What causes gnocchi to pop violently when fried?

I think it's because there is water inside the gnocchi paste, which turns into vapor and builds up pressure. A little bit like why you shouldn't throw an ice cube in hot oil.

You can pan fry them, but not deep-fry them.

“It's the water content in the gnocchi reacting to the hot oil. When water hits hot oil, the water boils very quickly and turns into gas, creating a very fast expansion. Because the gnocchi are relatively soft and light weight, the force of that expansion inside of the gnocchi is stronger than the tension of the gnocchi structure and the gravity holding the gnocchi inside of the pan, and therefore they explode and "jump" out of the oil.” — TheStupidistRedditor

This explanation came from the reddit responder, TheStupidistRedditor. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskCulinary/comments/44r2wy/please_explain_what_is_happening_to_the_gnocchi/