Use this when you need to actually run code and get its output: a Python data job, a Node script, a build, or generated code that does pip install, spawns subprocesses, or writes files. A real machine (vs a JS isolate or limited code-interpreter) means those operations succeed.
Why Box
- Every runtime preinstalled — Python 3, Node/Bun/Deno, Go, Rust, Java, .NET, Ruby, PHP, C/C++.
- Real OS —
apt install, Docker, subprocesses, 80 GB disk. - Cheap per run — per-second billing; a short execution costs cents.
Prefer another tool for: thousands of <500 ms micro-executions (E2B/Modal microVMs) or GPU compute (Modal).
Prereqs
curl -fsSL https://box.ascii.dev/install | sh, then box login "$BOX_API_KEY" --json.
Recipe
box_id="$(box new --json | jq -r 'select(.event == "ready") | .id')"
box ssh "$box_id" -- "cat > /tmp/main.py" < ./main.py
box ssh "$box_id" -- "cd /tmp && timeout 120 python3 main.py"
box delete "$box_id" --json
Limits
EU-only; 100 active VMs soft cap; disk-level snapshots only.