Container

A Container resource lets you create and configure Docker containers that make up your lab environment. Containers provide the compute layer of your sandbox, allowing you to run applications, services, and tools that participants will use during hands-on exercises.

Through the UI, you can define container settings such as the image, startup commands, exposed ports, and environment variables — all without needing to write configuration files. You can also connect containers to networks, manage how they interact within the lab, and make them accessible through terminal tabs for users to interact with directly.

Containers make it easy to design flexible, interactive environments that replicate real-world systems and support a wide range of lab scenarios.

Creating a Container resource

Container resources can be created in the Sandbox tab. To create a new Container resource, navigate to the Sandbox tab and click the + button. Select Container from the dropdown menu.

Start by naming the container. Note that this is an internal name. You can assign a variety of settings to your container, but you also have the option to use a preset. Presets are pre-configured images for common container setups that can help you get started quickly. You can choose a preset from the Select preset dropdown menu:

Alternatively, you can select your own public or private image. By selecting “Add a new public or private image on GCP” you can add a custom image in the input.

Editing a container resource

To edit a container resource, you can select it from the list of existing sandboxes in the Sandbox tab. Click on the container you want to edit, make your changes in the configuration panel, and then click Add changes to save your updates.

Form sections

The container form is organized into collapsible sections. The Image and Resources sections are expanded by default. All other sections are collapsed and can be expanded by clicking on them.

1. Image (expanded by default)

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Image	✓		Docker image for the container

2. Resources (expanded by default)

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Memory		256	Memory limit in MB
CPU			CPU limit
GPU Driver			GPU driver for the container
GPU Device IDs			GPU device IDs for the container
Privileged			Run the container in privileged mode

3. Entrypoint & Command (collapsed)

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Entrypoint			Override the default entrypoint
Command			Command to run in the container

4. Environment Variables (collapsed)

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Environment Variables			Key-value pairs for environment variables

5. Network (collapsed)

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Network ID	✓		Select the network for the container
IP Address			Static IP address for the container

Note

Networks must be created previously before they can be assigned to a container. For more information on creating a network resource, please refer to the Network documentation.

6. Ports (collapsed)

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Local	✓		Local port on the host machine
Host			Port inside the container. If it is not set, the same value as Local will be used
Protocol		Default	Protocol type (TCP/UDP). Default is TCP

7. Port Ranges (collapsed)

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Range	✓		Range of ports on the host (e.g. 3000-3010)
Enable host		false	Enable host port mapping
Protocol		Default	Protocol type (TCP/UDP). Default is TCP

8. Volumes (collapsed)

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Source	✓		Source path on the host machine
Destination	✓		Destination path inside the container
Read Only		false	Mount the volume as read-only

9. Health Checks (collapsed)

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Timeout		30s	Health check timeout

Health checks support three modes:

HTTP

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Address	✓		Healthcheck URL
Method		GET	HTTP method
Body			Request body (hidden when method is GET)
Headers			HTTP headers
Success codes		200	Expected success codes

TCP

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Address	✓		Healthcheck address

Exec

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Command			Healthcheck command
Script			Healthcheck script
Exit code		0	Expected exit code

10. Capabilities (collapsed)

Field	Required?	Default	Description
Add			Add capabilities to the container
Drop			Drop capabilities from the container

Summary

The Container resource serves as the core compute component of your sandbox, enabling you to run the applications, services, and tools used in hands-on labs. You can easily create and configure containers through the UI by choosing a preset image or defining your own, setting startup commands, ports, and environment variables — all without writing configuration files.

For more granular control, containers can also be fine-tuned using advanced configuration options such as volumes, health checks, networks, and resource limits.

Overall, container resources make it simple to build flexible, interactive environments that closely replicate real-world systems and provide an engaging learning experience.