hotcell
Self-hostable sandbox SDK for AI agents that provides isolated environments with key management and egress control on your own hardware.
hotcell
What is hotcell?
hotcell vs Similar AI Tools
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How to use hotcell?
- 1Install globally: npm i -g hotcell
- 2Run hotcell for initial guided setup
- 3Use commands like hotcell create, hotcell terminal, hotcell run to manage sandboxes
- 4Import API keys with hotcell keys add or hotcell keys import .env
- 5Specify --egress to protect keys via gateway
hotcell Key Features
- Isolated sandboxes for AI agents on your own hardware
- Key management with per-sandbox tokens and egress gateway
- Supports Docker, Firecracker microVMs (Linux/KVM), Apple VZ (macOS)
- Live CPU/memory/cost monitoring per sandbox
- Admission control to prevent over-subscription
- One-shot run or persistent sandboxes with terminal access
hotcell Use Cases
- Run multiple AI agents on the same repository with isolated branches
- Secure code execution with API key protection
- Self-hosted agent infrastructure for development and testing
- Sandboxed environments for AI agent workflows that require egress control
hotcell Pricing & Free Credits
hotcell currently operates on a Free model.
This tool is completely free to use
hotcell Pros & Cons
Pros
- Self-hosted and fully customizable
- Keys never enter sandboxes via gateway
- Supports multiple runtime types (containers, microVMs)
- Lightweight and performant with warm-pool adoption
- Open-source with Apache-2.0 license
Cons
- Requires Docker or compatible runtime setup
- Not suitable for non-technical users
- Limited to HTTP-based protocols for key protection
- macOS Docker egress is advisory only
What is hotcell best for?
- Developers running AI agents on their own hardware
- Teams needing sandboxed environments for agent development
- Users who want to avoid sending API keys to third-party sandbox providers
hotcell FAQ
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