How to Configure Windows Sandbox Local Vector Log Shipper via XML in Windows 11

Modern data engineering and observability pipelines frequently employ high-performance log and metric routers—such as Vector by Datadog—to parse, transform, and ship gigabytes of log telemetry across cloud storage endpoints. Testing Vector Remap Language (VRL) transform scripts and complex routing rules directly on a production workstation can cause configuration conflicts and background daemon clutter. In Windows 11, Windows Sandbox provides a pristine, isolated testing platform. By authoring custom Windows Sandbox XML (.wsb) configuration files, you can deploy an automated Vector log router instance in seconds.

Sandbox Architecture for Pipeline Testing

Windows Sandbox provides a disposable, hypervisor-isolated guest environment that resets completely upon termination. To provision an automated Vector instance, the architecture requires:

• A mapped host folder: A directory containing the portable vector.exe binary and custom pipeline configuration TOML/YAML files.
• A WSB configuration file: An XML blueprint that mounts the mapped directory and initiates the routing agent automatically via LogonCommand.

Authoring the Windows Sandbox WSB Blueprint

Create a working directory on your host machine, such as C:\SandboxVector. Place the standalone vector.exe binary into this folder, then create RunVector.wsb with the following XML code:

<Configuration>
  <VGpu>Default</VGpu>
  <Networking>Default</Networking>
  <MappedFolders>
    <MappedFolder>
      <HostFolder>C:\SandboxVector</HostFolder>
      <SandboxFolder>C:\VectorFiles</SandboxFolder>
      <ReadOnly>false</ReadOnly>
    </MappedFolder>
  </MappedFolders>
  <LogonCommand>
    <Command>powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -NoExit -File C:\VectorFiles\Start-Vector.ps1</Command>
  </LogonCommand>
</Configuration>

Authoring Vector Configuration and Startup Script

Inside the mapped host folder (C:\SandboxVector), create a Vector configuration file named vector.yaml:

sources:
  demo_logs:
    type: demo_logs
    format: apache_common
    interval: 1.0

transforms:
  parse_http:
    type: remap
    inputs: [demo_logs]
    source: |
      .parsed, err = parse_apache_log(.message, "common")
      if err == null {
        .client_ip = .parsed.host
        .status_code = to_int!(.parsed.status)
      }

sinks:
  console_out:
    type: console
    inputs: [parse_http]
    encoding:
      codec: json

Next, create the automated PowerShell startup script named Start-Vector.ps1:

Write-Host "=============================================" -ForegroundColor Cyan
Write-Host " Starting Datadog Vector Router in Sandbox.. " -ForegroundColor Green
Write-Host " Config: C:\VectorFiles\vector.yaml        " -ForegroundColor Yellow
Write-Host "=============================================" -ForegroundColor Cyan

# Launch Vector with visual logging output
& "C:\VectorFiles\vector.exe" --config "C:\VectorFiles\vector.yaml"

Running and Validating Pipelines in the Sandbox

Double-click RunVector.wsb on your Windows 11 host. Windows Sandbox boots up, mounts the mapped folder, and immediately launches Vector inside an interactive PowerShell window.

Vector begins generating synthetic Apache logs, passing them through the VRL transformation engine, and printing structured JSON records to the console in real time.

You can edit VRL scripts, benchmark throughput under heavy load, and test pipeline topologies in absolute isolation. When testing concludes, closing the sandbox window instantly eliminates all processes and temporary buffers, leaving your host operating system untouched.