A3s Box

a3s-box - drive the microVM sandbox

a3s-box runs OCI images inside hardware-isolated microVMs with a Docker-like CLI (verbs mirror Docker). Preflight once: a3s-box info (confirms virtualization + home dir).

Mental model (these cause silent failures)

• Lifecycle: created -> running -> paused -> stopped -> dead.
  • run = create and start. create stops at created -> start it. snapshot restore -> created -> start it.
  • A box dies when its PID 1 exits - it needs a foreground process. run -d alpine runs sh, which exits at once -> dead. Use a long-lived command: run -d nginx, or run -d alpine -- sleep 3600.
  • exec/shell/cp/top/attach need a running box. start accepts only created|stopped|dead. rm removes created/stopped/dead without -f; -f is only for a running/paused box.
• The -- rule: the in-box command goes after --. a3s-box exec <box> -- <cmd> (required); a3s-box run <image> [-- <cmd>] (optional override). Missing it -> error: unexpected argument '...' found.
• exec has a 5-second default timeout - long builds/installs/tests get killed mid-run (and look like a failure). Use --timeout 300 (or --timeout 0 to disable): a3s-box exec --timeout 300 web -- <cmd>.
• Detached boxes need the monitor. run -d prints the id and exits; its health/restart task dies with it. For --restart policies and health checks to fire, run a3s-box monitor in the background first.
• No in-guest localhost by default. A box can't reach its own service on 127.0.0.1 (so --health-cmd 'curl localhost' and in-box curl fail). To make in-guest localhost work, attach a bridge network (recipe below). To check a service from your side, curl the published HOST port (see Ports).
• Ports: publish with -p HOST:GUEST (TCP). But ps's PORTS column and a3s-box port <box> render GUEST -> 0.0.0.0:HOST - the host port to curl is the one after 0.0.0.0:. Read it with a3s-box port <box>.
• Output streams: run -d prints a human Creating box <name> (<id>)... line, the full box id, and (when uncached) image-pull progress - all to stdout; only tracing/WARN/ERROR go to stderr. Don't parse the id from stdout - reference boxes by --name. JSON where offered: inspect, image-inspect, snapshot ls --json, and ps --format json (2.6+ only; on 2.0 use ps --format '{{.ID}} {{.Status}} {{.Names}}').

Run -> verify -> exec -> teardown

a3s-box info
a3s-box run -d --name web -p 8080:80 app:dev    # reference by --name, not stdout
a3s-box ps -a --filter name=web                  # MUST use -a; expect STATUS=running
a3s-box port web                                 # host port = value after 0.0.0.0:
curl -fsS http://localhost:8080/                 # confirm SERVING from the host
a3s-box exec --timeout 60 web -- env             # in-box command after --
a3s-box logs web                                 # logs print on stderr
a3s-box stop web && a3s-box rm web

A box can boot then die - always verify with ps -a (a dead/gone box does not appear in plain ps; empty output means dead-or-gone, not "name typo"). If STATUS=dead, its main process exited: read a3s-box inspect web (.State.ExitCode, summary dead (Exit N)) and a3s-box logs web.

Errors -> fix

Core commands (non-obvious; full verb list: a3s-box --help)

Resource/isolation flags on run/create - --cpus (default 2), --memory (default 512m), -e K=V, -v host:guest, --read-only, --cap-drop ALL --cap-add NET_BIND_SERVICE, --pids-limit, --network, --init, ... : a3s-box run --help.

Recipes

Working in-guest localhost (bridge network)

a3s-box network create mynet --subnet 10.89.0.0/24
a3s-box run -d --name api --network mynet -p 8080:80 app:dev

Snapshot -> restore (filesystem snapshot; restored box lands in created)

a3s-box snapshot create web                 # create from a running/stopped box
a3s-box snapshot ls --json
a3s-box snapshot restore <snap-id> --name restored   # name it -> no ps scraping
a3s-box ps -a --filter name=restored && a3s-box start restored

Finding exact flags & versions

a3s-box <command> --help works for every command, and nested help works too: a3s-box snapshot create --help, a3s-box network create --help, etc. Check the build with a3s-box version; newer builds (>=2.4) add pool run, snapshot prune, and monitor --install/--metrics-addr.

More

Other areas - network/volume/compose/pool (warm pre-boot VMs), registry login/push, events/audit/df, and TEE (--tee/--tee-simulate, attest/seal/unseal/inject-secret, --sidecar): a3s-box --help, then a3s-box <cmd> --help.