Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about running background tasks with Burst.
Product
What is Burst?
Burst is a background compute service that runs your code in isolated VMs. Submit tasks via CLI, close your laptop, get results later.
How does Burst work?
Install with curl -fsSL https://install.burst.cx | bash, log in with your invite code via burst login, then run any script with burst run ./task. Your code executes in an isolated VM. Check progress with burst logs.
What can I run on Burst?
Web scrapers, data pipelines, batch processing jobs, ETL tasks, image/video processing, AI agent workflows, scheduled jobs — anything that takes more than a few minutes.
How much does Burst cost?
$49/month during beta, locked in forever for early members. Pay-per-job pricing coming.
Technical
Do I need Docker?
No. Burst handles containerization automatically. Just point at your code.
What languages does Burst support?
Python primarily, with Node.js and other runtimes coming. Your code runs in real VMs with full OS access.
How long can tasks run?
No hard limit. Tasks designed for hours-long execution. Perfect for scrapers, pipelines, and batch jobs.
Is my code secure?
Yes. Each task runs in an isolated Firecracker microVM. Complete isolation, no conflicts between tasks.
Comparisons
How is Burst different from AWS Lambda?
Lambda is for short-lived functions (15min max). Burst is for long-running tasks. No config files, no CloudFormation, just run.
How is Burst different from Modal?
Modal requires learning their framework and decorators. Burst runs your existing code as-is. Push from your local repo.
Why not just use a VPS?
VPS requires setup, maintenance, and babysitting. Burst is fire-and-forget. Submit, close laptop, get results.
Still have questions?
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