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KVM vs VMware vSphere: What are the differences?
<The hypervisor space is highly competitive, with KVM and VMware vSphere being two popular choices for virtualization. In this comparison, we will highlight the key differences between KVM and VMware vSphere.>
1. **Architecture**: KVM is a type 1 hypervisor, meaning it runs directly on the host's hardware. On the other hand, VMware vSphere is a type 2 hypervisor that runs on top of an operating system. This architectural difference can have implications for performance and resource utilization.
2. **Open Source vs. Proprietary**: KVM is an open-source solution, which means it's free to use and modify. VMware vSphere, on the other hand, is a proprietary software that comes with licensing fees. Organizations must consider their budget and flexibility requirements when choosing between the two options.
3. **Virtualization Management**: VMware vSphere comes with a comprehensive suite of management tools, making it easier to manage virtualized environments. While KVM also has management tools available, they may not be as feature-rich or user-friendly as VMware's offerings.
4. **Scalability**: VMware vSphere is known for its scalability, supporting large-scale virtualized environments with ease. KVM, while capable of scaling to a certain extent, may not have the same level of scalability as VMware vSphere in enterprise-level deployments.
5. **Support and Ecosystem**: VMware vSphere has a well-established support system and a vast ecosystem of third-party tools and integrations. This can be advantageous for organizations that require extensive support and integration capabilities. KVM, being open source, relies more on community support and may have limited third-party integrations.
6. **Compatibility**: When it comes to compatibility with different operating systems and applications, VMware vSphere tends to have better support due to its widespread adoption and testing. KVM may have limitations in terms of compatibility, especially with certain legacy applications or niche platforms.
In Summary, KVM and VMware vSphere differ in architecture, licensing, management tools, scalability, support ecosystem, and compatibility. Organizations should carefully evaluate their requirements to choose the right virtualization solution for their needs.
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Learn MorePros of KVM
Pros of VMware vSphere
Pros of KVM
- No license issues4
- Very fast2
- Flexible network options2
Pros of VMware vSphere
- Strong host isolation8
- Industry leader6
- Great VM management (HA,FT,...)5
- Easy to use4
- Feature rich2
- Great Networking2
- Free1
- Running in background1
- Can be setup on single physical server1
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Cons of KVM
Cons of VMware vSphere
Cons of KVM
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Cons of VMware vSphere
- Price8
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What is KVM?
KVM (for Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a full virtualization solution for Linux on x86 hardware containing virtualization extensions (Intel VT or AMD-V).
What is VMware vSphere?
vSphere is the world’s leading server virtualization platform. Run fewer servers and reduce capital and operating costs using VMware vSphere to build a cloud computing infrastructure.
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What companies use KVM?
What companies use VMware vSphere?
What companies use KVM?
What companies use VMware vSphere?
See which teams inside your own company are using KVM or VMware vSphere.
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What tools integrate with KVM?
What tools integrate with VMware vSphere?
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What are some alternatives to KVM and VMware vSphere?
VirtualBox
VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.
Qemu
When used as a machine emulator, it can run OSes and programs made for one machine (e.g. an ARM board) on a different machine (e.g. your own PC). By using dynamic translation, it achieves very good performance.
When used as a virtualizer, it achieves near native performance by executing the guest code directly on the host CPU. it supports virtualization when executing under the Xen hypervisor or using the KVM kernel module in Linux. When using KVM, it can virtualize x86, server and embedded PowerPC, 64-bit POWER, S390, 32-bit and 64-bit ARM, and MIPS guests.
OpenVZ
Virtuozzo leverages OpenVZ as its core of a virtualization solution offered by Virtuozzo company. Virtuozzo is optimized for hosters and offers hypervisor (VMs in addition to containers), distributed cloud storage, dedicated support, management tools, and easy installation.
Xen
It is a hypervisor using a microkernel design, providing services that allow multiple computer operating systems to execute on the same computer hardware concurrently. It was developed by the Linux Foundation and is supported by Intel.
Docker
The Docker Platform is the industry-leading container platform for continuous, high-velocity innovation, enabling organizations to seamlessly build and share any application — from legacy to what comes next — and securely run them anywhere