Introducing Sandbox Environments on AWS Builder Center
Starting today, builders can complete hands-on workshop exercises in a fully provisioned AWS account. No personal AWS account, credit card, or cleanup required.
Sandbox environments are a new addition to AWS Builder Center that lets you request a free, time-limited AWS account and start building right away. Whether you want to try a workshop without creating a personal account or just want to experiment without worrying about unexpected charges, sandboxes give you a clean environment to work in.
What is a sandbox environment?
A sandbox is a free, pre-provisioned AWS account where you can safely complete hands-on exercises, write code, and experiment. Each environment is active for 8 hours, after which it's automatically de-provisioned along with all its resources. You never have to clean up manually.
How do I request a sandbox?
Go to the Workshops page and find a workshop that offers a sandbox environment. Click Request free sandbox environment above the workshop title, review the details, and click Request.
Most environments are ready within 15 minutes. You'll receive an email and in-app notification the moment your sandbox is ready to use.
How long does a sandbox stay active?
Each sandbox is active for 8 hours, starting from the moment you're notified it's ready. After 8 hours, the account and everything in it are automatically de-provisioned. We recommend saving any code, configurations, or outputs to a location outside the sandbox before the session expires.
Are there any limits?
To ensure fair access for all builders, two limits apply:
- You can have one active sandbox at a time. You'll need to wait until your current session ends before requesting another.
- You can request one sandbox per week, with the weekly limit resetting every Sunday.
If account provisioning ever fails, your weekly quota is preserved and you can try again.
Where do I find my sandboxes?
On the AWS Workshops page under the Your Workshops tab, you can find all past and active workshops with the sandbox environments you've requested.
We'll be adding more workshops with sandbox environments in the coming weeks.
For more information, check out the updated FAQs .
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