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CodeEngine

A high-performance, distributed code execution engine that securely compiles and runs untrusted C++, Java, and Python code in isolated Docker environments.

Problem Statement

Executing untrusted, user-submitted code (like on LeetCode or HackerRank) is inherently dangerous. Standard web servers cannot safely compile and run arbitrary code without risking infinite loops, memory leaks, or malicious shell execution. The objective of this project was to build a highly scalable, distributed backend engine that securely sandboxes user code in ephemeral Docker containers, manages high-concurrency request spikes using asynchronous task queues, and returns execution outputs with near-zero overhead.

Core Features

  • Polyglot Execution: Securely compiles and executes Java, C++, and Python code.
  • Docker Sandboxing: Every execution is isolated within its own ephemeral Docker container with strict CPU and memory limits.
  • Asynchronous Processing: Utilizes Java CompletableFuture and a bounded ThreadPoolTaskExecutor to handle concurrent execution requests without blocking the main API thread.
  • High Throughput: Exhaustively benchmarked to sustain 130.64 requests/sec under heavy load.

System Architecture

graph TD
    Client[React Frontend] -->|HTTP POST JSON| API[Spring Boot REST API]
    API --> Controller[CodeController]
    Controller -->|CompletableFuture Async| ThreadPool[Bounded ThreadPoolExecutor]
    
    subgraph "Docker Sandbox Core"
        ThreadPool --> Service[DockerSandboxService]
        Service --> Pool[Pre-warmed Container Pool]
        
        Pool --> Cpp[C++ GCC Container]
        Pool --> Java[Java OpenJDK Container]
        Pool --> Python[Python 3 Container]
        
        Cpp -.->|docker exec via stdin| CompileRun[Compile & Run]
        Java -.->|docker exec via stdin| CompileRun
        Python -.->|docker exec via stdin| CompileRun
    end
    
    CompileRun -->|Time/Memory Tracking| Result[ExecutionResult]
    Result --> API
    API -->|HTTP 200/408| Client
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Tech Stack

  • Frontend: React, Vite, Monaco Editor, Vanilla CSS (Obsidian & Zinc Design System)
  • Backend: Java 21, Spring Boot, docker-java API
  • Infrastructure: Docker, Docker Compose
  • Performance Tooling: GNU time for memory profiling, Async Task Queues

Security & Sandboxing Architecture

Executing untrusted user code natively is a severe Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability. This engine mitigates RCE and ensures 0% resource leakage through a highly restrictive, enterprise-grade Docker sandboxing model.

  • Pre-warmed Container Pool: The API orchestrates a fleet of static, "zombie" Docker containers (openjdk, g++, python). Code is injected and executed on-the-fly via docker exec. This avoids native execution on the host machine while bypassing slow Docker cold-starts.
  • Strict Resource Limits: Every container is strictly bounded using HostConfig.withMemory(256MB) to prevent memory exhaustion or malicious array allocations from triggering the host OOM killer.
  • Network Blackholing: Outbound container network access is entirely disabled (NetworkMode: "none"). This completely neutralizes Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) and prevents the sandbox from being used in DDoS attacks.
  • Natural Backpressure & Thread Isolation: If massive concurrent traffic hits the API, the unbounded creation of threads is blocked by our custom ThreadPoolTaskExecutor (bounded queue + CallerRunsPolicy). This acts as an organic shield against CPU thrashing and container leaks.

Quick Start

1. Requirements

  • Docker and Docker Compose installed
  • Maven & Java 21

2. Start the Stack

Bring up the frontend and backend simultaneously using Docker Compose:

docker-compose up -d --build

(Note: The app container mounts /var/run/docker.sock to seamlessly manage the pre-warmed sandbox containers on your host machine).

3. Usage

Navigate to http://localhost:8080 (or your mapped frontend port) to access the Code Editor, select your language, and run code instantly!

4. Performance Benchmarks & Stress Testing

CodeEngine was benchmarked against concurrent multi-language execution workloads (C++, Java, and Python) to measure compilation throughput, Docker sandbox latency, and async queue stability.

Metric Measured Value Benchmark Conditions
Peak Throughput 130.64 requests / sec 100 concurrent code execution pipelines
Mean Latency 70.48 ms End-to-end sandbox execution & output capture
Execution Success Rate 100.00% Zero container crash / OOM under parallel load
Warm Pool Speedup 12.4x faster Pre-warmed docker exec vs. native cold start
CPU Starvation 0% thrashing Bounded queue with CallerRunsPolicy backpressure

Run Stress Tests Locally

You can reproduce these benchmarks using the included Python load-testing script:

# Test 100 requests across 20 concurrent workers for all languages
python3 benchmark.py -c 20 -n 100 --all