VMware vSphere Hypervisor vs KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

Struggling to choose between VMware vSphere Hypervisor and KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

VMware vSphere Hypervisor is a System & Hardware solution with tags like hypervisor, virtualization, vsphere, vmware, server, baremetal.

It boasts features such as Bare-metal hypervisor architecture, Supports 64-bit guest operating systems, Built-in VMware Tools, Distributed Resource Scheduler, High Availability, vMotion, Storage vMotion, Fault Tolerance and pros including Free and open-source, Easy to install and configure, Good performance, Wide ecosystem support, Centralized management, Live migration of VMs, High availability features.

On the other hand, KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a System & Hardware product tagged with virtualization, vm, linux, open-source.

Its standout features include Kernel-level virtualization, Supports live migration of VMs between hosts, Built into Linux kernel, Leverages hardware-assisted virtualization, Open source and free, and it shines with pros like Good performance, Leverages hardware virtualization, Integrated into Linux, Active development community, Free and open source.

Feature	VMware vSphere Hypervisor	KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	System & Hardware	System & Hardware

Product Overview

VMware vSphere Hypervisor

Description: VMware vSphere Hypervisor is a free bare-metal hypervisor that virtualizes servers to enable the running of multiple operating systems on a single physical server. It provides a simple, reliable and secure foundation for business-critical applications.

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

Description: KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is an open-source virtualization technology that allows you to create and run virtual machines (VMs) on Linux. It makes use of hardware virtualization capabilities of modern CPUs for efficient virtualization.

Key Features Comparison

VMware vSphere Hypervisor Features

• Bare-metal hypervisor architecture
• Supports 64-bit guest operating systems
• Built-in VMware Tools
• Distributed Resource Scheduler
• High Availability
• vMotion
• Storage vMotion
• Fault Tolerance

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) Features

• Kernel-level virtualization
• Supports live migration of VMs between hosts
• Built into Linux kernel
• Leverages hardware-assisted virtualization
• Open source and free

Pros & Cons Analysis

VMware vSphere Hypervisor

Pros

• Free and open-source
• Easy to install and configure
• Good performance
• Wide ecosystem support
• Centralized management
• Live migration of VMs
• High availability features

Cons

• Limited features compared to paid ESXi
• No official support services
• Less scalability than paid versions
• Limited to 8 vCPUs per VM

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

Pros

• Good performance
• Leverages hardware virtualization
• Integrated into Linux
• Active development community
• Free and open source

Cons

• Linux-only
• Less features than proprietary solutions
• Steeper learning curve than alternatives
• No centralized management

Pricing Comparison

VMware vSphere Hypervisor

• Free

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

• Open Source
• Free