Introduction to sandbox programs

Last update: April 14, 2025
  • Applies to:
  • Experience Manager as a Cloud Service

CREATED FOR:

  • Admin
  • Developer

Learn what sandbox programs are and how they differ from production programs.

Introduction

A sandbox program is typically created to serve the purposes of training, running demos, enablement, or proof of concepts (POCs) and thus are not meant to carry live traffic.

A sandbox program is one of the two types of programs available in AEM Cloud Service, the other being a production program. See Understanding Programs and Program Types to learn more about program types.

Auto-creation

Sandbox programs feature auto-creation. Whenever you create a sandbox program, Cloud Manager automatically:

  • Adds AEM Sites, Assets, and Edge Delivery Services as default solutions to your program.

    Select solutions and add-ons for a sandbox

  • Sets up a project git repository with a sample project based on the AEM Project Archetype.

  • Creates a development environment.

  • Creates a non-production pipeline that deploys to the development environment.

A sandbox program has only one development environment.

Usage notes and conditions

Because they are not meant for live traffic, sandbox programs have certain limitations and conditions on their usage, which differentiates them from production programs.

Limitation/conditionDescription
No live trafficSandbox programs are not meant to carry live traffic and are therefore not subject to AEM as a Cloud Service Commitments.
No auto-scalingEnvironments created in a sandbox program are not configured for auto-scaling. Therefore, these environments are not suitable for performance or load testing.
No custom domains or IP Allow ListsCustom domains and IP Allow Lists are not available in sandbox programs.
No additional publish regionsAdditional publish regions are not available in sandbox programs.
No 99.99% SLA99.99% SLA does not apply to sandbox programs.
No advanced networkingAdvanced networking features (for example, self-serve provisioning of VPN, non-standard ports, dedicated egress IP addresses, and so on) are not available in sandbox programs.
No automatic AEM updatesAEM updates are not automatically pushed to sandbox programs, but can be applied manually to the environments in your sandbox program.
• A manual update can only be run when the targeted environment has a properly configured pipeline.
• A manual update to either a production or staging environment automatically updates the other. The Production+Stage environment set must be on the same AEM release.
See AEM version updates for more details.
See Updating Environment to learn how to update an environment.
No technical supportBecause a sandbox program is typically created to serve the purposes of training, running demos, enablement, or POCs (proof of concepts), technical support is not available for issues experienced in a sandbox program.
If you experience issues creating and managing your sandbox programs, these issues are within the scope of technical support.
Hibernation and deletionEnvironments in a sandbox program are automatically hibernated after eight hours of inactivity. Sandbox environments are deleted after six continuous months of hibernation.
See Hibernating and De-hibernating Sandbox Environments for more details about how to de-hibernate environments and automatic sandbox deletion.

Experience Manager