5 days ago
Mon Jan 12, 2026 1:17pm PST
Show HN: Shellbox – Instant Linux Boxes via SSH
I built a service that gives you instant Linux boxes using only SSH. No accounts, no CLI tools, no browser – just:

  ssh shellbox.dev
Your SSH key is your identity. First connection creates your account.

Commands work over SSH: ssh shellbox.dev create mybox ssh -t shellbox.dev connect mybox ssh shellbox.dev list

Each box gets a public HTTPS URL for serving apps or webhooks.

Pricing: $0.05/hr running, $0.005/hr paused. Boxes auto-pause on disconnect and resume where you left off.

Even billing stays in the terminal – run `ssh shellbox.dev funds 10` and you get a QR code right in your shell. Scan it, pay via Paddle, done. No account dashboards.

Specs: 2 vCPUs, 4GB RAM, 50GB SSD per box.

I wanted something I could spin up from any machine with just a terminal. No installs, no OAuth flows, no "please verify your email." Works great for quick experiments, running Claude Code in isolation, or giving demos a public URL.

Would love feedback. What's missing?

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