A virtual machine is also useful for trying out new operating systems.
One problem with these concepts is that they are highly similar, making choosing between them difficult.
So what exactly is the difference between a virtual machine and a container?
What Is a Virtual Machine?
A virtual machine isa virtualization of a computer.
Virtual machines are created using hypervisors.
This is a piece of software that sits between a VM and the underlying hardware.
The hypervisor takes resources from the underlying hardware and partitions them to dedicated to individual VMs.
What Is a Container?
A container issimilar to a virtual machine.
But instead of virtualizing an entire computer, a container only virtualizes software above the operating system level.
Containers are lighter because they don’t need their own operating systems.
They also don’t need a hypervisor and can be placed directly on top of the host operating system.
Each container then shares the host OS kernel.
They include all dependencies and run-time libraries.
This allows an utility inside a container to be run anywhere.
What Is the Difference Between a Virtual Machine and Container?
Virtual machines have been around the longest, but they have been replaced by containers for some purposes.
Each technology, however, has its own pros and cons.
The right tool for the job, therefore, depends on the specific project.
Here are the primary differences.
Containers are therefore significantly smaller than VMs, often taking up only a few megabytes.
It also makes containers significantly more portable.
Containers can easily be transferred between computers, computing environments, and the cloud.
This makes them particularly useful for teams who want to collaborate on a single software while using different environments.
Containers can therefore start up in seconds, while virtual machines usually require a few minutes.
Because containers use fewer resources, they also allow some applications to run faster.
Containers Have Access to All Resources
Virtual machines have specific resources allocated to them by the hypervisor.
Containers have access to all of the underlying hardware resources and therefore do not pose this problem.
As a result, containers are usually the better choice for applications where the resources needed are unknown.
Virtual Machines Are More Secure
A virtual machine is completely isolated from everything else on a computer.
A container is only isolated at the process level.
This makes virtual machines more secure.
If the host operating system is compromised, all of the containers installed above it may also be compromised.
In the same scenario, virtual machines would be unaffected.
An exploit running inside of a virtual machine cannot affect anything outside of it.
An exploit running inside of a container can potentially jump into the rest of a system.
Should You Use a Virtual Machine or a Container?
Virtual machines and containers are very similar to each other, but they are not interchangeable.
Consequently, some projects will offer a choice between the two while others will not.
You should use a virtual machine when you want to run applications that specifically require a new OS.
For example, the host OS may not support the app.
A virtual machine should also be used when isolation and security are prioritized above all else.
In most other scenarios, a container will provide a lighter, faster, more cost-effective solution.
Can You Use Virtual Machines and Containers Together?
If you want the functionality of both virtual machines and containers, it is possible to combine the two.
In this case, you launch a virtual machine and then deploy containers inside of it.
This is particularly useful for security purposes.
For example, imagine you run ten containers on a single computer.
If that computer’s OS is compromised, all ten containers might be affected.
Now imagine you divide those ten containers across multiple virtual machines.
Are Containers Replacing Virtual Machines?
Containers are increasingly popular and with very good reason.
