> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.fermion.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Initialization (new Sandbox)

> Learn how to initialize a new Fermion Sandbox client before creating containers.

Before you can create or manage containers, you must first initialize the Fermion Sandbox client. The `Sandbox({ apiKey })` constructor establishes a secure connection between your application and Fermion’s backend infrastructure, authenticating every subsequent operation you perform. This step does not immediately spin up a container, instead, it prepares the client instance for later actions such as creating new sandboxes, reconnecting to saved sessions, or running commands.

### `new Sandbox({ apiKey })`

**Description:**
Creates a new Sandbox client instance. This does not create a container yet - call `create()` or `fromSnippet()` after initialization.

**Parameters:**

| Parameter | Type   | Required | Description                             |
| --------- | ------ | -------- | --------------------------------------- |
| apiKey    | string | Yes      | Your Fermion API key from the dashboard |

**Returns:**
`Sandbox` instance

**Example:**

```typescript theme={null}
import { Sandbox } from '@fermion-app/sandbox'

const sandbox = new Sandbox({
  apiKey: process.env.FERMION_API_KEY
})
```