Boot a fresh box

One command gives you a full Ubuntu 24.04 VM — Docker, Python, Go, agents, nginx, the usual tools — over SSH and at https://name.boxd.sh. Boots in ~30ms.

How it works

boxd machine new boots a KVM microVM with a 100 GB disk and a proxy mapping https://name.boxd.sh → port 8000 (TLS, HTTP→HTTPS, WebSockets — handled). Real unminimized Ubuntu; you land as boxd with passwordless sudo.

Use it

CLI
TypeScript
Python

boxd machine new myapp

    name: myapp
      id: 9645b1e8-193d-4d11-86b1-f91deff5bbfb
     url: myapp.boxd.sh
    boot: 30ms

Add --json for a parseable response, useful in scripts:

boxd machine new myapp --json

{
  "name": "myapp",
  "vm_id": "9645b1e8-193d-4d11-86b1-f91deff5bbfb",
  "url": "myapp.boxd.sh",
  "image": "default",
  "status": "running",
  "boot_time_ms": 30
}

Then jump in:

boxd connect myapp

npm install @boxd-sh/sdk

import { Boxd } from "@boxd-sh/sdk";

const boxd = new Boxd({ apiKey: "bxd_..." });

const machine = await boxd.machines.create({ name: "myapp" });
console.log(machine.access.url);   // https://myapp.boxd.sh
console.log(machine.bootTimeMs);   // 30

await boxd.machines.waitUntilReady(machine.id);
const result = await boxd.machines.exec(machine.id, { command: ["echo", "hello"] });
console.log(result.stdout);

await boxd.close();

Mint an API key with boxd auth keys create NAME or in the console. Full surface: TypeScript SDK.

pip install boxd

from boxd import Boxd

with Boxd(api_key="bxd_...") as boxd:
    machine = boxd.machines.create("myapp")
    print(machine.access.url)        # https://myapp.boxd.sh
    print(machine.boot_time_ms)      # 30

    boxd.machines.wait_until_ready(machine.id)
    result = boxd.machines.exec(machine.id, "echo hello")
    print(result.stdout)

Mint an API key with boxd auth keys create NAME or in the console. Full surface: Python SDK.

boxd machine new auto-syncs the myapp.boxd alias into ~/.ssh/config. Skip the name and boxd generates one like blue-river.

What’s already installed

Each box ships with a developer-ready Ubuntu 24.04:

Languages: Python 3 (with uv, pipx), Go, build-essential, Node.js 24 via nvm
Agents: Claude Code (claude), Codex (codex), pre-wired with AGENTS.md context
Containers: Docker, Docker Compose, Buildx
Web: nginx pre-installed on port 8000 (start it when you want it), headless Chrome
Tools: git, gh, jq, ripgrep, sqlite3, rsync, ffmpeg, ImageMagick, mitmproxy
Editors: vim, neovim, plus full SSH for Cursor/VS Code/Zed/JetBrains

Specs per VM: 2 vCPU, 8 GiB RAM, 100 GB disk. You can run up to 10 VMs (extendable on request).

Custom images

Every box boots from computer:latest, a curated Ubuntu 24.04 image we maintain. The same image is kept warm across the fleet, which is how fresh boots stay around ~30ms. Need something different? A different base distro, your own pre-installed toolchain, a specific CUDA stack, a slimmer surface area? Email contact@boxd.sh with what you want baked in. We package it and keep it warm across the fleet, so your boxes boot from your image with the same sub-second cold start as the default.

Recipes

Serve something instantly

boxd machine new hello
ssh hello.boxd 'python3 -m http.server 8000' &
open https://hello.boxd.sh

The default proxy forwards name.boxd.sh to port 8000. Any HTTP server on 8000 is live.

Change the default port

boxd machine proxy set-port --vm myapp --port 3000

Use --port=auto to let boxd detect whichever port your app started listening on.

Stop paying when idle

Boxes auto-hibernate after 4 hours of network idle by default — snapshot to disk, effectively free to keep, ~85ms wake on the next request. For tighter idle windows, enable auto-suspend: sub-millisecond resume.

boxd machine config set myapp auto-suspend.timeout 60     # suspend after 60s idle (off by default)
boxd machine config set myapp auto-hibernate.timeout 0    # never hibernate this box (default: 4h)

FAQ

How is this different from a container?

Each box is a full KVM microVM with its own kernel, network stack, persistent disk, and public HTTPS domain. systemd runs as PID 1, Docker works without nesting tricks, and the filesystem survives reboots.

What happens to data when I reboot?

The 100 GB disk persists across reboots, suspends, and resumes. Only boxd machine remove removes it.

Where is the infrastructure?

EU-hosted on sovereign infrastructure.

Fork from a golden

Skip the install step. Warm copies of your app in ~160ms.

Live demos & share URLs

Every box has a real HTTPS URL the moment a port is open.

Getting started

Cloud dev boxes

Preview environments

Agents on boxd

Organizations

Integrations

How it works

Reference

Boot a fresh box

How it works

Use it

What’s already installed

Custom images

Recipes

Serve something instantly

Change the default port

Stop paying when idle

FAQ

Next

Fork from a golden

Live demos & share URLs

​How it works

​Use it

​What’s already installed

​Custom images

​Recipes

​Serve something instantly

​Change the default port

​Stop paying when idle

​FAQ

​Next

Fork from a golden

Live demos & share URLs

How it works

Use it

What’s already installed

Custom images

Recipes

Serve something instantly

Change the default port

Stop paying when idle

FAQ

Next