Auto Lifecycle Management

This example demonstrates how to manage sandbox lifecycle automatically using auto-stop, auto-archive, and auto-delete intervals.

What You’ll Learn

Setting auto-archive intervals
Configuring auto-delete policies
Understanding lifecycle states
Creating sandboxes with custom intervals
Updating intervals on existing sandboxes
Best practices for cost optimization

Auto-Archive Examples

Auto-archive automatically archives inactive sandboxes to reduce storage costs while preserving their state.

Python
TypeScript
Go

from daytona import CreateSandboxFromSnapshotParams, Daytona


def main():
    daytona = Daytona()

    # Default interval
    sandbox1 = daytona.create()
    print(sandbox1.auto_archive_interval)

    # Set interval to 1 hour
    sandbox1.set_auto_archive_interval(60)
    print(sandbox1.auto_archive_interval)

    # Max interval (never archive)
    sandbox2 = daytona.create(params=CreateSandboxFromSnapshotParams(auto_archive_interval=0))
    print(sandbox2.auto_archive_interval)

    # 1 day interval
    sandbox3 = daytona.create(params=CreateSandboxFromSnapshotParams(auto_archive_interval=1440))
    print(sandbox3.auto_archive_interval)

    sandbox1.delete()
    sandbox2.delete()
    sandbox3.delete()


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

import { Daytona } from '@daytonaio/sdk'

async function main() {
  const daytona = new Daytona()

  // Default interval
  const sandbox1 = await daytona.create()
  console.log(sandbox1.autoArchiveInterval)

  // Set interval to 1 hour
  await sandbox1.setAutoArchiveInterval(60)
  console.log(sandbox1.autoArchiveInterval)

  // Max interval (never archive)
  const sandbox2 = await daytona.create({
    autoArchiveInterval: 0,
  })
  console.log(sandbox2.autoArchiveInterval)

  // 1 day interval
  const sandbox3 = await daytona.create({
    autoArchiveInterval: 1440,
  })
  console.log(sandbox3.autoArchiveInterval)

  await sandbox1.delete()
  await sandbox2.delete()
  await sandbox3.delete()
}

main().catch(console.error)

package main

import (
	"context"
	"log"
	"time"

	"github.com/daytonaio/daytona/libs/sdk-go/pkg/daytona"
	"github.com/daytonaio/daytona/libs/sdk-go/pkg/options"
	"github.com/daytonaio/daytona/libs/sdk-go/pkg/types"
)

func main() {
	client, err := daytona.NewClient()
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to create client: %v", err)
	}

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Example 1: Default interval
	log.Println("=== Example 1: Default auto-archive interval ===")
	params1 := types.SnapshotParams{
		SandboxBaseParams: types.SandboxBaseParams{
			Language: types.CodeLanguagePython,
		},
	}

	sandbox1, err := client.Create(ctx, params1, options.WithTimeout(90*time.Second))
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to create sandbox: %v", err)
	}
	log.Printf("Default auto-archive interval: %d minutes\n", sandbox1.AutoArchiveInterval)

	// Example 2: Set interval to 1 hour
	log.Println("\n=== Example 2: Update auto-archive interval to 60 minutes ===")
	interval := 60
	if err := sandbox1.SetAutoArchiveInterval(ctx, &interval); err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to set auto-archive interval: %v", err)
	}

	// Refresh sandbox info to see the updated interval
	sandbox1, err = client.Get(ctx, sandbox1.ID)
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to get sandbox: %v", err)
	}
	log.Printf("Updated auto-archive interval: %d minutes\n", sandbox1.AutoArchiveInterval)

	// Clean up first sandbox
	if err := sandbox1.Delete(ctx); err != nil {
		log.Printf("Failed to delete sandbox: %v", err)
	}

	// Example 3: Max interval (never archive)
	log.Println("\n=== Example 3: Sandbox with max interval (never archive) ===")
	maxInterval := 0
	params2 := types.SnapshotParams{
		SandboxBaseParams: types.SandboxBaseParams{
			Language:            types.CodeLanguagePython,
			AutoArchiveInterval: &maxInterval,
		},
	}

	sandbox2, err := client.Create(ctx, params2, options.WithTimeout(90*time.Second))
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to create sandbox: %v", err)
	}
	log.Printf("Auto-archive interval: %d (never archive)\n", sandbox2.AutoArchiveInterval)

	// Clean up second sandbox
	if err := sandbox2.Delete(ctx); err != nil {
		log.Printf("Failed to delete sandbox: %v", err)
	}

	// Example 4: 1 day interval
	log.Println("\n=== Example 4: Sandbox with 1 day auto-archive interval ===")
	oneDayInterval := 1440 // 24 hours * 60 minutes
	params3 := types.SnapshotParams{
		SandboxBaseParams: types.SandboxBaseParams{
			Language:            types.CodeLanguagePython,
			AutoArchiveInterval: &oneDayInterval,
		},
	}

	sandbox3, err := client.Create(ctx, params3, options.WithTimeout(90*time.Second))
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to create sandbox: %v", err)
	}
	log.Printf("Auto-archive interval: %d minutes (1 day)\n", sandbox3.AutoArchiveInterval)

	// Clean up third sandbox
	if err := sandbox3.Delete(ctx); err != nil {
		log.Printf("Failed to delete sandbox: %v", err)
	}

	log.Println("\n✓ All auto-archive examples completed successfully!")
}

Auto-Delete Examples

Auto-delete automatically removes sandboxes after they’ve been stopped for a specified period.

Python
TypeScript
Go

from daytona import CreateSandboxFromSnapshotParams, Daytona


def main():
    daytona = Daytona()

    # Auto-delete is disabled by default
    sandbox1 = daytona.create()
    print(sandbox1.auto_delete_interval)

    # Auto-delete after the Sandbox has been stopped for 1 hour
    sandbox1.set_auto_delete_interval(60)
    print(sandbox1.auto_delete_interval)

    # Delete immediately upon stopping
    sandbox1.set_auto_delete_interval(0)
    print(sandbox1.auto_delete_interval)

    # Disable auto-delete
    sandbox1.set_auto_delete_interval(-1)
    print(sandbox1.auto_delete_interval)

    # Auto-delete after the Sandbox has been stopped for 1 day
    sandbox2 = daytona.create(params=CreateSandboxFromSnapshotParams(auto_delete_interval=1440))
    print(sandbox2.auto_delete_interval)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

import { Daytona } from '@daytonaio/sdk'

async function main() {
  const daytona = new Daytona()

  // Auto-delete is disabled by default
  const sandbox1 = await daytona.create()
  console.log(sandbox1.autoDeleteInterval)

  // Auto-delete after the Sandbox has been stopped for 1 hour
  await sandbox1.setAutoDeleteInterval(60)
  console.log(sandbox1.autoDeleteInterval)

  // Delete immediately upon stopping
  await sandbox1.setAutoDeleteInterval(0)
  console.log(sandbox1.autoDeleteInterval)

  // Disable auto-delete
  await sandbox1.setAutoDeleteInterval(-1)
  console.log(sandbox1.autoDeleteInterval)

  // Auto-delete after the Sandbox has been stopped for 1 day
  const sandbox2 = await daytona.create({
    autoDeleteInterval: 1440,
  })
  console.log(sandbox2.autoDeleteInterval)
}

main().catch(console.error)

package main

import (
	"context"
	"log"
	"time"

	"github.com/daytonaio/daytona/libs/sdk-go/pkg/daytona"
	"github.com/daytonaio/daytona/libs/sdk-go/pkg/options"
	"github.com/daytonaio/daytona/libs/sdk-go/pkg/types"
)

func main() {
	client, err := daytona.NewClient()
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to create client: %v", err)
	}

	ctx := context.Background()

	// Example 1: Auto-delete is disabled by default
	log.Println("=== Example 1: Default auto-delete interval (disabled) ===")
	params1 := types.SnapshotParams{
		SandboxBaseParams: types.SandboxBaseParams{
			Language: types.CodeLanguagePython,
		},
	}

	sandbox1, err := client.Create(ctx, params1, options.WithTimeout(90*time.Second))
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to create sandbox: %v", err)
	}
	log.Printf("Default auto-delete interval: %d (disabled)\n", sandbox1.AutoDeleteInterval)

	// Example 2: Auto-delete after the Sandbox has been stopped for 1 hour
	log.Println("\n=== Example 2: Set auto-delete to 60 minutes after stop ===")
	interval := 60
	if err := sandbox1.SetAutoDeleteInterval(ctx, &interval); err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to set auto-delete interval: %v", err)
	}

	// Refresh sandbox info
	sandbox1, err = client.Get(ctx, sandbox1.ID)
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to get sandbox: %v", err)
	}
	log.Printf("Updated auto-delete interval: %d minutes\n", sandbox1.AutoDeleteInterval)

	// Example 3: Delete immediately upon stopping
	log.Println("\n=== Example 3: Delete immediately upon stopping (0 minutes) ===")
	immediateInterval := 0
	if err := sandbox1.SetAutoDeleteInterval(ctx, &immediateInterval); err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to set auto-delete interval: %v", err)
	}

	// Refresh sandbox info
	sandbox1, err = client.Get(ctx, sandbox1.ID)
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to get sandbox: %v", err)
	}
	log.Printf("Updated auto-delete interval: %d (immediate)\n", sandbox1.AutoDeleteInterval)

	// Example 4: Disable auto-delete
	log.Println("\n=== Example 4: Disable auto-delete (-1) ===")
	disableInterval := -1
	if err := sandbox1.SetAutoDeleteInterval(ctx, &disableInterval); err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to set auto-delete interval: %v", err)
	}

	// Refresh sandbox info
	sandbox1, err = client.Get(ctx, sandbox1.ID)
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to get sandbox: %v", err)
	}
	log.Printf("Updated auto-delete interval: %d (disabled)\n", sandbox1.AutoDeleteInterval)

	// Clean up first sandbox
	if err := sandbox1.Delete(ctx); err != nil {
		log.Printf("Failed to delete sandbox: %v", err)
	}

	// Example 5: Auto-delete after the Sandbox has been stopped for 1 day
	log.Println("\n=== Example 5: Sandbox with 1 day auto-delete interval ===")
	oneDayInterval := 1440 // 24 hours * 60 minutes
	params2 := types.SnapshotParams{
		SandboxBaseParams: types.SandboxBaseParams{
			Language:           types.CodeLanguagePython,
			AutoDeleteInterval: &oneDayInterval,
		},
	}

	sandbox2, err := client.Create(ctx, params2, options.WithTimeout(90*time.Second))
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to create sandbox: %v", err)
	}
	log.Printf("Auto-delete interval: %d minutes (1 day)\n", sandbox2.AutoDeleteInterval)

	// Clean up second sandbox
	if err := sandbox2.Delete(ctx); err != nil {
		log.Printf("Failed to delete sandbox: %v", err)
	}

	log.Println("\n✓ All auto-delete examples completed successfully!")
}

Expected Output

Auto-Archive

# Default interval (30 minutes)
# Updated to 1 hour
 # Never archive
# 1 day (24 hours)

Auto-Delete

-1  # Disabled by default
60  # 1 hour after stop
0   # Immediate deletion
-1  # Disabled again
1440  # 1 day after stop

Key Concepts

Auto-Archive Intervals

Auto-archive helps reduce storage costs by archiving inactive sandboxes:

Default: 30 minutes of inactivity
0: Never archive (sandbox stays active)
Positive number: Minutes of inactivity before archiving
Effect: Archived sandboxes consume minimal storage

# Create with custom interval
sandbox = daytona.create(
    params=CreateSandboxFromSnapshotParams(
        auto_archive_interval=120  # 2 hours
    )
)

# Update existing sandbox
sandbox.set_auto_archive_interval(60)  # 1 hour

Auto-Delete Intervals

Auto-delete permanently removes sandboxes after being stopped:

Default: -1 (disabled)
-1: Disabled (sandbox never auto-deletes)
0: Delete immediately when stopped
Positive number: Minutes after stop before deletion
Effect: Sandbox and all data are permanently removed

Permanent deletion: Auto-delete permanently removes the sandbox and all its data. Use with caution!

# Disable auto-delete (default)
sandbox.set_auto_delete_interval(-1)

# Delete immediately on stop
sandbox.set_auto_delete_interval(0)

# Delete after 24 hours of being stopped
sandbox.set_auto_delete_interval(1440)

Lifecycle States

Sandboxes transition through these states:

running -> stopped -> archived
   ↓         ↓          ↓
deleted <- deleted <- deleted

running: Sandbox is active and consuming compute resources
stopped: Sandbox is paused, only storage costs apply
archived: Sandbox is compressed, minimal storage costs
deleted: Sandbox is permanently removed

Common Configurations

Development Sandboxes

# Short-lived dev environment
sandbox = daytona.create(
    params=CreateSandboxFromSnapshotParams(
        auto_archive_interval=15,  # Archive after 15 min
        auto_delete_interval=60    # Delete after 1 hour stopped
    )
)

Production Sandboxes

# Long-lived production environment
sandbox = daytona.create(
    params=CreateSandboxFromSnapshotParams(
        auto_archive_interval=0,   # Never archive
        auto_delete_interval=-1    # Never auto-delete
    )
)

Demo/Testing Sandboxes

# Temporary demo environment
sandbox = daytona.create(
    params=CreateSandboxFromSnapshotParams(
        auto_archive_interval=5,   # Quick archive (5 min)
        auto_delete_interval=0     # Delete immediately on stop
    )
)

CI/CD Sandboxes

# Ephemeral CI environment
sandbox = daytona.create(
    params=CreateSandboxFromSnapshotParams(
        auto_archive_interval=0,   # Don't archive
        auto_delete_interval=0     # Delete immediately when done
    )
)

Cost Optimization

Understanding Costs

State	Compute Cost	Storage Cost	Recovery Time
Running	Full	Full	Immediate
Stopped	None	Full	~10 seconds
Archived	None	Minimal	~30 seconds
Deleted	None	None	Cannot recover

Optimization Strategies

Development workflows: Set auto_archive_interval=30 to quickly archive idle dev sandboxes while keeping them recoverable.

CI/CD pipelines: Use auto_delete_interval=0 to immediately clean up test environments after job completion.

Long-running services: Set auto_archive_interval=0 and auto_delete_interval=-1 to prevent disruption.

Best Practices

1. Match Intervals to Use Case

# Short-lived: aggressive cleanup
test_sandbox = daytona.create(
    params=CreateSandboxFromSnapshotParams(
        auto_archive_interval=5,
        auto_delete_interval=30
    )
)

# Long-lived: conservative settings
production_sandbox = daytona.create(
    params=CreateSandboxFromSnapshotParams(
        auto_archive_interval=0,
        auto_delete_interval=-1
    )
)

2. Update Intervals Dynamically

# Start with aggressive cleanup
sandbox = daytona.create(
    params=CreateSandboxFromSnapshotParams(
        auto_delete_interval=60
    )
)

# If promoted to production, disable auto-delete
if is_production:
    sandbox.set_auto_delete_interval(-1)

3. Monitor Sandbox State

# Check before modifying
sandbox = daytona.get(sandbox_id)
if sandbox.state == "running":
    # Safe to extend lifecycle
    sandbox.set_auto_archive_interval(0)

4. Label for Tracking

sandbox.set_labels({
    "environment": "development",
    "auto_cleanup": "enabled",
    "retention": "1_day"
})

Interval Recommendations

By Use Case

Use Case	Auto-Archive	Auto-Delete	Rationale
Active Development	30-60 min	24 hours	Balance quick recovery and cleanup
CI/CD Pipeline	0 (disabled)	0 (immediate)	Clean up immediately after use
Demo Environment	5-10 min	1-2 hours	Quick cleanup, short retention
Production	0 (disabled)	-1 (disabled)	Always available, manual cleanup
Testing/QA	15-30 min	4-8 hours	Moderate cleanup
Training/Workshops	60 min	7 days	Available during session, cleanup after

By Team Size

Individual developers: 30 min archive, 24 hour delete
Small teams: 60 min archive, 48 hour delete
Large organizations: Custom per project, use labels

Troubleshooting

Sandbox Deleted Unexpectedly

# Check auto-delete interval
sandbox = daytona.get(sandbox_id)
if sandbox.auto_delete_interval == 0:
    print("Warning: Sandbox will delete immediately on stop!")

Archive Taking Too Long

# Increase archive interval for large sandboxes
if sandbox.disk_size_gb > 10:
    sandbox.set_auto_archive_interval(120)  # 2 hours

Disable All Auto-Cleanup

# Completely disable automatic lifecycle management
sandbox.set_auto_archive_interval(0)   # Never archive
sandbox.set_auto_delete_interval(-1)   # Never delete

Code Examples

Integration Guides

Auto Lifecycle Management

What You’ll Learn

Auto-Archive Examples

Auto-Delete Examples

Expected Output

Auto-Archive

Auto-Delete

Key Concepts

Auto-Archive Intervals

Auto-Delete Intervals

Lifecycle States

Common Configurations

Development Sandboxes

Production Sandboxes

Demo/Testing Sandboxes

CI/CD Sandboxes

Cost Optimization

Understanding Costs

Optimization Strategies

Best Practices

1. Match Intervals to Use Case

2. Update Intervals Dynamically

3. Monitor Sandbox State

4. Label for Tracking

Interval Recommendations

By Use Case

By Team Size

Troubleshooting

Sandbox Deleted Unexpectedly

Archive Taking Too Long

Disable All Auto-Cleanup

Next Steps

Basic Sandbox

File Operations

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Code Examples

Integration Guides

​What You’ll Learn

​Auto-Archive Examples

​Auto-Delete Examples

​Expected Output

​Auto-Archive

​Auto-Delete

​Key Concepts

​Auto-Archive Intervals

​Auto-Delete Intervals

​Lifecycle States

​Common Configurations

​Development Sandboxes

​Production Sandboxes

​Demo/Testing Sandboxes

​CI/CD Sandboxes

​Cost Optimization

​Understanding Costs

​Optimization Strategies

​Best Practices

​1. Match Intervals to Use Case

​2. Update Intervals Dynamically

​3. Monitor Sandbox State

​4. Label for Tracking

​Interval Recommendations

​By Use Case

​By Team Size

​Troubleshooting

​Sandbox Deleted Unexpectedly

​Archive Taking Too Long

​Disable All Auto-Cleanup

​Next Steps

Basic Sandbox

File Operations

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

What You’ll Learn

Auto-Archive Examples

Auto-Delete Examples

Expected Output

Auto-Archive

Auto-Delete

Key Concepts

Auto-Archive Intervals

Auto-Delete Intervals

Lifecycle States

Common Configurations

Development Sandboxes

Production Sandboxes

Demo/Testing Sandboxes

CI/CD Sandboxes

Cost Optimization

Understanding Costs

Optimization Strategies

Best Practices

1. Match Intervals to Use Case

2. Update Intervals Dynamically

3. Monitor Sandbox State

4. Label for Tracking

Interval Recommendations

By Use Case

By Team Size

Troubleshooting

Sandbox Deleted Unexpectedly

Archive Taking Too Long

Disable All Auto-Cleanup

Next Steps