> Documentation index: https://rift.sh/llms.txt

# Rift vs Sprites

A Sprite is a cloud computer that keeps its disk. Rift syncs a folder to machines you own.

### What Sprites is

Sprites are persistent Linux computers for agents from Fly.io. Each has a 100 GB disk that survives between runs. A Sprite sleeps when idle and wakes in one to two seconds at most. Compute is billed only while it runs, and its filesystem can be checkpointed in about a second.

### How they differ

A Sprite keeps its files on its own disk in Fly.io's cloud. Its documentation describes access by organization membership or an organization token. Rift keeps files on every machine you choose and grants one folder at a time.

- Identity
  - Sprites: The agent has none. It uses a token for the Fly.io organization.
  - Rift: A key that each machine and agent makes for itself. No account.

- Smallest share
  - Sprites: Membership of the organization, or its token, as its documentation describes it. One Sprite's web address can be made public.
  - Rift: A folder, a subfolder or one file, as read or write.

- Who checks access
  - Sprites: Fly.io.
  - Rift: Each machine that receives a file checks the grant itself.

- Who can read your files
  - Sprites: Not established. The Sprites pages we read do not say how stored files are encrypted or who holds the keys.
  - Rift: Only the machines you shared with. Rift Cloud holds ciphertext.

- When your machines are off
  - Sprites: The disk is kept while a Sprite sleeps. Its documentation does not say the files can be read without waking it.
  - Rift: Files stored in Rift Cloud stay available.

- When a run ends
  - Sprites: Sleep keeps the disk. Destroying a Sprite deletes it for good.
  - Rift: Files the run wrote to a Rift folder are already on your other machines.

### Which to choose

Choose Sprites when

- You want a computer that keeps its disk between runs.
- You want to pay for compute only while it runs.
- You want fast checkpoints of the whole filesystem.

Choose Rift when

- The files should also be on your own machines.
- Another person or agent should receive one folder and nothing else.

### Using them together

A Sprite runs the code and Rift keeps the files. Rift runs on Linux, which is what a Sprite runs.

[Use Rift with Sprites](https://rift.sh/docs/use-with/sprites.md)

Based on Fly.io's documentation and product page, read in October 2026. Sources: [product page](https://fly.io/sprites) , [Sprites](https://docs.fly.io/sprites) , [lifecycle](https://docs.fly.io/sprites/concepts/lifecycle) , [checkpoints](https://docs.fly.io/sprites/concepts/checkpoints) , [networking](https://docs.fly.io/sprites/concepts/networking.md).