Runtimes

A Runtime is where an Environment runs: your own machine, a Docker container, or a cloud sandbox. Every Environment has one. A project Runtime lets you set one up once, with its provider, machine size, network access, and credentials, and then reuse it across many Environments.

There are three layers:

Providers

E2B, Modal, Blaxel, and Cloudflare sandboxes are coming soon, as are deployments in your own AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure account. They are listed so you can see what each will need, but Runtimes can't be created on them yet.

See every setting a provider takes, with an explanation of each:

plural runtime providersplural runtime provider daytona

Create a Runtime

The quickest way is the guided setup. It asks for each setting, explains it, and prompts for credentials without echoing them:

plural runtime create

In a script, name the provider or template and pass settings as key=value:

plural runtime create "Big box" --provider daytona --set cpus=4 --set memory_mb=8192 --no-input

Plural's Daytona account or your own

A Daytona Runtime starts its sandboxes on Plural's Daytona account unless you give it your own API key. You don't need a Daytona account, and sandboxes are billed to your credits as compute usage, by the vCPU, memory, and disk they use for as long as they run. The Usage page shows compute separately from model usage.

On Plural's account, plural run asks Plural to start each sandbox and relays commands and files to it. The API key never reaches your machine. A sandbox that sits idle for 30 minutes is stopped, and one that runs for 6 hours is ended. Custom API URLs and snapshots need your own key, because they belong to your Daytona organization.

To use your own Daytona account instead, pass credentials, or --own-credentials:

export DAYTONA_API_KEY=dtn_...plural runtime create "Big box" --provider daytona --set cpus=4 --set memory_mb=8192 \  --credentials-from-env --no-input

plural runtime edit big-box --plural-credentials switches back and deletes the saved key.

--credentials-from-env reads every credential the provider needs from environment variables of the same name. --credential DAYTONA_API_KEY prompts for one value without echoing it.

To start from an organization's template instead, pass --template. The Runtime uses the template's credentials, and you can change only the settings the template leaves unlocked:

plural runtime create "Fast Daytona" --template daytona-us --set cpus=4

You can do the same from the Runtimes page of a project on pluralintel.com. Credentials are encrypted when saved. Plural shows only their last few characters afterwards, and never stores them in an Environment.

Run an Environment on a Runtime

plural runtime use copies a Runtime's settings into an Environment's environment.yaml:

plural runtime use big-box ticket-triageplural env push ticket-triage

The runtime block then records which Runtime it came from:

runtime:  provider: daytona  ref: big-box  image: python:3.12-slim  cpus: 4  memory_mb: 8192  network: public  timeout_seconds: 300

The settings are copied, not linked. A saved Environment revision never changes, so editing a Runtime later does not change Environments that already use it. Run plural runtime use again, then push, to pick up the change. The Environment's Runtime variables are kept.

On pluralintel.com, open an Environment, go to its Runtime tab, and choose a project Runtime.

When a Runtime uses your own credentials and they are not already set in your shell, plural run fetches them from the project Runtime, if you are allowed to use them. They are used only for that run and are never saved in the Job.

Packages

When an App needs a package beyond Plural, such as duckdb or a warehouse client, list it in the Environment's runtime:

runtime:  provider: daytona  python_packages:    - duckdb>=1.1    - snowflake-connector-python

Each entry is one requirement, as you would give it to pip install. Plural installs them alongside itself when the Runtime starts, skips any already installed, and checks afterwards that each one is. A Docker Runtime builds them into its image once and reuses it.

• On a project Runtime, add them in the Python packages field of its Software step on pluralintel.com, one per line, or from the CLI by repeating --set:

bash plural runtime create big-box --provider daytona \ --set 'python_packages=duckdb>=1.1' --set python_packages=polars

plural runtime use copies them into environment.yaml with the other settings.

• The local Runtime installs nothing. It runs in your own Python, so a Job checks first and names any package that Python lacks, for you to install.
• Installing needs network access from the Runtime. With network: none, bake the packages into the image with dockerfile or image instead.

Runtime templates and policy

Owners and admins of an account set up Runtime templates under Runtimes in the organization's settings, or in personal settings for a personal account. A template is a provider configuration that members can build project Runtimes from.

plural runtime template create "Daytona US" --provider daytona --set target=us \  --lock target --lock network --credentials-from-env

• --lock stops project Runtimes from changing a setting, such as the region or network access.
• --share-credentials lets members' local runs use the template's credentials. Without it, members supply their own credentials for local runs.
• plural runtime template disable <template> stops new Jobs from using a template without deleting it. A template that project Runtimes still use cannot be deleted.

The organization's Runtime policy decides what members may do:

plural runtime policyplural runtime policy set --mode templates-only --allow daytona

• open, the default, lets members configure any allowed provider directly.
• templates-only lets members create Runtimes only from the organization's templates. Hosted Jobs then run only on Environments whose Runtime comes from an active template.
• --allow limits which providers may be used at all. Leave it out to allow every provider.

Plural checks the policy when a Job is created, so an Environment that breaks it can still be pushed but cannot run in the organization's projects.

Commands

Every command takes --json. See the CLI reference for all options.