@computesdk/provider

The provider framework for building custom compute providers.

Overview

This package provides the tools and types to build custom sandbox providers for the ComputeSDK ecosystem. Use it to add support for new compute platforms, cloud providers, or sandbox environments.

Installation

npm install @computesdk/provider

Quick Start

import { defineProvider } from '@computesdk/provider';
import type { ProviderConfig } from '@computesdk/provider';

interface MyProviderConfig extends ProviderConfig {
  apiKey: string;
  region?: string;
}

export const myProvider = defineProvider<any, MyProviderConfig>({
  name: 'my-provider',
  defaultMode: 'direct',
  methods: {
    instances: {
      create: async (config, options) => {
        // Create sandbox via your provider's API
        const response = await fetch(`https://api.example.com/sandboxes`, {
          method: 'POST',
          headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${config.apiKey}` },
          body: JSON.stringify(options)
        });
        
        const data = await response.json();
        
        return {
          instance: data, // Your provider's sandbox object
          instanceId: data.id
        };
      },
      
      getById: async (config, instanceId) => {
        const response = await fetch(
          `https://api.example.com/sandboxes/${instanceId}`,
          { headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${config.apiKey}` } }
        );
        
        if (!response.ok) return null;
        
        const data = await response.json();
        return { instance: data, instanceId: data.id };
      },
      
      list: async (config) => {
        const response = await fetch(
          `https://api.example.com/sandboxes`,
          { headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${config.apiKey}` } }
        );
        
        const data = await response.json();
        return data.map((s: any) => ({ instance: s, instanceId: s.id }));
      },
      
      destroy: async (config, instanceId) => {
        await fetch(
          `https://api.example.com/sandboxes/${instanceId}`,
          {
            method: 'DELETE',
            headers: { 'Authorization': `Bearer ${config.apiKey}` }
          }
        );
      },
      
      runCommand: async (sandbox, command, args) => {
        // Run shell command
        const response = await fetch(
          `https://api.example.com/sandboxes/${sandbox.id}/command`,
          {
            method: 'POST',
            body: JSON.stringify({ command, args })
          }
        );
        
        const result = await response.json();
        return {
          stdout: result.stdout,
          stderr: result.stderr,
          exitCode: result.exitCode
        };
      },
      
      getInfo: async (sandbox) => {
        return {
          id: sandbox.id,
          status: sandbox.status,
          createdAt: new Date(sandbox.created_at)
        };
      },
      
      getUrl: async (sandbox, options) => {
        return `https://${sandbox.id}.example.com:${options.port}`;
      }
    }
  }
});

API Reference

defineProvider(config)

Define a new provider with sandbox lifecycle methods.

Parameters:

interface ProviderConfig<TInstance, TConfig> {
  name: string;
  defaultMode?: 'direct' | 'gateway';
  methods: {
    instances: InstanceMethods<TInstance, TConfig>;
    template?: TemplateMethods<TTemplate, TConfig>;
    snapshot?: SnapshotMethods<TSnapshot, TConfig>;
  };
}

methods.sandbox remains a deprecated alias for methods.instances — use instances in new providers.

Returns: A factory function (config: TConfig) => Provider

Required Instance Methods

Collection Operations

These methods manage sandboxes at the collection level:

create(config, options?)

Create a new sandbox.

create: async (config, options) => {
  // Return: { instance: YourSandboxObject, instanceId: string }
  return { instance: myInstance, instanceId: 'sandbox-123'
  };
}

getById(config, instanceId)

Get an existing sandbox by ID.

getById: async (config, instanceId) => {
  // Return: { instance, instanceId } or null if not found
  return { instance: myInstance, instanceId };
}

list(config)

List all sandboxes.

list: async (config) => {
  // Return: Array of { instance, instanceId }
  return [
    { instance: sandbox1, instanceId: 'id1' },
    { instance: sandbox2, instanceId: 'id2' }
  ];
}

destroy(config, instanceId)

Destroy a sandbox.

destroy: async (config, instanceId) => {
  await yourApi.deleteSandbox(instanceId);
}

Instance Operations

These methods operate on individual sandbox instances:

runCommand(sandbox, command, args?, options?)

Run a shell command.

runCommand: async (sandbox, command, args) => {
  const result = await yourApi.runCommand(sandbox.id, command, args);
  return {
    stdout: result.stdout,
    stderr: result.errors,
    exitCode: result.code
  };
}

getInfo(sandbox)

Get sandbox information.

getInfo: async (sandbox) => {
  return {
    id: sandbox.id,
    status: 'running', // 'running' | 'stopped' | 'error'
    createdAt: new Date(sandbox.created_at)
  };
}

getUrl(sandbox, options)

Get URL for accessing sandbox services.

getUrl: async (sandbox, options) => {
  return `https://${sandbox.id}.example.com:${options.port}`;
}

Optional Filesystem Methods

Add filesystem support by implementing the filesystem methods. Import escapeShellArg from @computesdk/provider and always interpolate it inside double quotes — the helper escapes \, ", $, and backticks but not spaces or shell metacharacters like ; and |, so unquoted usage will break on paths with spaces and is unsafe for user-controlled input.

import { defineProvider, escapeShellArg } from '@computesdk/provider';

// ...

methods: {
  instances: {
    // ... required methods
    
    filesystem: {
      readFile: async (sandbox, path, runCommand) => {
        const result = await runCommand(sandbox, `cat "${escapeShellArg(path)}"`);
        return result.stdout;
      },
      
      writeFile: async (sandbox, path, content, runCommand) => {
        await runCommand(sandbox, `cat > "${escapeShellArg(path)}" << 'EOF'\n${content}\nEOF`);
      },
      
      mkdir: async (sandbox, path, runCommand) => {
        await runCommand(sandbox, `mkdir -p "${escapeShellArg(path)}"`);
      },
      
      readdir: async (sandbox, path, runCommand) => {
        const result = await runCommand(sandbox, `ls -la "${escapeShellArg(path)}"`);
        // Parse ls output and return FileEntry[]
        return parseFileList(result.stdout);
      },
      
      exists: async (sandbox, path, runCommand) => {
        const result = await runCommand(sandbox, `test -e "${escapeShellArg(path)}"`);
        return result.exitCode === 0;
      },
      
      remove: async (sandbox, path, runCommand) => {
        await runCommand(sandbox, `rm -rf "${escapeShellArg(path)}"`);
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: If you don't implement filesystem, the sandbox will still work but filesystem operations will throw helpful "not supported" errors.

Type Definitions

Core Types

import type {
  // Provider types
  Provider,
  ProviderConfig,
  ProviderInstance,
  
  // Method definitions
  InstanceMethods,
  TemplateMethods,
  SnapshotMethods,
  
  // Result types
  CodeResult,
  CommandResult,
  InstanceInfo,
  
  // Options
  CreateInstanceOptions,
  RunCommandOptions,
  
  // Filesystem
  FileEntry,
  InstanceFileSystem
} from '@computesdk/provider';

Provider Modes

Providers can operate in different modes:

• direct - Provider has native sandbox capabilities (e.g., E2B, Modal)
• gateway - Provider only has infrastructure - routes through gateway

Set the default mode in your provider config:

export const myProvider = defineProvider({
  name: 'my-provider',
  defaultMode: 'direct', // or 'gateway'
  methods: { /* ... */ }
});

Complete Example

Here's a complete minimal provider implementation:

import { defineProvider } from '@computesdk/provider';

interface MinimalConfig {
  apiKey: string;
}

export const minimal = defineProvider<any, MinimalConfig>({
  name: 'minimal',
  defaultMode: 'direct',
  methods: {
    instances: {
      create: async (config, options) => {
        const id = `sandbox-${Date.now()}`;
        return {
          instance: { id, status: 'running' },
          instanceId: id
        };
      },
      
      getById: async (config, id) => {
        return {
          instance: { id, status: 'running' },
          instanceId: id
        };
      },
      
      list: async (config) => {
        return [];
      },
      
      destroy: async (config, id) => {
        // Clean up sandbox
      },
      
      runCommand: async (sandbox, command, args) => {
        return {
          stdout: `Ran: ${command} ${args?.join(' ')}`,
          stderr: '',
          exitCode: 0
        };
      },
      
      getInfo: async (sandbox) => {
        return {
          id: sandbox.id,
          status: 'running',
          createdAt: new Date()
        };
      },
      
      getUrl: async (sandbox, options) => {
        return `http://localhost:${options.port}`;
      }
    }
  }
});

// Export factory function
export function createMinimal(config: MinimalConfig) {
  return minimal(config);
}

Usage in Provider Packages

Once you've defined your provider, export it from your package:

// In @computesdk/my-provider/src/index.ts
import { defineProvider } from '@computesdk/provider';

export const myProvider = defineProvider({ /* ... */ });

// Users can then use it directly
import { myProvider } from '@computesdk/my-provider';

const compute = myProvider({ apiKey: 'xxx' });
const sandbox = await compute.instances.create();

Best Practices

1. Validate Configuration Early

create: async (config, options) => {
  if (!config.apiKey) {
    throw new Error(
      'Missing API key for my-provider.\n\n' +
      'Setup instructions:\n' +
      '1. Get your API key from https://example.com/keys\n' +
      '2. Set environment variable: export MY_PROVIDER_API_KEY=your_key\n' +
      '3. Or pass it directly: myProvider({ apiKey: "your_key" })'
    );
  }
  
  if (!config.apiKey.startsWith('mp_')) {
    throw new Error(
      'Invalid API key format for my-provider.\n' +
      'API keys should start with "mp_"'
    );
  }
  
  // Continue with creation
}

2. Provide Helpful Error Messages

runCommand: async (sandbox, command, args) => {
  try {
    return await yourApi.runCommand(sandbox.id, command, args);
  } catch (error) {
    if (error.code === 'QUOTA_EXCEEDED') {
      throw new Error(
        'API quota exceeded for my-provider.\n' +
        'Upgrade your plan at https://example.com/pricing'
      );
    }
    throw error;
  }
}

3. Handle Missing Features Gracefully

If your provider doesn't support certain features:

// Don't implement filesystem methods - ComputeSDK will auto-generate
// helpful error messages for users

4. Document Provider-Specific Features

/**
 * My Provider - Fast cloud sandboxes
 * 
 * Features:
 * - Python and Node.js runtimes
 * - Full filesystem support
 * - GPU acceleration (premium plans)
 * - No terminal support
 */
export const myProvider = defineProvider({ /* ... */ });

Testing Your Provider

Create tests to verify your provider implementation:

import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
import { myProvider } from './index';

describe('MyProvider', () => {
  it('creates and destroys sandboxes', async () => {
    const compute = myProvider({ apiKey: process.env.MY_PROVIDER_API_KEY! });
    
    const sandbox = await compute.instances.create();
    expect(sandbox.instanceId).toBeDefined();
    
    const info = await sandbox.getInfo();
    expect(info.status).toBe('running');
    
    await sandbox.destroy();
  });
  
  it('executes code', async () => {
    const compute = myProvider({ apiKey: process.env.MY_PROVIDER_API_KEY! });
    const sandbox = await compute.instances.create();
    
    const result = await sandbox.runCommand('python -c "print(\"Hello\")"');
    expect(result.stdout).toContain('Hello');
    expect(result.exitCode).toBe(0);
    
    await sandbox.destroy();
  });
});

Examples

See these provider implementations for reference:

• @computesdk/e2b - Full-featured provider with filesystem operations
• @computesdk/modal - GPU-accelerated Python provider
• @computesdk/daytona - Workspace-based development sandboxes

Related Packages

• computesdk - User-facing gateway SDK
• @computesdk/e2b - E2B provider implementation
• @computesdk/modal - Modal provider implementation

License

MIT