Understanding Containers

Forget Docker. Forget VMs. Hoody containers are something else entirely.

A Hoody container is a full Debian 13 Linux computer — with systemd, its own filesystem, its own network, and 18 HTTP services built in. The moment it exists, it’s online. Every process, every file, every database inside it has a URL.

You don’t SSH into them (well, you can — ssh hoody.com gives you a full OS). You don’t deploy to them (though nothing stops you). You fetch them. Every process running inside is already an HTTPS endpoint, with HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 out of the box. You’ll never think about a certificate again.

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What You Get

Every container includes:

Capability	How You Access It
Shell access	terminal-1.containers.hoody.icu
File system	files-1.containers.hoody.icu
Database	sqlite-1.containers.hoody.icu
Desktop display	display-1.containers.hoody.icu
Browser automation	browser-1.containers.hoody.icu
Script execution	exec-1.containers.hoody.icu
AI agent	workspaces-1.containers.hoody.icu
VS Code	code-1.containers.hoody.icu
HTTP composition	curl-1.containers.hoody.icu
Background processes	daemon-1.containers.hoody.icu
Scheduled tasks	cron-1.containers.hoody.icu
Push notifications	n-1.containers.hoody.icu
Data streaming	pipe-1.containers.hoody.icu
Collaborative notebooks	notes-1.containers.hoody.icu
File watching	watch-1.containers.hoody.icu
Application launch	run-1.containers.hoody.icu
TCP tunneling	tunnel-1.containers.hoody.icu
Proxy access logs	logs-1.containers.hoody.icu

All of this. In every container. Accessible from any device with a browser. Or from any terminal via ssh hoody.com.

Screenshot Needed Hoody OS Console — container management view showing container list with status indicators, service URLs, and quick actions

Managing containers through Hoody OS Console

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Create a Container

CLI

# Create a container in your project
hoody containers create --project $PROJECT_ID --server-id $SERVER_ID --name "backend"

# List your containers
hoody containers list

SDK

import { HoodyClient } from '@hoody-ai/hoody-sdk';
const client = new HoodyClient({ baseURL: 'https://api.hoody.icu', token: process.env.HOODY_TOKEN });

const container = await client.api.containers.create(PROJECT_ID, {
  server_id: SERVER_ID,
  name: 'backend'
});

// Your computer is already live
console.log(container.data.id);

HTTP

curl -X POST https://api.hoody.icu/api/v1/projects/$PROJECT_ID/containers \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"server_id": "'"$SERVER_ID"'", "name": "backend"}'

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The URL Structure

Every service in every container has a predictable URL:

https://{projectId}-{containerId}-{service}-{instance}.{serverName}.containers.hoody.icu

For example:

https://abc123-def456-terminal-1.node-us-1.containers.hoody.icu
https://abc123-def456-files-1.node-us-1.containers.hoody.icu
https://abc123-def456-display-1.node-us-1.containers.hoody.icu

Note

The URL IS the interface. No ports to memorize, no configuration files, no network setup. The URL tells you exactly what service you’re talking to.

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How They Differ from Docker

Feature	Docker	Hoody Containers
Base system	Minimal layers	Full Debian 13 + systemd
Networking	Internal bridge, port mapping	Every service has a public URL
Access method	docker exec / SSH	HTTP from anywhere
Built-in services	None — BYO everything	18 HTTP services included
Collaboration	Not designed for it	Multiplayer by default
Snapshots	Volume snapshots only	Full filesystem snapshots, instant restore
Multiple instances	Separate containers	terminal-1, terminal-2… in same container

Docker containers are build artifacts. Hoody containers are computers.

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Multiple Instances

Need three terminals, two databases, and a browser?

terminal-1.containers.hoody.icu
terminal-2.containers.hoody.icu
terminal-3.containers.hoody.icu
sqlite-1.containers.hoody.icu
sqlite-2.containers.hoody.icu
browser-1.containers.hoody.icu

Same container, different instances. Each one is its own URL, its own process, its own state.

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Container Lifecycle

CLI

# Start a stopped container
hoody containers manage $CONTAINER_ID start

# Stop a running container
hoody containers manage $CONTAINER_ID stop

# Snapshot before making changes
hoody snapshots create -c $CONTAINER_ID --alias "before-experiment"

# Restore if something breaks
hoody snapshots restore -c $CONTAINER_ID --name $SNAPSHOT_NAME

SDK

// Start
await client.api.containers.manage(CONTAINER_ID, 'start');

// Stop
await client.api.containers.manage(CONTAINER_ID, 'stop');

// Snapshot
const snapshot = await client.api.containers.createSnapshot(CONTAINER_ID, {
  alias: 'before-experiment'
});

// Restore
await client.api.containers.restoreSnapshot(CONTAINER_ID, SNAPSHOT_NAME);

HTTP

# Start
curl -X POST https://api.hoody.icu/api/v1/containers/$CONTAINER_ID/start \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

# Stop
curl -X POST https://api.hoody.icu/api/v1/containers/$CONTAINER_ID/stop \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

# Snapshot
curl -X POST https://api.hoody.icu/api/v1/containers/$CONTAINER_ID/snapshots \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"alias": "before-experiment"}'

# Restore
curl -X PATCH https://api.hoody.icu/api/v1/containers/$CONTAINER_ID/snapshots/$SNAPSHOT_NAME \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

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Infinite Containers, One Server

You don’t pay per container. You pay for bare metal — then spawn as many containers as you want.

Old model: $40/month per VPS. Three environments = $120/month. Hoody model: One server. Infinite containers. Experiment freely.

This changes how you think about computing. Dev containers, staging, experiments, AI playgrounds — they’re all free to create.

A container isn’t infrastructure. It’s a URL. Treat it like one.

Next: The Hoody Proxy →