DocsPractice
SolveMe
Disposable Linux containers with a browser terminal and VS Code IDE — start a session in seconds, run any language or tool, and save your environment to restore it later.
What it does
SolveMe gives you a real disposable Linux VM — no local setup, no Docker on your machine, no lingering state. Each session is its own virtual machine. When the session ends or times out, the VM is destroyed.
Every container session includes a full browser terminal (powered by xterm.js + ttyd) and a VS Code IDE (code-server) accessible from the same tab — no installation required on your end.
SolveMe also hosts a static code execution sandbox (Coding tab) and a SQL sandbox (SQL tab). These run on Cariara servers rather than in a full VM and are available without starting a container session.
Available environments
Choose an environment before clicking Start. Each environment is a VM image pre-loaded with the relevant tools.
| Environment | Plan | Memory | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 24.04 | Free | 512 MB | Clean Ubuntu shell — bash, git, curl, wget. Good starting point for any Linux task. |
| Docker | Free | 1 GB | Docker Engine + Docker Compose pre-installed. Run multi-container apps inside the VM. |
| AI Agent Sandbox | Paid | 1.5 GB | Claude Code, Codex CLI, and Gemini CLI pre-installed. Run AI coding agents directly in the terminal. |
| K8s Single-node | Paid | 2 GB | Single-node k3s cluster. kubectl and helm included. |
| etcd Practice | Paid | 1 GB | etcd 3.5 with etcdctl and etcdutl. |
| Cloud CLI | Paid | 1.5 GB | AWS CLI, Azure CLI, gcloud, Terraform, kubectl, helm pre-installed. |
Starting a session
- Go to /labs.
- Click the environment card you want (Ubuntu 24.04 is selected by default).
- Click Start SolveMe.
- Watch the boot progress panel — provisioning typically takes 10–30 seconds.
- The terminal opens automatically when the environment is ready.
Boot progress
After clicking Start, the boot progress panel shows the VM being created, then booting with an elapsed timer. The terminal opens when the VM reports ready.
Using the terminal
The terminal is a full xterm.js emulator connected to a ttyd process running inside the VM. You have a real root shell — everything works the same as a local terminal.
Controls
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Increase font size | Click A+ in the title bar (only visible on the terminal tab). |
| Decrease font size | Click A− in the title bar. |
| Reconnect terminal | Click ↻ next to the terminal tab label. Opens a fresh connection — useful if the WebSocket drops. |
| Extend session (+15 min) | Click +15m in the title bar. Appears only when under 5 minutes remain. One extension per session. |
| Minimize to picker | Click ← Exit. The session keeps running in the background; click Resume Session to return. |
| End session | Click ⏻ in the title bar, or type exit / logout in the shell. |
Session timer
The timer in the title bar shows time remaining. It turns amber when under 5 minutes remain and red (with a pulse animation) when under 1 minute. At zero the container is automatically destroyed by the server.
exit or logout in the shell ends the session immediately. The VM is destroyed — copy out anything you want to keep first.VS Code IDE
Switch to the IDE tab (next to the terminal tab in the active session) to open VS Code in the browser. This is code-server — a full VS Code experience with file editing, the integrated terminal, and extension support, running inside your container.
The IDE and terminal share the same container filesystem. Files you create in the terminal appear immediately in the IDE file explorer, and vice versa.
Coding tab
The Coding tab executes code on Cariara servers — no container session needed. Paste code into the editor and click Run.
| Language | Notes |
|---|---|
| Python 3 | Missing packages are auto-installed via pip on first run (up to 5 retry attempts). |
| Bash | Runs in a sandboxed shell on the server. |
| Dockerfile | Linted with hadolint. Build is not run. |
| Terraform | Runs terraform init + validate + plan against the pasted configuration. |
Click Explain line next to any line of code for an AI plain-English explanation. Explanations are cached per (code, line) pair — repeated requests for the same line are instant.
SQL tab
The SQL tab is a browser-based SQL sandbox. Write and run SQL queries in the editor. Results display in a formatted table. The editor is fully theme-aware (light and dark mode).
Session limits & plans
| Feature | Free | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Container environments | Ubuntu 24.04, Docker | All 6 environments |
| Daily container sessions | 1 per day | No daily limit |
| Sessions running at once | 1 | 2 |
| Lab time | 30 minutes a day | 40 hours per billing period (teams: per seat, pooled) |
| Session duration | 30 minutes | 60 minutes |
| Session extension | None | +15 min (once) |
| Coding tab | Yes | Yes |
| SQL tab | Yes | Yes |
Need help?