Containers vs. virtual machines (VMs) | Google Cloud (2024)

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Containers are lightweight, portable, and self-contained executable images that contain software applications and their dependencies. They are used to deploy and run applications in a consistent way across different environments, such as development, staging, and production. Containers are typically deployed from an image by using an orchestration platform, like Kubernetes. These platforms provide a way to manage and deploy containers at scale.

Containers have a number of benefits over traditional virtualization methods. As they are more lightweight and portable than VMs, containers support decomposition of a monolith into microservices. Containers are faster to manage and deploy than VMs, which can save time and money with application deployment.

Virtual machines (VMs) or guests represent instances of an operating system co-located on a physical machine through the use of a hypervisor. Each VM has its own operating system, memory, and other resources, which are isolated from the other VMs on the same physical computer. This allows multiple operating systems to run on the same physical components without interfering with each other.

Virtual machines are created and managed using hypervisor software. A hypervisor is software that manages a physical computer's resources and allocates them to virtual machines.

Containers and virtual machines are both technologies that can be used to run software applications. However, they have different approaches.

• Containers are segregated applications or services on a host and share the same operating system
• Virtual machines are isolated instances of an operating system on a physical host and run applications or services

Containers have a smaller footprint than virtual machines. This is because containers share the host operating system's kernel, while virtual machines each have their own kernel. As a result, containers can start and stop faster, and they use fewer resources.Virtual machines are isolated from each other, which can help to prevent attacks from spreading between guests.Containers and virtual machines can be used together. For example, a container can be used to run an application, and a virtual machine can be used to provide the underlying infrastructure. This approach can be used to get the best of both worlds: the portability and speed of containers, and the security of virtual machines.Here is a table that summarizes the key differences between containers and virtual machines:

• Web development: Containers are a good choice for web development because they can be easily deployed to a variety of environments, such as development, staging, and production
• Microservices architecture: Containers are a good choice for microservices architecture because they can be used to deploy and manage individual services
• Cloud computing: Containers are a good choice for cloud computing because they can be easily scaled up or down to meet demand
• Continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD): Containers can be used to support automated processes of building, testing, and deploying applications

Containers are a powerful tool that can be used to improve application development, deployment, and management. They are a good choice for a variety of use cases, and are becoming increasingly popular in the cloud computing industry.

• Testing: Virtual machines can be used to test new software in a safely sandboxed environment. This is because the VM can be easily reset or deleted if the software causes problems.
• Development: Virtual machines can be used to develop software on different operating systems. This can be useful for developers who need to test their software on different operating systems, or for users who want to use different operating systems for different tasks.
• Isolation: Virtual machines can be used to isolate applications from each other. This can be useful for security segmentation and resource partitioning.
• Cloud computing: Virtual machines are a popular choice for cloud computing because they can be easily scaled up or down to meet demand.
• Disaster recovery: Virtual machines can be used in support of disaster recovery strategies. This is because the VM can be easily restored from a backup if the host machine fails.

Virtual machines are powerful tools that can be used for various purposes. They are a cost-effective way to run multiple operating systems and applications on the same computer, and they can be used to test new software in a safe environment.