Create or import

Create a sandbox from a template, import an existing project, or fork another sandbox.

Start from a template

Select Create notebook, open Templates, and choose a framework such as Laravel. A template provides the starting files and project setup expected by that framework.

After creation, wait for preparation to complete before running commands or opening the preview.

Import a GitHub repository

Select Create notebook, open GitHub, and choose a repository from your connected GitHub account or paste its URL. Private repositories require permission to read the selected repository.

PHPSandbox detects a suitable template, which you can change before creating the sandbox. After import, review the project's setup instructions and configure the environment values it requires.

Upload a ZIP archive

Open Zip file when the project is not available through GitHub. The ZIP must be no larger than 10 MB and contain composer.json at its root.

Do not include secrets, local caches, vendor, or node_modules.

Fork an existing sandbox

Forking creates an independent sandbox from an existing one. Use it to experiment without modifying the original or to turn a shared example into your own workspace.

The fork has its own lifecycle and can be edited, stopped, restarted, or deleted independently.