The Difference
VMs virtualize hardware. Containers virtualize the OS.
Use VMs When
- Need different OS kernels
- Strong isolation required
- Legacy applications
Use Containers When
- Microservices architecture
- Fast deployment needed
- Resource efficiency matters
- Identical dev/prod environments
Use Both
Run containers inside VMs for defense in depth.
My Setup
Proxmox VMs running Docker containers. Best of both worlds.
Stop overthinking it.
Clear explanation of the tradeoffs. We should consider containerizing our stack.
We're already using Docker. Have been for months.
Resource isolation better with VMs. Overhead acceptable.