IT Toolbox
Menu
HomeVirtual Machine vs Container: What difference?
Guide

Virtual Machine vs Container: What difference?

A virtual machine embarks a complete guest operating system. A container isole an application while sharing the kernel of the host

TopicIT resources → About 2 min read

A virtual machine embarks a complete guest operating system. A container isole an application while sharing the kernel of the host.

In brief….Containers do not replace all virtual machines. It is common to run containers inside VM in order to combine isolation of, infrastructure and application agility.

Solution A….

Virtual machine

The virtual machine Simulates a complete computer with its processors, memory, disks and guest system.

Key points…

  • Strong insulation between guest systems
  • Can run different systems on the same hypervisor
  • More resources

Solution B….

Continuity

The container groups the application and its dependencies in an isolated environment sharing the kernel.

Key points…

  • Quick start
  • Reproducible Deploy
  • Platform-dependent insulation and compatibility

Comparative table….

Criterion….Virtual machineContinuity
Guest systemCompleteShared core
StartingSeconds to minutesVery fast
ResourcesMore importantLighter
UseComplete servers and legacy applicationsMicroservices and Appliance Deployments

Choose Virtual Machine if…

You need to completely isolate a system, use another OS or host an application that requires a complete machine.

Choose Continuity if…

You develop or deploy a portable, automated application adapted to a containerized architecture.

Key takeaways

Containers do not replace all virtual machines. It is common to run containers inside VM in order to combine isolation of, infrastructure and application agility.

Deepening the two notions….

← Back to all comparison…

Support the development of BAOI Hosting, domains and new IT resources.
❤️ Support BAOI

My favorites