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Installation

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Prerequisites

  • macOS 12+ (Monterey or later)
  • Xcode Command Line Tools: xcode-select --install
  • GCC or Clang

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Building the SDK

1

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/boxlite-ai/boxlite.git
cd boxlite
2

Initialize submodules

This step is required! The build will fail without submodules.
git submodule update --init --recursive
3

Build C SDK

cargo build --release -p boxlite-c

# Outputs:
# - target/release/libboxlite.{dylib,so}  (shared library)
# - target/release/libboxlite.a           (static library)
# - sdks/c/include/boxlite.h              (header file)
4

Verify build

ls -la target/release/libboxlite.*
ls -la sdks/c/include/boxlite.h

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Simple API (Easiest)

1

Create a file hello.c

#include <stdio.h>
#include "boxlite.h"

int main() {
    CBoxliteSimple* box = NULL;
    CBoxliteError error = {0};

    // Create box (no JSON required, auto-starts)
    if (boxlite_simple_new("python:slim", 0, 0, &box, &error) != Ok) {
        fprintf(stderr, "Error %d: %s\n", error.code, error.message);
        boxlite_error_free(&error);
        return 1;
    }

    // Run command and get buffered result
    const char* args[] = {"-c", "print('Hello from BoxLite!')", NULL};
    CBoxliteExecResult* result = NULL;

    if (boxlite_simple_run(box, "python", args, 2, &result, &error) == Ok) {
        printf("Output: %s", result->stdout_text);
        printf("Exit code: %d\n", result->exit_code);
        boxlite_result_free(result);
    } else {
        fprintf(stderr, "Exec error: %s\n", error.message);
        boxlite_error_free(&error);
    }

    boxlite_simple_free(box);  // Auto-cleanup
    return 0;
}
2

Build and run

gcc -o hello hello.c \
    -I/path/to/boxlite/sdks/c/include \
    -L/path/to/boxlite/target/release \
    -lboxlite

export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/path/to/boxlite/target/release:$DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH
./hello
What’s happening:
  1. BoxLite pulls the python:slim OCI image (first run only)
  2. Creates a lightweight VM with the image
  3. Executes the Python command inside the VM
  4. Buffers stdout/stderr and returns the result
  5. Automatically cleans up when boxlite_simple_free() is called

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Native API (Full Control)

For advanced use cases with streaming output and custom configuration.
1

Create a file native.c

#include <stdio.h>
#include "boxlite.h"

void output_callback(const char* text, int is_stderr, void* user_data) {
    FILE* stream = is_stderr ? stderr : stdout;
    fprintf(stream, "%s", text);
}

int main() {
    CBoxliteRuntime* runtime = NULL;
    CBoxHandle* box = NULL;
    CBoxliteError error = {0};

    // Create runtime
    if (boxlite_runtime_new(NULL, NULL, &runtime, &error) != Ok) {
        fprintf(stderr, "Runtime error: %s\n", error.message);
        boxlite_error_free(&error);
        return 1;
    }

    printf("BoxLite v%s\n", boxlite_version());

    // Create box with JSON configuration
    const char* options = "{"
        "\"rootfs\":{\"Image\":\"alpine:3.19\"},"
        "\"cpus\":2,"
        "\"memory_mib\":512,"
        "\"env\":[],"
        "\"volumes\":[],"
        "\"network\":\"Isolated\","
        "\"ports\":[]"
    "}";

    if (boxlite_create_box(runtime, options, &box, &error) != Ok) {
        fprintf(stderr, "Box error: %s\n", error.message);
        boxlite_error_free(&error);
        boxlite_runtime_free(runtime);
        return 1;
    }

    // Execute commands with streaming output
    int exit_code = 0;

    printf("\n--- Running: ls -la / ---\n");
    if (boxlite_execute(box, "/bin/ls", "[\"-la\", \"/\"]", output_callback, NULL, &exit_code, &error) == Ok) {
        printf("\nExit code: %d\n", exit_code);
    } else {
        fprintf(stderr, "Execute error: %s\n", error.message);
        boxlite_error_free(&error);
    }

    // Cleanup (runtime frees all boxes)
    boxlite_runtime_free(runtime);
    return 0;
}
2

Build and run

Build and run using the same commands as the Simple API above.

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Running Examples

BoxLite includes 8 comprehensive C examples: 
# Navigate to examples
cd examples/c

# Build examples with CMake
mkdir -p build && cd build
cmake ..
make

# Run examples
./simple_api_demo    # Simple API basics
./execute            # Command execution with streaming
./shutdown           # Graceful shutdown
./01_lifecycle       # Create/stop/restart/remove
./02_list_boxes      # Discovery and introspection
./03_streaming_output  # Real-time output handling
./04_error_handling  # Error recovery patterns
./05_metrics         # Performance monitoring
Examples overview:
ExampleDescription
simple_api_demo.cQuick start with Simple API
execute.cCommand execution with streaming output
shutdown.cRuntime shutdown with multiple boxes
01_lifecycle.cComplete box lifecycle (create/stop/restart/remove)
02_list_boxes.cDiscovery, introspection, ID prefix lookup
03_streaming_output.cReal-time output handling with callbacks
04_error_handling.cError codes, retry logic, graceful degradation
05_metrics.cRuntime and per-box metrics

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Error Handling

The C SDK uses structured error handling: 
CBoxliteError error = {0};  // Always initialize to zero
BoxliteErrorCode code = boxlite_simple_new(..., &error);

if (code != Ok) {
    // Check specific error codes
    switch (code) {
        case NotFound:
            printf("Resource not found\n");
            break;
        case Image:
            printf("Image pull failed: %s\n", error.message);
            break;
        default:
            printf("Error %d: %s\n", code, error.message);
    }
    boxlite_error_free(&error);  // Always free on error
}
Error codes:
CodeNameDescription
0OkSuccess
2NotFoundResource not found
5InvalidArgumentInvalid parameter
8ImageImage pull/resolution failed
10ExecutionCommand execution failed
See C SDK API Reference for the complete list.

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Next Steps

Core concepts

Understand the different box types, lifecycle, images, and resource configuration.

C SDK Reference

Complete SDK documentation covering Simple API and Native API details, JSON configuration schema, Memory management rules, Threading and safety, and Troubleshooting guide.

C API Reference

Function signatures and parameters for the C SDK.

C Examples

Working code examples on GitHub.