InstaVM

InstaVM is a cloud platform purpose-built for AI agents, providing production-ready sandboxing beyond traditional containers. It offers hardware-isolated virtual machines (microVMs) with dedicated kernels, filesystems, and network stacks, ensuring complete security and isolation for executing untrusted code. Each agent run gets its own isolated environment with full access to a Linux operating system, including file system, networking, and package management capabilities. The platform is designed to support every agent pattern, from one-shot code execution to long-running stateful agents, with features like snapshots for forking environments, persistent volumes for durable state, and fine-grained egress controls.

How to use InstaVM

You can get started with InstaVM in a few steps. First, sign up for an account and obtain an API key from the dashboard. Install the CLI or SDK using package managers like pip or npm. Authenticate using the CLI command `instavm auth set-key`. You can then create a snapshot from an OCI image, launch a VM from that snapshot, and execute commands within it using the CLI or SDK. For deployment, use commands like `instavm deploy` to push your application and generate a shareable URL. The SSH-based workflow `ssh instavm.dev` allows you to manage VMs directly from any terminal without installing additional tools.

Core Features of InstaVM

• Hardware Isolated VMs: Each sandbox runs in a dedicated microVM with its own kernel, ensuring no cross-tenant leakage and true isolation.
• Snapshots & Persistent Volumes: Capture and restore VM states, fork environments, and maintain durable data across runs with named volumes that outlive VM lifecycles.
• Secrets Injection & Vault: Inject secrets via a proxy so agents never see API keys directly, preventing credential exposure even if compromised.
• Egress Control: Implement default-deny outbound network policies with domain/CIDR allowlists and package-manager controls for fine-grained security.
• Fast Deployment & Sharing: Instantly expose running ports as public or private share URLs with custom domains for production use.
• Desktop & Computer Use: Run full Linux desktop environments for browser automation and UI interaction, with optional live human takeover via noVNC.
• CLI & SSH Workflow: Manage everything from the terminal using `ssh instavm.dev` for creating, connecting, cloning, sharing, and destroying VMs.
• Webhook Integrations: Send agent events to services like Slack, GitHub, Jira, and n8n with authenticated, retriable payloads.
• Model-Agnostic & SDK Support: Works with major AI frameworks including OpenAI, Anthropic, LangChain, and DSPy, with CLI, Python, and TypeScript SDKs.
• Local & Cloud Development: Run code locally using CodeRunner for Mac with the same API, then deploy to the cloud without rewriting logic.

Use Cases for InstaVM

InstaVM is ideal for a wide range of AI agent applications. It serves as a secure backend for Code Interpreters and Code Execution Tools, allowing AI models to run generated code safely. It powers Deploy Agents, Deep Research Agents, and AI Evaluations by providing persistent, isolated environments. It enables Computer Use and Browser Automation workflows where agents interact with desktops and web interfaces. It is also used for building Vibe Coding Apps, running Reinforcement Learning training loops, and hosting long-lived MCP Servers or always-on agent operators.

Advantages of InstaVM

InstaVM offers significant advantages over container-based solutions. It provides 100% kernel-level isolation for maximum security, eliminating cross-tenant risks. Its P95 cold start is under 185ms, enabling rapid provisioning without pre-warming. The platform offers a unified SSH-native workflow via a single endpoint (`ssh instavm.dev`), simplifying operations. It combines runtime safety with features like secrets proxying and comprehensive observability. The ability to pause, snapshot, and resume running VMs is perfect for complex, stateful agent workflows. Additionally, it supports both local development and cloud deployment with a consistent API, streamlining the agent lifecycle.

Pricing and Plans

InstaVM offers a free tier and paid plans. The Free plan has a $0 base price and is pay-as-you-go. It starts with $50 in free credits and includes 10 GB of volume storage. Compute is billed at approximately $0.05 per vCPU-hour and $0.02 per GB RAM-hour. Additional volume storage is $0.0002 per GB-hour after the included 10 GB. It supports up to 5 concurrent VMs and 100 browser sessions per month. The Pro plan costs $100/month as a base subscription, plus usage. It includes everything in Free, with a limit of 100 concurrent VMs, 5,000 browser sessions per month, unrestricted or granular egress controls, priority support with a 24-hour response, advanced analytics, and a 99.9% uptime SLA. An Enterprise plan is available with custom pricing for large-scale deployments, offering unlimited executions, dedicated infrastructure, 24/7 support, SOC 2 Type II compliance, and custom contracts.