Machine Capabilities

Every box is a Linux VM with a curated set of tools available from the moment you SSH in. Nothing to install before you start working.

Machine types

Boxes come in three sizes. Pick one with --type when you create the box:

	`small`	`default`	`large`
CPU	2 shared vCPUs	4 shared vCPUs	8 shared vCPUs
Memory	4 GB RAM	8 GB RAM	16 GB RAM
Storage	40 GB SSD, at least 12 GB for your data	80 GB SSD, at least 50 GB for your data	100 GB SSD, at least 70 GB for your data
Machine time	0.5x	1x	2x
Architecture	x86_64	x86_64	x86_64

Storage is a floor, not a fixed number: a box is placed on whichever machine of its size is available, and some are roomier than others. A large box gets at least 100 GB of disk and often 160 GB. Plan against the floor.

box new
box new --type small
box new --type large

curl -sS -X POST "https://ascii.dev/api/box/v1/boxes" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BOX_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"type":"large","ttlSeconds":3600}'

const created = await box.create({ createBoxRequest: { type: "large", ttlSeconds: 3600 } });

created = box.create(CreateBoxRequest(type="large", ttl_seconds=3600))

Stopping, resuming and forking all preserve the type by default, and a fork inherits the type of the box it came from.

Changing size

Pass --type to resume or fork to move a box to a different size. Both already restore a snapshot onto a fresh machine, so resizing costs nothing beyond the resume or fork itself. Resume changes the box in place; fork leaves the source box untouched and applies the new size to the copy.

box resume bx_23456789 --type large
box fork   bx_23456789 --type small

curl -X POST https://ascii.dev/api/box/v1/boxes/bx_23456789/resume \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $BOX_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"type":"large"}'

await box.resume({ boxId: "bx_23456789", resumeRequest: { type: "large" } });

box.resume(box_id="bx_23456789", resume_request=ResumeRequest(type="large"))

Growing always works. Shrinking is rejected with type_too_small when the box holds more data than the smaller machine can take, and the box is left exactly as it was, so a refused resize never costs you the box. Delete data and let the box snapshot again if you need to shrink past that point. Size sets the rate you spend machine time, because you are renting more or less machine: a small box spends it at half rate and a large box at double, so the same balance lasts twice as long on small and half as long on large. See Billing & Limits.

When a data centre is out of stock for your type, we place the box on the closest machine we can get rather than leave you waiting. That is rare, and it is always the largest available option; if it matters for your workload, stop and start the box to be re-placed.

Pre-installed tools

AI & automation

Tool	Description
`claude`	Claude Code CLI, an AI coding assistant
`codex`	OpenAI Codex CLI
`pi`	Pi coding agent (pi.dev)
`opencode`	OpenCode terminal coding agent
`hermes`	Hermes Agent by Nous Research (browser tools not preinstalled: `hermes` offers to add them)
`openclaw`	OpenClaw CLI (gateway not started; run `openclaw gateway` yourself if you want it)
`agent` / `cursor-agent`	Cursor CLI agent
`prime-agent`	Prime Intellect’s Prime Agent
`kimi`	Kimi Code CLI by Moonshot AI
`host`	Expose localhost services to the internet
`lux`	Desktop and browser automation with demo recording
`box`	Box CLI inside the VM

These harnesses are installed system-wide (/usr/local, /opt), so they cost nothing in your snapshots and come back after a stop/resume. Each one signs in with its own login command; box prompt and the Agents page drive claude and codex today. Installing your own copy (for example npm i -g or the vendor installer into ~/.local/bin) shadows the preinstalled one and is kept in your snapshots as usual.

Languages & runtimes

Tool	Description
`node` / `npm` / `nvm`	Node.js 24 with npm by default (nvm-managed, also linked into `/usr/local/bin` so non-login shells get it); the apt Node.js 20 remains for compatibility, and nvm installs other versions
`bun` / `bunx`	Bun JavaScript runtime
`deno`	Deno JavaScript/TypeScript runtime
`pnpm`	JavaScript package manager
`python3` / `pip` / `venv`	Python 3 and standard Python packaging tools
`uv`	Python project and dependency manager
`go`	Go toolchain
`rustc` / `cargo` / `rustup`	Rust compiler, package manager, and toolchain manager
`java` / `mvn` / `gradle`	Java/OpenJDK, Maven, and Gradle
`kotlin` / `kotlinc`	Kotlin runtime and compiler
`scala` / `scalac` / `sbt`	Scala compiler and build tools
`ruby` / `gem` / `bundle`	Ruby, RubyGems, and Bundler
`php` / `composer`	PHP CLI and Composer
`erl` / `elixir`	Erlang and Elixir
`dotnet`	.NET SDK
`R`	R runtime and development packages
`gcc` / `g++` / `clang` / `cmake` / `ninja`	C/C++ build toolchain

Version control

Tool	Description
`git`	Git
`gh`	GitHub CLI for PR creation, issue management, etc.

Utilities

Tool	Description
`rg`	ripgrep for fast code search
`jq`	JSON processor
`curl`	HTTP client
`docker`	Container runtime with BuildKit. Layer cache is per machine; see Docker builds across resume and fork
`google-chrome-stable`	Chrome browser and headless browser runtime
`ffmpeg`	Media processing

​Machine types

​Changing size

​Pre-installed tools

​AI & automation

​Languages & runtimes

​Version control

​Utilities

​Related

Machine types

Changing size

Pre-installed tools

AI & automation

Languages & runtimes

Version control

Utilities

Related