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jamesstringer90/appsandbox

A Windows and macOS virtual machine app for running sandboxed full desktop VMs with GPU acceleration, usable from a GUI or a scriptable API.

Open-source alternative to:Parallels DesktopVMware Fusion

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Last commit
27 days ago

What is it?

App Sandbox creates and runs full desktop virtual machines for Windows 11, Ubuntu, and macOS guests. You pick an OS, supply an installer image (a Windows or Ubuntu ISO; macOS downloads its restore image automatically), and the app provisions the disk, runs an unattended install, and boots the guest. It can be driven from a graphical UI or through a headless local HTTP/JSON API with a dependency-free Python SDK.

On Windows 11 Home, it runs without Hyper-V by using the Host Compute System and Host Compute Network APIs, which require only the Virtual Machine Platform feature. GPU acceleration uses paravirtualization (GPU-PV) to share the host GPU with the guest, supporting DirectX 12, OpenGL, Vulkan, CUDA, and OpenCL on Windows guests. On macOS, the app uses Apple's Virtualization.framework and offers Metal GPU acceleration for macOS guests.

The headless mode supports creating, snapshotting, branching, SSH-ing into, and deleting VMs from code, which suits running computer-use AI agents or driver testing in isolated desktops. The project is MIT licensed and distributed as prebuilt binaries.

Key features

  • 01Creates Windows 11 or Ubuntu VMs on Windows 11 Home without Hyper-V
  • 02GPU acceleration via GPU-PV with DirectX 12, OpenGL, Vulkan, CUDA, and OpenCL on Windows
  • 03macOS VMs with Metal GPU acceleration on Apple Silicon
  • 04Snapshots and branches for reusing provisioned VM state
  • 05Headless local HTTP/JSON API with a Python SDK (asb.py)
  • 06Copy and paste, two-channel audio, and SSH over Hyper-V sockets or virtio-vsock

Use cases

  • Building and testing software on a clean Windows or Ubuntu desktop install
  • Running computer-use AI agents, each in its own isolated VM
  • Developing and testing Windows drivers with test-signing enabled only inside the guest
  • Scripting GPU-accelerated VM creation and teardown in local CI on a self-hosted runner

Quick start

  1. 1

    Download the prebuilt app from the Releases page

  2. 2

    On Windows, start the headless API daemon

    appsandbox.exe --headless
  3. 3

    On macOS, start the headless API daemon

    sudo /Appsandbox.app/Contents/MacOS/AppSandbox --headless

Things to know

  • Requires Windows 11 on x64 or macOS Tahoe on Apple Silicon, so it does not run on other platforms.
  • On macOS, Windows 11 guests get no GPU acceleration.
  • You must supply your own Windows or Ubuntu ISO image.

Topics

#virtual-machine#sandbox#gpu-acceleration#windows#macos#python-sdk#computer-use#gpu-pv#vm

FAQ

What is appsandbox?
A Windows and macOS virtual machine app for running sandboxed full desktop VMs with GPU acceleration, usable from a GUI or a scriptable API. App Sandbox creates and runs full desktop virtual machines for Windows 11, Ubuntu, and macOS guests. You pick an OS, supply an installer image (a Windows or Ubuntu ISO; macOS downloads its restore image automatically), and the app provisions the disk, runs an unattended install, and boots the guest. It can be driven from a graphical UI or through a headless local HTTP/JSON API with a dependency-free Python SDK.
Is appsandbox free to use? What license does it have?
appsandbox is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is appsandbox still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to appsandbox was on Sep 22, 2026.
What can I use appsandbox for?
Building and testing software on a clean Windows or Ubuntu desktop install Running computer-use AI agents, each in its own isolated VM Developing and testing Windows drivers with test-signing enabled only inside the guest Scripting GPU-accelerated VM creation and teardown in local CI on a self-hosted runner
How do I install appsandbox?
Download the prebuilt app from the Releases page On Windows, start the headless API daemon: appsandbox.exe --headless On macOS, start the headless API daemon: sudo /Appsandbox.app/Contents/MacOS/AppSandbox --headless
Where can I get appsandbox?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/jamesstringer90/appsandbox

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