box
box by ASCII provides persistent Ubuntu VMs built for AI agents with SSH/SCP, Docker-in-VM, dedicated IPv4, snapshot/fork workflows, a 60fps desktop, and per-second billing (with a $20/month minimum).
https://box.ascii.dev/?ref=producthunt
Product Information
Updated:Jul 23, 2026
What is box
box (box.ascii.dev) is a cloud sandbox product from ASCII designed to run long-running, stateful agent workloads on full Linux machines rather than constrained ephemeral sandboxes. Each “box” is a persistent Ubuntu virtual machine that you can access via SSH and SCP, run Docker inside, and even use through a high-frame-rate virtual desktop. Boxes come pre-configured with common developer tooling (e.g., Docker, VS Code, Chrome, GitHub CLI, Rust, Node.js, Bun), so you can bring your preferred agent tooling (such as Claude Code, Codex, or OpenCode) and start quickly without building your own sandboxing stack.
Key Features of box
box (by ASCII) provides persistent Ubuntu virtual machines designed as sandboxes for AI agents and automation. Each box supports SSH/SCP access, Docker inside the VM, a dedicated IPv4 address, snapshotting with fast disk-level forking, and an optional 60fps virtual desktop. Common developer tools and languages (e.g., Docker, VS Code, Chrome, GitHub CLI, Rust, Node.js, Bun) come pre-installed, and boxes can be created and managed via a CLI (with JSON output for scripting) or via an HTTP API and SDKs. Pricing is per-second while running, with stop/resume snapshotting to pause billing, under a simple $20/month minimum that converts into a pool of VM-seconds usable across many boxes.
Persistent Ubuntu VMs for agents: Each box is a full Linux machine (Ubuntu) that keeps filesystem state across stop/resume, enabling long-running or stateful agent workflows without rebuilding environments.
SSH/SCP + Docker-in-VM: Connect with standard SSH/SCP and run Docker inside the VM, making it compatible with typical devops workflows, containerized toolchains, and existing automation scripts.
Snapshots and fast forking: Stop a box to snapshot it (pausing billing), then resume quickly; fork from snapshots to clone environments efficiently for parallel tasks or reproducible runs.
Dedicated IPv4 per machine: Each box includes its own IPv4 address, simplifying networking for services, callbacks/webhooks, and integration tests that require stable addressing.
Pre-installed devtools and languages: Comes ready with tools like Docker, VS Code, Chrome, Ghostty, GitHub CLI, Rust, Node.js, and Bun, reducing setup time for agent or developer environments.
CLI, API, and SDK automation: Use `box new`, `box ssh`, `box fork`, `box stop`, etc., with `--json` for scripting, or integrate directly via HTTP API plus Python/TypeScript SDKs for product-grade orchestration.
Use Cases of box
Agent factories and long-running assistants: Run durable, stateful agent workers that can be stopped/resumed with snapshots, keeping project files and installed dependencies for ongoing tasks.
CI/automation workers for engineering teams: Spin up isolated VMs per job or per branch, run Docker-based builds/tests, then snapshot or fork golden environments to speed up pipelines.
SaaS product sandboxing for customer workloads: Provision boxes for end users (optionally without inheriting your secrets) to safely run customer-specific code, integrations, or data processing in isolation.
Browser-based QA and web automation: Use the included Chrome and optional virtual desktop to run UI testing, scraping, or RPA-style workflows that need a real browser environment.
Reproducible research and data experiments: Capture snapshots of configured environments and fork them for parallel experiments, ensuring consistent dependencies and reducing environment drift.
Pros
Cost-efficient per-second billing with a simple $20/month minimum that converts into pooled VM time across many boxes
Full-VM capabilities (Ubuntu + Docker + SSH) with persistent state, making it flexible for real-world dev/agent workloads
Fast snapshot/stop/resume and forking enable reproducible environments and easy parallelization
Automation-friendly via CLI (`--json`), HTTP API, and Python/TypeScript SDKs
Cons
Region availability is currently EU-focused (e.g., Germany, Finland, France), which may not fit data residency or latency needs elsewhere
Default box TTL is 1 hour (though overrideable), requiring attention for truly long-lived unattended workloads
On stop/resume, hand-run processes don’t persist and must be restarted (only files/packages/systemd services survive)
How to Use box
1) Install the Box CLI: macOS/Linux: run `curl -fsSL https://ascii.dev/api/box/install | sh`. Windows (PowerShell): run `irm https://ascii.dev/api/box/install.ps1 | iex`.
2) Finish onboarding / authenticate: After install, complete the CLI’s onboarding/auth flow when prompted so the CLI can create and manage boxes in your account.
3) Create your first box (a persistent Ubuntu VM): Run `box new` to spin up a new persistent Ubuntu VM (“box”).
4) List boxes and find the one you want to use: Run `box list` to see all boxes in your account and confirm your new box is running.
5) Connect over SSH (interactive terminal): Run `box ssh` to open an SSH session into the box from your terminal.
6) Copy files in/out with SCP: Run `box scp` to transfer files between your machine and the box using SCP.
7) Use the built-in desktop when you need a GUI: Run `box desktop` to open the box’s 60fps virtual desktop for GUI workflows.
8) Run an agent inside the box (Claude/Codex): Run `box prompt` to run Claude or Codex inside the box (useful for agent workflows that need a real VM environment).
9) Snapshot + pause billing when you’re done for now: Run `box stop` to snapshot the box and pause billing; your files, installed packages, and enabled systemd services persist across stop/resume.
10) Fork a box from a snapshot to branch work: Run `box fork` to clone a box from a snapshot (fast disk-level fork) so you can create parallel environments from a known state.
11) Automate CLI usage with stable JSON output (optional): Add `--json` to any CLI command to get stable JSONL output for scripting/automation.
12) Prefer the HTTP API/SDKs for product/CI integrations (optional): If you’re building Box into a product, CI system, hosted worker, or agent platform, use the HTTP API and SDKs instead of shelling out to the CLI: API docs at `https://docs.ascii.dev/box/api/v1`, SDK overview at `https://docs.ascii.dev/box/sdks/overview`.
box FAQs
box is a product by ASCII. A box is a persistent Ubuntu (Linux) virtual machine designed for agents, with SSH/SCP access, Docker support inside the VM, a dedicated IPv4 per machine, a 60fps virtual desktop, and fast disk-level forking from a snapshot.
box Video
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