In simple English
BoxLite lets you run standard Docker images inside tiny, secure virtual machines. You can embed it directly inside your application without running a background server. Your AI agents can run code, install packages, and save files safely. It keeps your main server safe if the generated code tries to do something malicious. It is free and open-source under the Apache 2.0 licence.
What it is
BoxLite is a micro-VM (a tiny virtual machine) and library designed to run OCI (Open Container Initiative, a standard format for packaging software) images with hardware-level isolation. It provides SDKs for Python, Node.js, Go, Rust, and C, plus a standalone command-line tool.
What it is good for
Solo builders creating AI coding assistants or automated agents that need to execute untrusted code safely. It replaces heavy container daemons with a lightweight library that runs directly inside your app.
- Runs any standard Docker image without changes.
- Embeds directly in your code as a library with no background service required.
- Isolates code execution using hardware virtualization and operating system sandboxes.
- Requires an operating system with hardware virtualization enabled, such as KVM on Linux or Apple Silicon on macOS.
- Has over three hundred open issues on GitHub, indicating active development with potential bugs.
- Requires compiling or installing system-level dependencies depending on your chosen programming language SDK.
heavy Docker daemon setups for isolated code execution
LangChain or custom AI agent frameworks
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curl -fsSL https://sh.boxlite.ai | sh
boxlite run python:slim python -c "print('Hello from BoxLite!')"