Skip to main content

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.boxlite.ai/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

BoxLite lets you spin up lightweight Linux VMs and run OCI containers inside them — in milliseconds, from your own code, with no daemon and no root. Unlike ephemeral sandboxes that destroy state after each execution, BoxLite Boxes are stateful workspaces — install packages, create files, build up environment state, then come back later and pick up where you left off. Runs on macOS (Apple Silicon), Linux (KVM), and Windows (WSL2).

​
Why BoxLite?

Embeddable

A library you import — no daemon, no cloud account, no root. Local first, cloud when you’re ready.

Stateful

Boxes retain packages, files, and environment across stop/restart. No rebuilding on every interaction.

Snapshots

Fork, checkpoint, and restore full sandbox state. Branch execution like git branch for environments.

Hardware isolation

Each sandbox is a real micro-VM with its own Linux kernel. VM-level security with container-level ergonomics.

​
Quick start

# pip install boxlite
import asyncio
import boxlite

async def main():
    async with boxlite.SimpleBox(image="alpine:latest") as box:
        result = await box.exec("echo", "Hello from BoxLite!")
        print(result.stdout)

asyncio.run(main())

​
BoxRun — sandbox management

BoxRun is the management layer for BoxLite sandboxes. Create, list, stop, and delete boxes through a CLI, REST API, Python SDK, or web dashboard — all in a single binary. 
curl -fsSL https://boxlite.ai/boxrun/install | sh
boxrun shell ubuntu
BoxLite creates and runs micro-VMs. BoxRun manages them — tracking state, persisting data, and exposing operations over HTTP and CLI.

​
SDKs and platforms

SDKInstall
Pythonpip install boxlite
Node.jsnpm install @boxlite-ai/boxlite
RustGit dependency
CLink libboxlite
PlatformArchitectureRequirements
macOSApple SiliconmacOS 12+
Linuxx86_64 / ARM64KVM enabled
WindowsWSL2KVM support

​
Next steps

Tutorials

Execute code, connect LLMs, transfer files, and automate browsers — step-by-step.

Guides

AI agent integration, security configuration, and production patterns.

SDK reference

Full API reference for the Python, Node.js, Rust, and C SDKs.

Architecture

How BoxLite works under the hood — microVMs, the jailer, networking, and storage.

Join the community

Ask questions, share projects, and chat with the BoxLite team on Discord.