files and shell without a cold start. Default VM lifetime is about 15–45 minutes depending on environment; activity refreshes the timer.
Track-specific environments
Cloud / DevOps / network labs use the `tedlab-cloud-iac` image (Terraform, AWS/Azure/GCP CLIs, kubectl, Podman). Application and data labs use `tedlab-node-data`. Cybersecurity range lessons use `tedlab-security-range` with mock credentials injected for exercises — never paste real cloud keys into lab files.
Editor Panel
The Monaco code editor supports syntax highlighting and multiple files. Your draft is autosaved locally and synced to the server. Editable files upload to `/home/user/workspace` in the VM when the session connects and when you open the Terminal tab.
Running code
Click Run code to execute your entrypoint in the secure cloud sandbox. Live stdout/stderr streams into the Execution trace panel below the editor.
Terminal tab
Switch to Terminal for an interactive bash shell (cloud-iac and code-interpreter labs). Resize the panel as needed; keystrokes stream to the VM and output renders with ANSI colors. Cloud and DevOps labs also support `.tf`, `.hcl`, `.yaml`, and `.sh` files in the editor.
Preview tab
Switch to Preview after starting a dev server in the terminal (for example `npm run dev -- --host 0.0.0.0`). Tedlab forwards a public URL to the port running inside your sandbox.
File explorer
Use the Files sidebar to switch between lab files. You can create, rename, and delete editable files (up to 12 files). Starter files marked read-only cannot be edited.
Lab types without a terminal
Design and enterprise-simulator labs use browser-only tooling — the Terminal and Preview tabs are hidden for those profiles.
Mobile layout
On small screens, use the Files and Panels toggles to show or hide the file list and review sidebar without crowding the editor.