Two shapes, one runtime
A box is more than a place to throw code at. Cloud serves both of the shapes agent builders reach for, and you choose per box.
The second shape is what a stateful microVM makes possible: an agent installs its tools once, writes files, stops, and picks the work back up later instead of rebuilding its world on every run.
The same SDK, a different runtime handle
Cloud is not a separate client library. You install the same package as open-source BoxLite and swap the runtime handle from a local one toBoxlite.rest(...).
hello_cloud.py
create, start, exec, remove, boxes, volumes. The call shapes differ in a handful of specific places, and the differences are enumerated on one page: Cloud vs open source. Read it before you port existing code.
Node, the CLI, and raw REST are covered in the Cloud quickstart.
What lets an agent stay up
An agent that lives somewhere needs its state to survive, and it needs someone to run the lights. Three capabilities carry that:- Storage that outlives the box. A box loses everything on its disk when it is destroyed. A managed volume does not — mount it into a box to read and write, and another box can mount it later. See Volumes.
- A managed lifecycle. When you create a box in the console you set Stop when idle, Wake on access, and Delete after stopping. A stopped box wakes on SDK exec, file operations, or a terminal attach, so the agent’s home comes back on demand instead of burning compute while nothing is asking it to work. See Boxes.
- Concurrency you do not capacity-plan. Your plan sets how many boxes run at the same time. Raising it is a plan change, not a hardware purchase. See Plans, wallet, and usage.
What you pay for
Usage is metered. A subscription plan includes a quota, the quota is consumed first, and a wallet balance funds anything beyond it. Plan tiers, quota amounts, concurrency limits, and per-box resource ceilings all live on Plans, wallet, and usage.Start here
Cloud quickstart
Create a key, install the SDK, and run your first command on Cloud.
Cloud vs open source
Every difference between the hosted runtime and self-hosted BoxLite, in one table.
API keys
Create, scope, expire, and rotate the
blk_live_... keys your code authenticates with.Boxes
Images, sizes, and the idle-stop, wake-on-access, and delete-after-stopping switches.
Volumes
Managed storage that outlives a box, and how to mount it.
Plans, wallet, and usage
How metering works, what each plan includes, and the per-box resource ceilings.

