Container sandbox
thane vs Docker Sandboxes
Docker gives you containers. thane gives you OS-level sandboxing without the overhead.
TL;DR
- Docker requires a daemon, images, and container orchestration; thane sandboxes launch instantly
- thane uses OS-native sandboxing (Landlock + seccomp on Linux, App Sandbox on macOS) — no container overhead
- Docker sandboxes live in separate filesystems; thane sandboxes share your real filesystem with per-path restrictions
- thane includes a terminal workspace; Docker is infrastructure-only
Feature comparison
| Feature | thane | Docker Sandboxes |
|---|---|---|
| OS-level sandboxing (Landlock + seccomp on Linux, App Sandbox on macOS) | ||
| Per-workspace file restrictions | ||
| Network isolation | ||
| Local-first (runs on your machine) | ||
| Split panes & workspaces | ||
| Embedded browser | ||
| Agent queue management | ||
| Real-time audit trail | ||
| Cost / token tracking | ||
| Open source | ||
| Free tier | ||
| AI agent auto-detection (18 agents) | ||
| Built-in git diff viewer | ||
| Sensitive data / PII detection |
Yes / Partial / No
Pricing
thane
Docker Sandboxes
What Docker Sandboxes does well
Docker is the industry standard for containerization. It has massive ecosystem support, battle-tested isolation, and works on every platform. For production deployments and CI/CD pipelines, Docker’s container model is proven and well-understood. The tooling ecosystem (Compose, Swarm, Kubernetes integration) is unmatched.
Where thane differs
For local Claude Code sandboxing, Docker is overkill. You need to build images, manage a daemon, deal with volume mounts, and navigate container networking — just to restrict what Claude Code can do on your machine. thane’s OS-native approach applies restrictions directly to processes without any of that overhead. Claude Code runs in your real filesystem with per-path read/write/deny rules, starts instantly, and doesn’t need a container runtime. Plus, thane wraps it all in a productive workspace with split panes, an embedded browser, and an agent task queue.
Which should you choose?
Choose Docker if you need reproducible production environments, CI/CD isolation, or cross-platform container support. Choose thane if you want lightweight, instant sandboxing for AI coding agents on your machine with a developer-first terminal workspace.
Ready to try thane?
Free for personal use. OS-level sandboxing, split panes, embedded browser, and real-time audit trail — all on your machine.