Virtual Machine (VM)

A Virtual Machine is a full computer inside another computer. Key points:

  • Runs a full OS (with its own kernel)
  • Uses a hypervisor to virtualize CPU, RAM, storage
  • Heavy but fully isolated
  • Each VM has its own operating system
  • Each VM can run a different OS from the host or from other VMs.

Use cases: multi-OS environments, high security, legacy apps.

Virtual Machine

Why Use a Hypervisor?

A hypervisor lets run multiple virtual machines on one physical machine by virtualizing hardware.

use a hypervisor because it provides:

  • Virtualizes hardware to run multiple VMs on one machine
  • Shares resources (CPU, RAM, Disk) efficiently ( Balloing Technique)
  • Strong isolation between VMs for security
  • Run multiple OS on the same hardware
  • Supports snapshots & cloning for testing and backups
  • Flexible resource management for each VM
  • Improves hardware utilization by consolidating workloads