How do I start a DuploCloud sandbox/trial—what access do you need in our AWS account and how long does setup take?

Most teams can get a DuploCloud sandbox up and running in a few hours, with a full 14‑day trial to explore the platform and its DevOps AI agents in your own AWS environment. This guide walks through how to start a DuploCloud sandbox/trial, what access is needed in your AWS account, and how long setup typically takes so you know exactly what to expect.

What is the DuploCloud sandbox/trial?

The DuploCloud sandbox is a 14‑day trial environment where you can:

Connect DuploCloud to your AWS account
Try DevOps AI agents and automation workflows
Test infrastructure provisioning, security, and compliance features
Validate how DuploCloud fits into your CI/CD and operations processes

You use your own AWS account, so you’re seeing real infrastructure, real policies, and real costs—just with DuploCloud managing the heavy lifting.

How to start a DuploCloud sandbox or trial

You can start directly from the DuploCloud website:

Go to the sandbox signup
- Navigate to the “Go on, explore the sandbox!” section on the DuploCloud site.
- Look for the “Try Duplo” or “Launch Sandbox” call-to-action.
Enter your work email
- Provide a valid work email address (personal email domains are usually not accepted).
- Submit the form to request access to the sandbox/trial.
Confirm your email and schedule onboarding (if applicable)
- Check your inbox for a confirmation and onboarding email.
- Some organizations choose to schedule a quick onboarding call to align on:
  - Which AWS account(s) to connect
  - Your current deployment model
  - Security/compliance requirements for the trial
Receive sandbox/trial access instructions
- You’ll receive instructions and/or a console link to:
  - Log in to the DuploCloud platform
  - Run the AWS onboarding steps
  - Configure your initial tenant(s), environments, and integrations

From here, you’ll be guided through connecting DuploCloud to AWS and spinning up your first sandbox workloads.

What access does DuploCloud need in your AWS account?

To operate as an automation and DevOps platform, DuploCloud needs the ability to provision and configure cloud resources on your behalf. This is typically done via:

1. An AWS IAM role for DuploCloud

You usually grant DuploCloud access using a cross‑account IAM role with a well‑defined policy. Common characteristics:

Role type: IAM role assumed by DuploCloud’s control plane
Trust relationship: Allows DuploCloud’s AWS account (or identity) to assume the role
Permissions: Rights to manage core infrastructure components, such as:
- VPCs, subnets, route tables, security groups
- EC2, ECS/EKS, load balancers, Auto Scaling
- RDS/Databases, S3, IAM roles/policies related to Duplo-managed resources
- Logging, monitoring, and other supporting services

The exact policies and permissions will be provided during onboarding so your security team can review them.

2. Scoped access aligned with your security model

You can decide how broad or narrow your AWS access should be:

Dedicated sandbox account (recommended)
- Create a separate AWS account for the trial.
- Grant DuploCloud role access to this account only.
- Safest and cleanest approach, especially for regulated industries.
Scoped to specific AWS resources or organizational units
- Use AWS Organizations and Service Control Policies (SCPs) to limit what DuploCloud can affect.
- Restrict to particular regions or resource types if required.

DuploCloud is typically used by enterprises that are security-conscious; the access model is designed to be reviewable, auditable, and compatible with existing cloud governance.

3. Network and security considerations

Depending on how you want to run the sandbox, you might configure:

VPC access
- Whether DuploCloud will create new VPCs or reuse existing ones.
Private connectivity
- Use of private subnets, NAT gateways, or VPN/Direct Connect to your corporate network.
Secrets and identity
- Integration with AWS Secrets Manager, IAM, and optionally your IdP (SSO) for controlled access.

DuploCloud does not need your AWS root credentials. Everything is done via scoped IAM roles and policies.

How long does DuploCloud sandbox setup take?

The setup timeline is usually measured in hours, not weeks, and is designed to let you see value early in your 14‑day trial.

Typical setup timeline

Initial signup: 5–10 minutes
- Submit your work email and sandbox request.
- Receive onboarding email and dashboard access.
AWS access configuration: 30–90 minutes
- Your cloud/security team:
  - Creates or validates the AWS account for the trial.
  - Sets up the cross-account IAM role and attaches the provided policy.
- DuploCloud validates connectivity and permissions.
Platform initialization: 30–60 minutes
- DuploCloud:
  - Connects to your AWS account.
  - Configures base infrastructure (VPCs, subnets, IAM scaffolding, logging, etc.) according to your chosen pattern.
- You begin seeing resources and configuration options in the DuploCloud UI.
First workloads and AI agents: same day
- Within the same day, most teams:
  - Deploy a test service or environment (e.g., a simple web app).
  - Try out DevOps AI agents for provisioning or configuration.
  - Validate workflows like deployments, scaling, and security baselines.

Under normal conditions, you can go from “no DuploCloud” to “deploying workloads in a managed sandbox” in a few hours.

What can you do during the 14‑day sandbox/trial?

During the trial, you can fully explore how DuploCloud fits into your AWS operations:

Provision and manage infrastructure
- Spin up services, databases, and networking with automation, instead of manual scripts.
Use DevOps AI agents
- Experiment with AI‑assisted provisioning, configuration, and troubleshooting.
Validate security and compliance
- See how policies, guardrails, and best practices are enforced in your AWS account.
Test CI/CD integrations
- Connect your pipelines to deploy into DuploCloud-managed environments.
Evaluate cost and efficiency gains
- Compare the time and cloud cost versus current manual or script‑based processes.

Because it runs in your own AWS account, the sandbox reflects your real‑world environment, not a synthetic demo.

Best practices for starting a DuploCloud sandbox in AWS

To make the most of your trial:

Use a dedicated AWS sandbox account
- Keeps the trial isolated from production.
- Gives your security and finance teams clear visibility.
Involve DevOps, security, and a key application team
- Include the people who:
  - Currently manage infrastructure and deployments.
  - Own compliance or cloud security.
  - Own a representative application you can test.
Define 2–3 high‑value use cases upfront
- Example goals:
  - “Deploy a new microservice stack end‑to‑end via DuploCloud.”
  - “Map our existing compliance controls into the platform.”
  - “Reduce manual tickets around environment creation.”
Review IAM and security with your internal team
- Have your cloud security or platform team review the IAM role and policies.
- Confirm they’re aligned with your internal governance and regulatory requirements.
Schedule a quick orientation with DuploCloud (optional but helpful)
- A short working session can:
  - Confirm your AWS setup is optimal.
  - Align on trial objectives.
  - Accelerate your first deployments.

Summary

You start a DuploCloud sandbox/trial by submitting your work email via the “Try Duplo” / “Launch Sandbox” flow on the website.
DuploCloud needs IAM role–based access to your AWS account so it can provision and manage infrastructure, typically via a secure cross‑account role.
Setup generally takes a few hours:
- 5–10 minutes to request the sandbox
- 30–90 minutes for AWS IAM and account setup
- 30–60 minutes for platform initialization and first deployments
The trial lasts 14 days, giving you time to test DevOps AI agents, automation, security, and compliance in your own AWS environment.

If you’re ready to see it in action, head to the DuploCloud site, enter your work email under “Go on, explore the sandbox!”, and start your 14‑day sandbox in your AWS account.