Declarative Image Builder

If an agent needs to build a new image, say to create a new default environment, it’s stuck.

Why? Because building a Docker image isn’t just writing a Dockerfile. It means downloading the Docker CLI, setting up a build context, running a local build, pushing to a container registry, then telling Daytona where to find it. That’s five steps too many for an agent.

Agents don’t have that kind of muscle. Or patience.

So we removed the complexity.

Just Declare the Image. Daytona Handles the Rest.

With Daytona’s new Declarative Image Builder, agents can now build fully customized Snapshots directly through the SDK. No Docker CLI, no manual uploads, no container registry.

1image = (
2    Image.debian_slim("3.12")
3    .pip_install(["numpy", "pandas", "jupyter"])
4    .run_commands(["apt-get update && apt-get install -y git"])
5    .env({"JUPYTER_ENABLE_LAB": "yes"})
6    .workdir("/workspace")
7)
8
9snapshot = daytona.create_image("data-science:latest", image)

That’s it. Declare the image. Daytona builds it.

Once built, Snapshots can be launched into Sandboxes instantly, anywhere. It is a zero-human, zero-DevOps interface to environment creation.

Works for One-Offs, Too

Declarative images aren’t just for reusable templates. You can also build them dynamically during development or testing, perfect for agents handling tasks on the fly.

1sandbox = daytona.create(
2    CreateSandboxParams(image=dynamic_image),
3    on_image_build_logs=print
4)

This gives agents true autonomy. They can spin up tailored environments on demand, without ever needing to install Docker or touch a registry.

The First Real Agent Interface for Image Creation

This isn’t a helper function. It is a fundamental shift.

If agents are going to operate independently, they need infra that speaks their language. Not YAML. Not bash. Not “log into AWS and configure ECR.” Just a simple SDK call.

Declarative Image Builder is that interface.

It is live now in the Daytona SDK. And it is one more step toward a world where agents don’t just write code, they ship it.