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It is unclear from the OpenAI description or this really cool write-up whether the code interpreter is actually running a Python interpreter, or is emulating a

It is unclear from the OpenAI description or this really cool write-up whether the code interpreter is actually running a Python interpreter, or is emulating a Python interpreter. I assume it is actually running a Python interpreter, but want to make sure (so I know how much verification of results would be needed).

mike_hearn 4y ago
It's actually running the Python the AI generates in a sandboxed environment.
- visarga 4y ago
  How does a sandboxed Python interpreter work? Is it even possible, from what I heard you can't really sandbox Python.
  - TheDong 4y ago
    Here, let me try: docker run --rm python:3 There you go. Before putting it in production, I recommend reading up some on seccomp, user namepsaces, and other security options, but to be honest you're already pretty fine with just that. Want more options? AWS lambda supports python. Cloud functions of various clouds (google, probably azure, etc) support python. Those are all sandboxes. You can cross-compile python to wasm, and run it directly with javascript... or with any of a number of sandboxed wasm runtimes. All that said, given the python packages they have available, my money is on a bunch of docker containers, not wasm or lambda or such.
    - leetrout 4y ago
      Pedantic reminder containers are not secure sandboxes without a tweaked runtime like gVisor.
      - TheDong 4y ago
        I don't think this "pedantic reminder" is correct. Feel free to prove me wrong though. Give me a binary to run which will escape a container, configured only with docker flags I choose to set, but without gvisor. If it's not a "secure sandbox", surely the above should be easy... But of course you won't be able to. "contained.af" (temporarily broken right now unfortunately) has been running for 5+ years with docker, no gvisor, and no one capturing the CTF flag.
        leetrout 4y ago
        No argument. I personally find gVisor much easier to reason about and delivering exactly what it says on the tin so that is what I proselytize.
  - mike_hearn 4y ago
    Sandboxing Python is perfectly possible. You just use kernel/process level sandboxing, or you could use something like the GraalVM sandbox which operates at the userspace level by exploiting compiler/VM tech.
  - summarity 4y ago
    Here's an overview of how to sandbox almost every programming language ever using standard linux sandboxing techniques: https://github.com/TryItOnline https://github.com/TryItOnline This powers tio.run

mike_hearn 4y ago

It's actually running the Python the AI generates in a sandboxed environment.

visarga 4y ago
How does a sandboxed Python interpreter work? Is it even possible, from what I heard you can't really sandbox Python.
- TheDong 4y ago
  Here, let me try: docker run --rm python:3 There you go. Before putting it in production, I recommend reading up some on seccomp, user namepsaces, and other security options, but to be honest you're already pretty fine with just that. Want more options? AWS lambda supports python. Cloud functions of various clouds (google, probably azure, etc) support python. Those are all sandboxes. You can cross-compile python to wasm, and run it directly with javascript... or with any of a number of sandboxed wasm runtimes. All that said, given the python packages they have available, my money is on a bunch of docker containers, not wasm or lambda or such.
  - leetrout 4y ago
    Pedantic reminder containers are not secure sandboxes without a tweaked runtime like gVisor.
    - TheDong 4y ago
      I don't think this "pedantic reminder" is correct. Feel free to prove me wrong though. Give me a binary to run which will escape a container, configured only with docker flags I choose to set, but without gvisor. If it's not a "secure sandbox", surely the above should be easy... But of course you won't be able to. "contained.af" (temporarily broken right now unfortunately) has been running for 5+ years with docker, no gvisor, and no one capturing the CTF flag.
      - leetrout 4y ago
        No argument. I personally find gVisor much easier to reason about and delivering exactly what it says on the tin so that is what I proselytize.
- mike_hearn 4y ago
  Sandboxing Python is perfectly possible. You just use kernel/process level sandboxing, or you could use something like the GraalVM sandbox which operates at the userspace level by exploiting compiler/VM tech.
- summarity 4y ago
  Here's an overview of how to sandbox almost every programming language ever using standard linux sandboxing techniques: https://github.com/TryItOnline https://github.com/TryItOnline This powers tio.run