KVM VPS vs OpenVZ VPS - what to choose and what are the differences?
Published: 09 February 2021 • 2 min read
KVM and OpenVZ are both virtualization technologies. They are 2 of the most common options when it comes to cloud hosting. While they might sound similar, there are quite a few notable differences between them, which leaves some people confused.
Today, we are going to look into both virtualization technologies and discuss their differences. By the end of this article, you will be able to easily decide what type of virtualization you need to get for your cloud server!
What is KVM?
KVM, short for Kernel-based Virtual Machine, is an open-source virtualization software, operating on Linux servers. KVM is used for full virtualization.
This means that every virtual server (virtual machine) has access to private, virtualized hardware (Disk, CPU, RAM) and its own kernel.
Because of this, each virtual private server is completely isolated from each other, despite running on the same node. Additionally, since each VM has its own kernel, you can also have different operating systems like Linux, Windows or Solaris installed on each KVM VPS.
This is why we can say that KVM as a technology can provide you with a virtual server that operates and acts like a dedicated server.
What is OpenVZ?
OpenVZ is a virtualization technology for Linux. The design of this technology is quite different from KVM.
With OpenVZ, the virtual machine is called and acts as a container. The main difference here is that all containers share the same kernel as the host server.
This means that OpenVZ-based VPS servers can only host Linux as an operating system.
Each virtual machine acts as a separate server and has its own IP address, resource limits, root access and processes. Additionally, each container can also be rebooted independently.
Technical comparison between the 2 types of virtualization
We can now take a look at the comparison table below for a better comparison between the 2 virtualization technologies:
|
KVM |
OpenVZ |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Linux kernel modification |
Yes |
No |
|
Better resource isolation |
Yes |
No |
|
OS Updates (Major) |
Yes |
No |
|
Efficient resource usage |
No |
Yes |
|
Resource upgrade requires a reboot |
Yes |
No |
KVM vs OpenVZ VPS/VDS servers
But what about some of the more practical questions? The ones that people want to know about when choosing a virtualization for their cloud server?
|
KVM |
OpenVZ |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Can I use Windows? |
Yes |
No |
|
Can I host a website? |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Can I run Docker on the VPS/VDS? |
Yes |
Yes, with OpenVZ 7 |
|
Can I install a VPN on the server? |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Projects with specific server configuration |
Yes |
No |
|
Kernel changes |
Yes |
No |
We hope that we were able to help you choose between OpenVZ and KVM. If you have any questions regarding the virtualizations, do not hesitate to contact us!