machine0

What it does

machine0 provides persistent NixOS (and Ubuntu) virtual machines that you control entirely from the command line. Every operation—creating, provisioning, suspending, snapshotting, or deleting a VM—is a single CLI command with --json output. VMs come with dedicated resources (up to 60 vCPU, 240 GB RAM), static IPs, HTTPS endpoints at <vm>.mac0.io, and per-minute billing. They are designed for long-running tasks: VMs remain on until explicitly stopped or suspended, and you can freeze a VM's state to stop billing and resume later. All VM images are open source on GitHub.

Who it is for

machine0 targets developers and DevOps engineers who want reproducible, disposable, or long-lived environments without leaving the terminal. It is especially suited for:

• Developers using NixOS flakes for deterministic builds and one-command rollbacks.
• Teams running autonomous agents (like OpenClaw or Hermes) that need isolated machines with dedicated credentials.
• Anyone who needs a quick, reproducible development environment with enough resources to compile code, run tests, or use browsers.
• Users who want to host web apps or databases on a stable, static IP with 99.99% uptime across four regions (US, UK, EU, Asia).

Why it matters

Traditional VPS providers require manual setup via web dashboards, and ephemeral sandboxes (like E2B or Modal) are not designed for persistent workloads. machine0 bridges the gap: it offers the persistence and dedicated resources of a VPS with the CLI-first, API-driven experience of modern cloud platforms. The use of NixOS flakes ensures fully reproducible environments with no configuration drift, and the ability to suspend VMs and stop billing makes it cost-effective for intermittent use. Per-minute billing starts at $0.013/hr for a small VM (1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM).

Launch signal

machine0 was launched on Hacker News as a Show HN titled "Show HN: machine0 – Persistent NixOS VMs You Control from the CLI." It is backed by Y Combinator (as indicated by the YC logo on the website). The product is live and accepting users via a curl-based install script.

Brand and naming

The name "machine0" is short, memorable, and evokes the concept of a primary or base machine (like "machine zero"). The domain machine0.io is clean and easy to type. The brand positions itself as a developer-first tool, with a minimalist CLI aesthetic and a focus on NixOS reproducibility. The tagline "Persistent NixOS VMs You Control from the CLI" clearly communicates the core value proposition.