Own E2B - Cloud Execution Environment Backend

🚀 Features

• Firecracker VM Management: Create, manage, and delete lightweight Firecracker VMs
• Secure SSH Integration: Execute commands and manage files through SSH connections
• REST API: Full-featured Express.js API for VM and execution operations
• Database Integration: PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM for data persistence
• Redis Caching: Redis for session management and VM state tracking
• Network Management: Automatic TAP interface and bridge network setup
• User Management: Multi-user support with project isolation

🏗️ Architecture

Core Components

1. API Layer (src/)

• Express Server (src/index.ts): Main entry point running on port 8080
• Routes (src/routes/):
  • /firecracker/* - VM management endpoints
  • /firecracker/exec/* - Command execution endpoints

2. VM Management (src/firecracker/)

• VM Creation (firecracker.create.ts): Provisions new Firecracker VMs
• VM Deletion (firecracker.delete.ts): Cleanup and resource deallocation
• Network Setup (firecracker.network.ts): TAP interfaces and bridge networking
• VM Configuration (firecracker.config.ts): VM resource configuration
• Boot Management (firecracker.boot.ts): VM startup procedures

3. Controllers (src/controller/)

• VM Controller (createVM.controller.ts):
  • POST /firecracker/create - Create new VM
  • POST /firecracker/delete - Delete existing VM
  • POST /firecracker/get-host - Get VM host URL
• Execution Controller (exec.controller.ts):
  • POST /firecracker/exec/run - Execute commands in VM
  • POST /firecracker/exec/create-dir - Create directories
  • POST /firecracker/exec/write - Write files to VM

4. Services (src/services/)

• SSH Service (ssh/): Secure command execution and file operations
• Redis Service (redis/): Caching and session management

5. Database Layer (src/lib/, src/prisma/)

• Prisma ORM: Database abstraction and type safety
• Models: User, Project, VirtualMachine, Session management

📊 Database Schema

User: User management with API keys
├── Projects: User's coding projects
├── Sessions: Authentication sessions
└── VirtualMachines: VM instances with network config

VirtualMachine:
- VM IP, MAC address, socket path
- Resource specs (vCPU, memory)
- Status tracking and user association

🌐 Network Architecture

• Bridge Network: br0 (172.16.0.1/24)
• VM IP Range: 172.16.0.2 - 172.16.0.20
• Host Port Mapping: Each VM IP maps to specific host ports (8000-8018)
• TAP Interfaces: Dynamic TAP creation per VM
• Internet Access: NAT forwarding through host interface

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ with TypeScript support
• PostgreSQL database
• Redis server
• Firecracker binary and kernel images
• Ubuntu rootfs image for VMs
• Sudo access for network configuration

Installation

1. Clone and install dependencies:

git clone <repository>
cd own-e2b
npm install

2. Set up environment variables:

# Database
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/e2b"
DIRECT_URL="postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/e2b"

# Add other required environment variables

3. Database setup:

npx prisma generate
npx prisma db push

4. Prepare VM images (update paths in controller):

# Download or build kernel and rootfs
# Update paths in src/controller/createVM.controller.ts:
# - kernelImage: "/path/to/vmlinux"
# - rootfsPath: "/path/to/ubuntu.ext4"

5. Start the server:

npm run dev

📡 API Endpoints

VM Management

Create VM

POST /firecracker/create
{
  "userId": "user-id-here"
}

Returns VM details including IP, MAC, and connection info.

Delete VM

POST /firecracker/delete
{
  "id": "vm-id",
  "userId": "user-id"
}

Get VM Host URL

POST /firecracker/get-host
{
  "userId": "user-id",
  "ip": "172.16.0.2",
  "id": "vm-id"
}

Command Execution

Run Command

POST /firecracker/exec/run
{
  "id": "vm-id",
  "userId": "user-id",
  "command": "ls -la",
  "projectId": "project-id",
  "path": "/optional/working/directory"
}

Create Directory

POST /firecracker/exec/create-dir
{
  "id": "vm-id",
  "userId": "user-id",
  "path": "/path/to/create"
}

Write File

POST /firecracker/exec/write
{
  "id": "vm-id",
  "userId": "user-id",
  "projectId": "project-id",
  "path": "filename.txt",
  "content": "file content here"
}

🔧 Configuration

VM Default Settings

• Memory: 512MB
• vCPUs: 1
• Network: Bridge mode with internet access
• SSH: Automatic connection with retry logic

File Structure

src/
├── controller/          # API request handlers
├── firecracker/         # VM management core
├── lib/                 # Utilities and database
│   ├── generated/       # Prisma generated client
│   └── prisma.ts       # Database connection
├── prisma/             # Database schema
├── routes/             # Express route definitions  
└── services/           # External service integrations
    ├── redis/          # Caching layer
    └── ssh/            # Secure command execution

🔐 Security Features

• Isolated VMs: Each user gets isolated Firecracker VMs
• SSH Key Authentication: Secure command execution
• Network Isolation: VMs run in isolated network namespaces
• Resource Limits: Configurable CPU and memory constraints
• User Isolation: Database-level user and project separation

🛠️ Development

Key Technologies

• Runtime: Node.js with TypeScript
• Framework: Express.js
• Database: PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM
• Caching: Redis
• Virtualization: Firecracker VMM
• SSH: ssh2 library for secure connections

Code Organization

• Controllers: Handle HTTP requests and responses
• Services: Reusable business logic components
• Firecracker Module: VM lifecycle management
• Types: TypeScript type definitions

📈 Scaling Considerations

• VM Pool Management: Redis tracks allocated IPs and resources
• Connection Pooling: SSH connections are pooled and reused
• Resource Cleanup: Automatic cleanup on VM deletion
• Network Limits: Supports up to 19 concurrent VMs (172.16.0.2-20)

🚨 Production Notes

• Update hardcoded VM image paths in controllers
• Configure proper logging and monitoring
• Set up proper authentication/authorization
• Review network security and firewall rules
• Monitor VM resource usage and cleanup orphaned VMs

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