Contents
Roadmap info from roadmap website
Bare Metal vs VM vs Containers
Here is a quick overview of the differences between bare metal, virtual machines, and containers.
Bare Metal
Bare metal is a term used to describe a computer that is running directly on the hardware without any virtualization. This is the most performant way to run an application, but it is also the least flexible. You can only run one application per server, and you cannot easily move the application to another server.
Virtual Machines
Virtual machines (VMs) are a way to run multiple applications on a single server. Each VM runs on top of a hypervisor, which is a piece of software that emulates the hardware of a computer. The hypervisor allows you to run multiple operating systems on a single server, and it also provides isolation between applications running on different VMs.
Containers
Containers are a way to run multiple applications on a single server without the overhead of a hypervisor. Each container runs on top of a container engine, which is a piece of software that emulates the operating system of a computer. The container engine allows you to run multiple applications on a single server, and it also provides isolation between applications running on different containers.
You can learn more from the following resources:
Comparison between Bare Metal, VMs, and Containers
| Category | Bare Metal | Virtual Machines (VMs) | Containers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Definition | Physical server with no virtualization | Software emulation of physical hardware | Lightweight virtualization at the OS level |
| Resource Isolation | Full dedicated hardware | Virtualization layer isolates resources | Process-level isolation sharing the host OS |
| Performance | High performance, no overhead | Some overhead due to hypervisor | Near-native performance, minimal overhead |
| Startup Time | Long (requires OS boot) | Medium (boots OS within VM) | Fast (starts in milliseconds) |
| Resource Utilization | Less efficient (idle resources) | More efficient (can oversubscribe resources) | Highly efficient, sharing kernel and resources |
| Flexibility | Limited to hardware | More flexible (multiple OSes on one host) | Most flexible (runs isolated processes) |
| Portability | Limited to physical server | Moderately portable (requires hypervisor) | Highly portable (container images) |
| Scalability | Low, scaling requires physical hardware | Moderate, scaling with additional VMs | High, easy to scale by spinning new containers |
| Security | Physical isolation, high security | Isolated, but vulnerable to hypervisor attacks | Process-level isolation, less secure than VMs |
| Management Complexity | High, manual server management | Moderate, requires VM management tools | Low, automated with container orchestration |
| Use Cases | High-performance computing, databases | Running different OS environments, legacy apps | Microservices, cloud-native apps, CI/CD |
| Cost | High (physical infrastructure and maintenance) | Medium (infrastructure + hypervisor license) | Low (better resource sharing, minimal overhead) |
Advantages and Disadvantages of each Category
| Category | Bare Metal | Virtual Machines (VMs) | Containers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advantages | - High performance with direct access to hardware | - Runs multiple OS instances on one machine | - Lightweight, with minimal overhead |
| - Full resource utilization | - Resource isolation through hypervisors | - Fast startup times and high scalability | |
| - Strong security due to physical isolation | - Runs legacy apps and different OSes | - Efficient resource utilization through shared OS kernel | |
| - Ideal for specialized, resource-heavy workloads | - Easier backup and migration | - Highly portable across different environments | |
| Disadvantages | - High costs for physical infrastructure and scaling | - Overhead from hypervisor layer reduces performance | - Less secure than VMs due to shared kernel vulnerabilities |
| - Long provisioning times and less flexibility | - Slower startup times compared to containers | - Limited to same OS kernel, less flexibility for OS choices | |
| - Lower scalability (requires physical hardware) | - Higher resource usage (dedicated OS per VM) | - Limited isolation compared to full VMs |