Both virtualization and containerization are standard tech used in modern computing. Both methods are used to maximize efficiency of hardware resources, however they do so through different approaches.
Virtualization
- enables user to run multiple operating systems within a single server through a hypervisor
- Each VM runs independently
- Ideal for environments where different OS or versions are required for various applications
Advantages include
- strong isolation between virtual machine, each runs their own OS
- sophisticated technology with its own set of tools such as VMware, Hyper-V
Containerization
- Enables users to deploy multiple apps using the same operating system on a single machine or server.
- Rapid deployment, portability, scalability
- Multiple applications are deployed, and each is isolated from each other within containers
- Rather than virtualizing the hardware, containers virtualize the OS, sharing the kernel and running within isolated user spaces.
Advantages
- Faster, more efficient and lightweight application deployments
- Portability, as containers can be run consistently across different environments, including both development and production
- Containers are far more efficient than virtual machine when it comes to resource drain, as a full OS isn’t required for each instance
Containerization is a better choice for a lot of applications, especially when considering the need for rapid deployment, scalability and optimizing resources. Virtualization could be valuable for environments that require full OS isolation but containers are typically the favorable option.
