Sprites
Fly.io's persistent, checkpointable Linux sandbox VMs for running code and AI agents.
Liked as a safe sandbox for letting AI agents run freely12 and as a cheap home for small personal apps and side projects.3456 The most common complaints are awkward terminal access that needs their CLI or HTTP API78, plus unclear documentation and setup quirks.91011
Why people recommend it
Agent sandboxing · 3
Commenters use it to let AI agents run freely while staying contained.
“What I've been waiting for, for a long time. Basically the thing you need if you want agents to run freely but still in a safe way kinda.”
“I really like the product created by fly.io's https://sprites.dev/ for AI's sandboxes effectively.”
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“resorted to running the harness in a sprite[0] in a proot distro[1] in termux”
Personal apps · 3
Seen as a good fit for small home-cooked apps that only serve a few people.
“This is why I'm bullish on things like https://sprites.dev/ (not affiliated, just a customer).”
“What I've been waiting for, for a long time. Basically the thing you need if you want agents to run freely but still in a safe way kinda.”
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“This looks like a really interesting solution, I can just store the data on a sprite with SQLite or whatever.”
Enjoyable to use · 3
Several users say they love the product and enjoy using it.
“See also Sprites (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46557825) which I've been using and really enjoying.”
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“I love absolutely everything about this… except for the lack of cross-platform support.”
Low cost · 2
Users value a dev sandbox that won't run up a large bill if left on.
“This looks great, i've been wanting a dev sandbox that doesn't run the risk of costing a lot if I forget to turn it off.”
“My main delta for Sprites is the lack of an accessible tty”
Persistent state · 2
Whole-system checkpoints and persistent storage, such as SQLite on a sprite, are appreciated.
“What I've been waiting for, for a long time. Basically the thing you need if you want agents to run freely but still in a safe way kinda.”
“This looks like a really interesting solution, I can just store the data on a sprite with SQLite or whatever.”
Caveats and dissent
Terminal access · 2
There is no accessible tty, so you need their CLI or HTTP API, and websocket connections through the public proxy can cause trouble.
“My main delta for Sprites is the lack of an accessible tty”
Unclear docs · 1
GitHub auth, the on-machine APIs and actual costs were hard to figure out.
“Playing around with this for a small amount of time, it is very neat but also there are a bunch of things that are unclear / undocumented”
Setup quirks · 2
Users hit inherited locale and shell settings, and found some setups painful to configure.
“This looks great, i've been wanting a dev sandbox that doesn't run the risk of costing a lot if I forget to turn it off.”
“resorted to running the harness in a sprite[0] in a proot distro[1] in termux”
Linux only · 1
It can't run Xcode or native Windows builds, and glibc mismatches are a worry.
“I love absolutely everything about this… except for the lack of cross-platform support.”
Market doubts · 1
One commenter thinks developers already have Docker and non-developers won't use it.
“Sprites seems like a solid lifestyle business for a few friends, not a startup that has taken funding.”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
From the makers not counted in the ranking
“I've been having so much fun working on sprites (and working with sprites)”
Threads where it came up
- Code and Let Live 5 mentions
- Design and Implementation of Sprites 2 mentions
- Computers Compared 1 mention
- Fly.io CEO Kurt Mackey is stepping down 1 mention
- Show HN: Shellular – run Claude Code, Codex, Pi from your phone 1 mention
- I Am Not a Reverse Centaur 1 mention
Data: sprites.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 12
“My main delta for Sprites is the lack of an accessible tty”
“Sprites seems like a solid lifestyle business for a few friends, not a startup that has taken funding.”
“resorted to running the harness in a sprite[0] in a proot distro[1] in termux”
“This is why I'm bullish on things like https://sprites.dev/ (not affiliated, just a customer).”
“See also Sprites (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46557825) which I've been using and really enjoying.”
“I love absolutely everything about this… except for the lack of cross-platform support.”
“I love sprites.”
“I really like the product created by fly.io's https://sprites.dev/ for AI's sandboxes effectively.”
“What I've been waiting for, for a long time. Basically the thing you need if you want agents to run freely but still in a safe way kinda.”
“This looks great, i've been wanting a dev sandbox that doesn't run the risk of costing a lot if I forget to turn it off.”
“This looks like a really interesting solution, I can just store the data on a sprite with SQLite or whatever.”
“Playing around with this for a small amount of time, it is very neat but also there are a bunch of things that are unclear / undocumented”