# boxd — Composable computers for devs and agents

> Composable computers for devs and agents. Real hardware-isolated Linux VMs in the cloud: compose one, then spin up as many as you need.

boxd provides persistent cloud computers that you can fork and share. Developers SSH in from anywhere. Agents run autonomously for hours. Both get persistent state, full isolation, and a public URL. The same machine works for both — because it's just a real Linux computer.

## Quick start

```bash
# Install the CLI
$ curl -fsSL https://boxd.sh/downloads/install.sh | sh

# Create a machine
$ boxd machine new myapp
✓ Machine running at myapp.boxd.sh

# Fork it — full state, instant clone
$ boxd machine fork myapp myapp-debug
✓ Forked → myapp-debug.boxd.sh 100-200ms

# SSH in
$ ssh myapp.boxd
✓ Connected to myapp · Ubuntu 24.04 · 2 vCPU · 8 GB
```

## Links

- Website: https://boxd.sh
- Pricing: https://boxd.sh/pricing
- Use cases: https://boxd.sh/use-cases
- Blog: https://boxd.sh/blog
- Contact: https://boxd.sh/contact
- Summary: https://boxd.sh/llms.txt

## Features

### Persistent state

Files, packages, databases, running processes — all survive disconnects, reboots, and time. Your agent stops at 2am, picks up at 9am.

### Instant forking

Fork a full machine — memory, disk, processes — in 100 to 200ms. Branch to explore approaches in parallel, keep the winner.

### Scriptable interface

Drive everything from the `boxd` CLI, with `--json` on every command for scripts and agents. No dashboard, no heavyweight SDK.

### Always on

Machines keep running after you disconnect. Long builds, background jobs, agent tasks all continue.

### Automatic HTTPS URLs

Every machine gets a public URL automatically. Certificates and DNS handled.

### KVM isolation

Every machine runs its own kernel — real hardware-level isolation, not containers. Safe for untrusted, agent-generated code.

### Pause to zero

Machines sleep when idle. You pay nothing while they're off. Resume in sub-millisecond.

### Self-hostable

Run boxd on your own infrastructure, any KVM-capable server. EU hosting by default. No vendor lock-in.

## Pre-installed tools

Ready from the first boot — no apt-get ceremony:

- Claude Code
- Docker
- Python 3
- Go
- Node.js
- headless Chrome
- ffmpeg
- git

## Specs

- OS: Ubuntu 24.04 (full, unminimized, with man pages and systemd)
- CPU: 2 vCPU per machine (default size)
- Memory: 8 GiB RAM per machine (default size)
- Storage: 100 GiB disk per machine
- Cold boot: 4-6ms
- Resume from sleep: instant (sub-millisecond)
- Fork time: 100-200ms

## Architecture

Custom Rust VMM built on KVM. Not Firecracker. Not Docker. Zero external dependencies — everything is built in. Raft consensus for distributed coordination. Self-host anywhere KVM runs.

- 1 custom VMM (Rust + KVM)
- 0 external dependencies
- 0 schedulers (Raft consensus instead)
- Self-hostable on any KVM host

## Comparison

| Feature | boxd | exe.dev | sprites.dev |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Isolation | KVM (real kernel) | KVM-style Linux VM | Firecracker + inner container |
| Cold boot | 4-6ms | ~1s (claimed) | 1–2s |
| Resume from sleep | sub-millisecond | — | ~300ms |
| Fork from running state | 100-200ms (memory + disk + processes) | VM cloning (no published timing) | Checkpoint/restore (~300ms) |
| Persistent disk by default | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sleep-to-zero billing | Yes | No (flat $20/mo personal tier) | Yes (auto-sleep after 30s) |
| Per-VM public IPv4 | Yes | Yes | HTTPS URL via Tailscale |
| Self-host | Yes (Rust binary on KVM) | No | No (Fly.io managed only) |
| Programmatic VM API | Yes (`boxd ... --json` + gRPC) | Not published | Yes (REST + SDKs in Go/JS/Py/Elixir) |

## For AI agents

boxd machines are designed for autonomous agent use:

- **Persistent**: agents don't lose state between runs
- **Isolated**: untrusted agent-generated code runs in its own kernel
- **Forkable**: agents can branch machines to explore approaches in parallel
- **Programmable**: SSH + --json interface needs no SDK
- **Always-on**: agent tasks continue running after disconnection
- **Pre-configured**: all common tools pre-installed, no setup scripts needed

## Pricing

### Pay as you go (credit-based)

Every account is an organization: invite your team, share machines, draw from one credit balance. No monthly plan, no per-seat fee.

Rate card:

- vCPU: EUR 0.049 per vCPU-hour, while the machine is running
- RAM: EUR 0.015 per GiB-hour, while the machine is running
- Disk: EUR 0.0001 per GiB-hour, billed on disk actually used; hibernated machines pay for disk only

A default machine (2 vCPU / 8 GiB / 100 GiB disk) is about EUR 0.22 per hour while it runs.

- EUR 30 of free credits for every new account, granted when a payment method is added
- 50 machines per organization, raiseable on request
- SSH from any device, fork & share machines, public URL per VM

### Custom (contact us)

Bigger machines, higher quotas, volume pricing, dedicated support. For companies of any size. Self-host is an option too: run boxd on your own hardware or in your own cloud (BYOC), with EU data residency, SSO + audit logs, and an annual license.

## Contact

- Book a call: https://boxd.sh/contact
- Email: contact@boxd.sh

## Built by

boxd (https://boxd.sh) — © 2026 boxd