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Bivack is a self-hosted way to run coding agents in an AWS cloud development environment and reconnect to it from a browser. Its basic design gives each user one Lambda MicroVM, while an S3 Files-backed home keeps that user’s files and logins available across VM restarts. The trade-off is control and continuity in exchange for AWS setup and operation, plus network-backed storage that the project’s author says is slower than local disk.
What Bivack provides
Gunnar Grosch describes Bivack as a browser-accessible sandbox for coding agents, built on AWS Lambda MicroVMs. After a user signs in, the service connects that user to a machine and persistent home. A browser terminal and a self-hosted VS Code workbench can both reach the same machine, files, and logins.
The unit is one machine per user, not one machine per agent. Multiple selected agents share that user’s environment and workspace. Claude Code is the only agent enabled by default in the generated configuration; Codex, OpenCode, and Kiro CLI are opt-in. Optional infrastructure command-line tools can also be included.
That arrangement suits work that should keep running after a laptop closes, or that needs to be picked up from another browser device. It is not a hosted agent service: the user or team deploys and operates the AWS stack.
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How the machine, browser, and persistent home fit together
In Grosch’s described flow, Cognito handles sign-in, and API Gateway validates the user’s JWT. A token Lambda function maps the verified user subject to that user’s S3 Files access point and MicroVM. On a first request, the function creates those resources; it then returns a short-lived token and the VM endpoint. A lifecycle hook mounts the user’s home when the MicroVM starts.
The MicroVM is the working machine; the home directory is the part designed to persist. Files stored in that home remain available when the VM is restarted, because they are backed by S3 Files rather than only by the VM’s local disk. The consequence is a performance trade-off: Grosch explicitly cautions that network storage is slower than local storage. Workloads that make frequent, latency-sensitive filesystem operations should account for that difference.
Why the browser connects over WebSockets
The browser interface follows from the VM endpoint’s authentication requirement. As Grosch explains it, the endpoint accepts its token in the X-aws-proxy-auth header. A browser can set a header for a fetch request or a WebSocket handshake, but not for ordinary page navigation or the page’s subsequent subresource requests. In this design, serving a complete web IDE directly from the VM is therefore impractical. Instead, the browser loads the terminal client or workbench separately and connects to the VM over an authenticated WebSocket.
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This is an architectural explanation from the project’s author, not an independent security or compatibility test. The important practical point is that browser access does not mean the VM simply hosts a web page that the browser opens directly.
What persists, and where the trust boundary sits
The home directory is both Bivack’s persistence mechanism and a user-specific place for files and credentials. Coding-agent sessions and other provider logins that a user authenticates inside the sandbox can be stored under that persistent home, so they remain available across VM restarts.
Grosch says the sandbox does not have access to the AWS account that operates the Bivack stack. That boundary should not be confused with protection from the deployment operator: in a team deployment, the operator owns the bucket containing users’ homes and can read teammates’ persisted provider logins. Users and teams should decide whether that trust arrangement is acceptable before storing credentials there. The described design does not make user-persisted credentials inaccessible to the person administering the storage.
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What deploying Bivack involves
Bivack is infrastructure to deploy, configure, and maintain, rather than an account a user simply signs up for. In his September 21, 2026 article, Grosch lists these local prerequisites:
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- AWS SAM CLI, version 1.163.0 or newer
- Node.js 20 and npm
zipand Python 3- AWS authentication and a region where Lambda MicroVMs are available
The article uses us-east-1 in its examples; that example does not establish availability in every AWS region. Service availability, regional support, limits, and pricing can change, so check current AWS information for the region and configuration you plan to use.
Setup flow described by the author
- Clone the Bivack project.
- Copy
deploy.env.exampletodeploy.env. - Configure the AWS profile, region, and login email in the deployment settings.
- Run
./scripts/deploy.sh.
Grosch says Docker is not required because the image is built server-side. The described flow also includes teardown, a temporary password for the first login, optional NAT configuration, and optional budget email wiring. These are project-level deployment details reported by the author, not results from an independent deployment.
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How tools and image changes are handled
Tools installed for the environment are packaged into the image rather than installed separately by each user into an ephemeral VM. Changing the image’s tools triggers an image rebuild and VM recycle. Grosch reports that a build takes five to ten minutes; that is an author-reported duration, not a benchmark or service guarantee.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Bivack compares with other ways to run agents
The choice is not just about whether a machine is in the cloud. Consider who controls the environment, where code and credentials live, how work persists, whether a device must stay available, and who operates the infrastructure. The following distinctions reflect Grosch’s comparison, not independently measured performance.
| Approach | Control and isolation | Persistence and access | Main operational trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local agent environment | Environment, code, and credentials stay on the user’s laptop. | Work is tied to that device; long tasks require it to remain available. | Least cloud infrastructure to operate, but less convenient for handing work between devices. |
| Hosted agent service | The provider runs the task; the user gives up some control over the environment and places code in the service provider’s account. | Task access depends on the hosted service. | Less infrastructure setup by the user, with greater reliance on the provider’s environment and data handling. |
| Self-managed VPS | A familiar persistent host, but users share a host and kernel. | The box must keep running; the author notes that its local home is lost if the box is lost. | The operator maintains a running server and accepts the host’s shared isolation boundary. |
| Bivack | One Lambda MicroVM per user; multiple selected agents share that user’s machine. | Browser access reaches the machine, while the S3 Files-backed home persists across VM restarts. | The operator manages an AWS stack and accepts slower network-backed home storage. |
A local setup is a sensible fit when the laptop is the intended home for code and credentials. A hosted service reduces infrastructure work when provider-managed execution is acceptable. A VPS offers a conventional persistent server when its shared-host boundary and maintenance needs suit the use case. Bivack is most relevant when per-user MicroVMs, a persistent home, and browser access are worth operating AWS infrastructure.
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- Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
- Transfer Files in Seconds: Move files to and from your laptop at speeds of up to 5 Gbps via the USB-C and USB-A data ports. Note: The USB C 5Gbps Data port does not support video output.
- HD Display: Connect to the HDMI port to stream or mirror content to an external monitor in resolutions of up to 4K@30Hz. Note: The USB-C ports do not support video output.
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How to interpret the author’s cost examples
Grosch gives examples rather than a current AWS cost calculation. His comparison calls a small VPS about $5 per month, estimates a small NAT instance at a few dollars per month, and says a managed NAT Gateway is roughly ten times the monthly cost of that instance. He also describes an optional monthly AWS Budget that defaults to $25 when configured, with email alerts at 80% and 100%.
These are the author’s deployment examples, not verified current prices or a forecast for a particular workload. He says MicroVM compute is billed while running and suspended compute costs nothing, while storage remains a cost. Actual totals depend on configuration, usage, region, and current AWS pricing; check those costs before deploying rather than treating the examples as a quote or a promise of savings.
Where Bivack came from
Grosch credits Eric Johnson’s Remote Developer (rDev) as the starting point for the per-user Lambda MicroVM, Cognito sign-in, WebSocket terminal, S3 Files home, image foundation, and lifecycle hooks. He attributes the browser workbench, frontend chooser, configurable image, one-command deployment and teardown, NAT modes, budgets, and break-glass tooling to Bivack’s subsequent development.
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