Containers vs VMs

This cluster centers on debates comparing virtual machines (VMs) and containers (like Docker), focusing on their differences in performance, isolation, efficiency, kernel sharing, security, and use cases such as sandboxing and deployment.

➡️ Stable 0.6x DevOps & Infrastructure
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#4495
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Keywords

RAM CPU WHP OH UNIX NAT HN FWIW VM HVF containers vms vm docker kernel container bare metal running docker containers bare

Sample Comments

dorfsmay Apr 21, 2015 View on HN

That's what VMs are for, not containers.

u801e Dec 27, 2020 View on HN

What problem does Docker solve that using a VM cannot solve?

naasking Oct 23, 2018 View on HN

My VM is lighter and safer than your container:https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15610155

nsky-world Mar 25, 2020 View on HN

What's the practical point of running containers on VM?

spacecadet404 Dec 30, 2025 View on HN

What's the use case for this rather than containers? Separation from the hypervisor kernel?

aurailious May 8, 2018 View on HN

Technically it's a container not a VM. So using this is about sandboxing it from the OS.

maccam94 Jun 5, 2020 View on HN

Running multiple containers is faster and more efficient than multiple VMs. Running a container on the same kernel as the host is faster and more efficient than a VM. If you're trying to run an app across different OS kernels, you still have to use a VM unless you can compile your app on that kernel natively. This project really doesn't do much beyond what a VM gets you, and you still have to configure the host outside the container to enable virtualization.

Thaxll Sep 8, 2025 View on HN

The vast majority of containers run on VM not baremetal.

m0zg Mar 27, 2019 View on HN

Containers are just namespaces for things within the Linux kernel. Unlike with VMs, you're not running separate instances of the OS, it's all run by just one kernel instance, and that kernel usually runs directly on the hardware, that is, on "bare metal". That "ubuntu" base image you can spin up does not actually run the Ubuntu kernel. As a result, bare metal containers incur none of the "virtualization penalty" that VMs do.Cloud is, in fact, abnormal i

neom Sep 10, 2016 View on HN

You're still talking about VMs?! :) containers are stop gap, VM is old school, different things.