Virtualization has become an indispensable technology in the field of information technology, enabling efficient utilization of hardware resources and simplification of system management. In the Linux operating system environment, there are several virtualization tools available, differing in their features, performance, and focus. In this article, we will delve into the most commonly used and technologically advanced virtualization tools available for Linux.
KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
KVM is a fully integrated virtualization solution in the Linux kernel, which transforms Linux into a Hypervisor. It allows running multiple virtual machines (VMs) with different operating systems. Being part of the kernel, it offers excellent performance and support for various types of hardware. Tools like Virt-Manager and virt-install can be used for VM management.
Xen
Xen is another popular bare-metal hypervisor that provides strong isolation between virtual machines and high performance. Xen allows running VMs in two modes: paravirtualization (PV) for guests without hardware virtualization support and full virtualization (HVM) for guests with virtualization support on the CPU. Xen is suitable for Cloud services and large data centers.
VirtualBox
VirtualBox, developed by Oracle, is a freely available, cross-platform virtualization tool that supports Linux, Windows, Macintosh, and Solaris as host systems. Its user interface is user-friendly, allowing quick VM configuration. Despite lower performance compared to KVM and Xen, it is very popular among developers for testing applications in different environments.
LXC (Linux Containers)
LXC is a container-based solution that provides lightweight virtualization at the operating system level. Unlike traditional VMs that virtualize entire hardware, containers share the kernel of the host system and run as isolated instances. LXC is suitable for running multiple applications on a single physical server with minimal performance overhead.
Docker is a modern platform for developing, delivering, and operating applications in containers. Although not strictly a virtualization tool in terms of isolating entire operating systems, Docker simplifies creating, running, and managing applications in isolated environments. Docker has become the de facto standard for containerizing applications due to its broad support, ecosystem, and portability.
Proxmox VE
Proxmox VE (Virtual Environment) is an open-source platform for virtualization and container management based on KVM and LXC. It offers a web interface for managing the entire infrastructure, including backup, clustering, and network configurations. Proxmox VE is suitable for enterprise deployment and provides extensive options for high availability, disaster recovery, and scalability.
This overview presents key virtualization tools available for Linux, each with its specific features and use cases. Choosing the right tool depends on the specific needs of the project, from simple application testing to complex enterprise deployments.
