Keep Alive

When keepAlive is enabled, the box stays on between sessions instead of auto-pausing when idle. Use it when you need a box to remain continuously available, for example to host a server, keep a long-running agent ready, or preserve an always-on development environment. For most workloads, the default Box lifecycle is still the better choice. Boxes auto-pause when idle and are more cost-efficient for bursty workloads unless keepAlive is enabled.

Create a keep-alive box

Use keepAlive: true when creating the box:

import { Box } from "@upstash/box"

const box = await Box.create({
  runtime: "node",
  size: "medium",
  keepAlive: true,
})

from upstash_box import Box

box = Box.create(
    runtime="node",
    size="medium",
    keep_alive=True,
)

You can combine keep-alive with all normal Box features, including agent, git, shell, filesystem, public URLs, and snapshots.

Sizes and specs

Boxes with keepAlive enabled use the same Box sizes as any other box. Pick the size with the size option when creating the box or in the Console during box creation.

Size	CPU	Memory	Storage
`small`	2 vCPU	4 GB	5 GB
`medium`	4 vCPU	8 GB	10 GB
`large`	8 vCPU	16 GB	20 GB

The selected size determines the box’s available CPU, RAM, and workspace storage whether keepAlive is enabled or not.

Lifecycle differences

	Default behavior	With `keepAlive: true`
Idle behavior	Auto-pauses when idle	Stays on
Pause / resume	Supported	Not supported
Best for	Bursty workloads, task runners, on-demand agents	Always-on servers, long-running agents, warm environments
Billing model	Active usage based	Open-time / always-on based

If you do not need the box to remain continuously available, keep keepAlive disabled.

Init command

Boxes with keepAlive enabled can run a startup command whenever the box starts.

const box = await Box.create({
  runtime: "node",
  keepAlive: true,
  initCommand: "npm install && npm run dev",
})

box = Box.create(
    runtime="node",
    keep_alive=True,
    init_command="npm install && npm run dev",
)

This is useful for:

starting a web server
launching a background process
preparing a long-running agent environment
restoring a development workflow automatically after the box starts

You can also manage the init command after creation:

await box.setInitCommand("npm run dev")

const command = await box.getInitCommand()
await box.deleteInitCommand()

console.log(box.keepAlive) // true

box.set_init_command("npm run dev")

command = box.get_init_command()
box.delete_init_command()

print(box.keep_alive)  # True

Init command management is only available when keepAlive is enabled.

Console

In the Upstash Console you can:

enable Keep alive while creating a box
choose the box Size
manage the Init Command later from the box settings page

When to use keep alive

Use keep-alive when the box itself needs to stay available between requests:

hosting a dev server or app with a public URL
keeping an agent warm for low-latency use
preserving a long-running environment with startup automation

Avoid keep-alive when you only need a reusable workspace. In those cases, the default box lifecycle plus Snapshots is usually enough.

Introduction

Basics

Lifecycle

Security

Guides

Create a keep-alive box

Sizes and specs

Lifecycle differences

Init command

Console

When to use keep alive

​Create a keep-alive box

​Sizes and specs

​Lifecycle differences

​Init command

​Console

​When to use keep alive

Create a keep-alive box

Sizes and specs

Lifecycle differences

Init command

Console

When to use keep alive