Kasm Workspaces
Container-streamed Linux desktops and browsers, self-hosted or as Kasm SaaS, with a Developer API and a free Community Edition that Kasm now also positions for agentic AI. A mature container-streaming VDI platform whose Developer API can hand agents isolated desktops, best suited to teams that already operate it.
Overview
Kasm Workspaces, from Kasm Technologies (McLean, Virginia), is a "container streaming platform": each session is a Docker container running a desktop, browser or single application, rendered to the user's browser through KasmVNC so nothing runs on the endpoint. It installs on a single Linux server or on Kubernetes, can autoscale into cloud providers, and is also sold as Kasm-hosted Cloud and Enterprise SaaS. A Developer API (request_kasm, get_kasm_status, get_kasm_screenshot, exec_command_kasm, destroy_kasm, keepalive) lets integrators create sessions for a user, run commands, take JPEG screenshots and tear sessions down programmatically.
Kasm's "Secure Agentic AI" page describes computer-use agents and workspace-native agents each running in its own ephemeral container, with credentials held inside the workspace and administrators controlling network egress; it does not document a purpose-built agent SDK or named model integrations. The core server is proprietary, while workspace images, KasmVNC, Ansible and Terraform automations are published on GitHub. The Community Edition is free for non-commercial use up to 5 concurrent sessions; commercial editions are quote-based and licensed per named user or per concurrent session.
Notable
- Community Edition is free for individuals and nonprofits with a 5-concurrent-session cap; commercial editions are priced on request
- Current release is 1.19.0 with rolling images by default (install docs)
- Workspace images (1.2k stars) and KasmVNC (5.4k stars) are open on GitHub; the core platform is not
Kasm Workspaces specifications
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Isolation | Docker container per session, streamed to the browser with KasmVNC; sessions can also be RDP-gatewayed to Windows hosts |
| Deployment | Hosted platform · Self-hostable |
| Open source | No |
| SDKs and interfaces | REST API |
| Cold start (vendor claim) | Not documented |
| Max session length | Session expiry is governed by per-user usage limits; the keepalive API resets a session's expiration time |
| Persistence | Sessions are ephemeral containers; persistent profiles can be enabled per image so user data survives across sessions. Session recording available on paid tiers |
| GPU | GPU resources can be shared across users and workloads; release 1.19 adds SR-IOV bifurcation of Intel Arc Pro cards (press release) |
| Networking | Administrators control inbound and outbound access per workspace; web filtering; optional PureVPN managed egress on Essentials and Premier |
| Pricing | Community Edition free (up to 5 concurrent sessions, non-commercial). Basic, Essentials and Premier editions: "Contact Us", licensed per named user or per concurrent session; Cloud and Enterprise SaaS available |
| Free tier | Community Edition: free for individuals, nonprofits and non-commercial use, up to 5 concurrent sessions |
| Compliance | Not documented |
| Regions | Not documented |
Facts from Kasm Workspaces’s public documentation, verified November 9, 2026. Performance numbers are vendor claims.
Strengths and trade-offs
Strengths
- You want self-hosted, browser-streamed desktop containers with admin policy controls and a session API
- You need a free, full-featured edition for testing or non-commercial agent experiments
- You run on Kubernetes or want Terraform/Ansible-driven deployment with cloud autoscaling
Trade-offs
- Built as VDI and browser isolation for people; the agent story is positioning rather than an agent-specific SDK
- Container isolation only (no VM option documented) and no documented startup figures
- Commercial pricing is not published; the Community Edition is capped at 5 concurrent sessions and non-commercial use
Good fit for: Organisations that already run browser-streamed desktops and want to give agents the same isolated, policy-controlled containers.
How Kasm Workspaces compares
| Sandbox | Isolation | Open source | Self-host / BYOC | Cold start (vendor) | Max session | Snapshots / pause | GPU | SDKs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kasm Workspaces | Docker container | No | Yes / No | Not documented | Admin-defined | No / Not documented | Yes | REST API |
| Cua | gVisor container or VM | Yes | Yes / No | Not documented | Until destroyed | Yes / Yes | Not documented | Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Rust, CLI, MCP server |
| Orgo | Isolated VM (hypervisor not named) | No | No / No | Seconds (claimed) | Unlimited (paid) | Yes / Yes | Yes | Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, REST API, CLI, MCP server |
| Scrapybara | Not documented | No | No / No | <1 s (claimed) | 1 h default, configurable | No / Yes | No | Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, REST API, MCP server, CLI |
| Hyperbeam | Not documented | No | No / No | Not documented | Unlimited by default | No / No | Not documented | REST API, JavaScript/TypeScript, Unity |
| Browserless | Not documented | Yes | Yes / No | Not documented | 2 min to 60 min by plan | No / No | Yes | JavaScript/TypeScript, Python, CLI, REST API, MCP server |
| Coder | Template-defined (VM/pod/container) | Yes | Yes / No | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented / Yes | Not documented | CLI, REST API, MCP server |
Frequently asked questions
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Sources
Cite this page
Agent Sandboxes. (2026). Kasm Workspaces. agentsandboxes.org. Last reviewed November 9, 2026. https://agentsandboxes.org/sandboxes/kasm-workspaces/
Found an error or a missing sandbox? Submit a correction — every entry links to the sources it relies on.