Sphere Engine
Commercial code execution service from the makers of Ideone and SPOJ: a Compilers API for 80+ languages, a Problems API for test-case grading and a Containers product for multi-file projects, priced by quote. A commercially supported judge for assessment platforms; agents get a reliable but stateless and quote-priced execution backend.
Overview
Sphere Engine is the commercial code-execution platform of Sphere Research Labs Sp. z o.o. (Gdynia, Poland), the company behind the free Ideone and Sphere Online Judge services. The Compilers API (v4) is asynchronous: POST /submissions with compilerId, source and optional input to a customer-specific endpoint returns an id, then you poll GET /submissions/{id} every couple of seconds or receive a webhook; results include status codes, time, memory, signal and output streams. The Problems API adds test cases and grading, and the newer Containers product runs multi-file projects with an embeddable workspace (editor plus Linux terminal). Official client libraries exist for PHP and Python (the Java one is marked suspended) alongside JavaScript widget SDKs.
Submissions are stateless runs with a default timeLimit of 5 s (1-15 s on Compilers, up to 60 s per Problems test case), 1.5 GB RAM, 64 kB source and 64 kB input; Internet access is off unless enabled for a subscriber. The FAQ describes an isolated per-submission workspace with a dedicated physical core but does not name the sandboxing technology. Pricing is by quote after a 14-day trial, with on-premise deployment available; the homepage claims 5,000,000+ submissions per month. There is no agent-specific positioning, but the service is the oldest commercial compile-and-run API in this category.
Notable
- Homepage claims 5,000,000+ code submissions per month and 2,000,000+ end users
- Compilers API v4 is not backward compatible with v3; official PHP and Python clients, Java client suspended
- Submission data (source and streams) retained for one month by default
Sphere Engine specifications
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Isolation | Vendor does not name the technology; the FAQ says each submission runs in "an isolated workspace dedicated to a single submission" with exclusive access to one physical CPU core, and the Containers product runs multi-file projects in configurable slots |
| Deployment | Hosted platform · Self-hostable |
| Open source | No |
| SDKs and interfaces | REST API, PHP, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript |
| Cold start (vendor claim) | Not documented |
| Max session length | Compilers: timeLimit default 5 s, configurable between 1 and 15 s; Problems: 1-60 s per test case; Containers: timeout set per execution stage |
| Persistence | Compilers and Problems submissions are independent runs whose source and streams are retained for one month; Containers workspaces can be stopped and resumed through the API or panel |
| GPU | No GPU option is documented |
| Networking | Compilers and Problems: no Internet access by default, can be enabled for subscribed users; Containers: network is a per-project setting |
| Pricing | Individual quotes based on project scope, number of students or candidates, expected API submissions and support level; annual and quarterly plans; cloud or on-premise deployment |
| Free tier | 14-day fully functional free trial, no credit card required |
| Compliance | Not documented |
| Regions | Not documented |
Facts from Sphere Engine’s public documentation, verified November 9, 2026. Performance numbers are vendor claims.
Strengths and trade-offs
Strengths
- You want a vendor-supported compile-and-run API with SLA, on-premise option and test-case grading
- You need 80+ languages and a webhook-driven asynchronous flow
- You are building assessments or courses and want the embeddable editor and Containers workspaces too
Trade-offs
- Pricing is quote-only and the sandbox technology is not documented
- Compilers runs are capped at 15 s and 1.5 GB with no Internet by default
- No persistent state between Compilers submissions; only Containers workspaces can be stopped and resumed
- No official agent-framework integrations or MCP server
Good fit for: Assessment and e-learning products that need a supported, commercially backed compile-and-run API with test-case grading.
How Sphere Engine compares
| Sandbox | Isolation | Open source | Self-host / BYOC | Cold start (vendor) | Max session | Snapshots / pause | GPU | SDKs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sphere Engine | Isolated workspace (unnamed) | No | Yes / No | Not documented | 5 s (1-15 s) | No / Not documented | No | REST API, PHP, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript |
| Judge0 | isolate (namespaces/cgroups) | Yes | Yes / No | Not documented | 5 s wall (max 20 s) | No / No | No | REST API, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript |
| OneCompiler Code Execution API | Not documented | No | No / No | Not documented | 7-20 s (enterprise) | No / No | No | REST API |
| JDoodle Compiler API | Fresh sandbox per run (unnamed) | No | No / No | Not documented | Not documented | No / No | No | REST API |
| Piston | isolate in Docker | Yes | Yes / No | Not documented | 3 s run / 10 s compile | No / No | No | REST API |
| Together Code Sandbox | MicroVM | No | No / Not documented | 0.5 s (snapshot) | Until terminated | Yes / Yes | Not documented | Python, TypeScript |
Frequently asked questions
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How much does Sphere Engine cost?
What are the alternatives to Sphere Engine?
Sources
Cite this page
Agent Sandboxes. (2026). Sphere Engine. agentsandboxes.org. Last reviewed November 9, 2026. https://agentsandboxes.org/sandboxes/sphere-engine/
Found an error or a missing sandbox? Submit a correction — every entry links to the sources it relies on.