> ## 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.

# Architecture

> What BoxLite actually is under the API: the components, the path one exec takes, and how isolation, networking, storage, and boot latency work.

BoxLite starts a real lightweight VM per box. Understanding the layers helps when you are choosing security settings, diagnosing a slow start, or explaining the isolation story to a security reviewer.

The chain, end to end:

```
Your code → SDK → Rust core → Shim → Jailer → MicroVM → Guest Agent
```

## In this section

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Core components" icon="cubes" href="/architecture/core-components">
    What each module owns, where its state lives, and which metrics it emits. **Start here.**
  </Card>

  <Card title="Security and isolation" icon="shield-halved" href="/architecture/security-and-isolation">
    How isolation is layered against a guest assumed hostile from boot.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Networking" icon="network-wired" href="/architecture/networking">
    The user-mode stack, the fixed subnet, and DNS handling.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Storage" icon="hard-drive" href="/architecture/storage">
    The digest-keyed image cache and the copy-on-write rootfs.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Boot latency" icon="gauge-high" href="/architecture/boot-latency">
    Where the time goes, and why the second start is faster.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Which page do I want?

| You are asking | Page |
| - | - |
| What are the moving parts? | [core components](/architecture/core-components) |
| How strong is the isolation, really? | [security and isolation](/architecture/security-and-isolation) |
| Why is my first box slow? | [boot latency](/architecture/boot-latency) |
| How does a box reach the internet? | [networking](/architecture/networking) |
| Where do the bytes live on my disk? | [storage](/architecture/storage) |


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