Virtualization involves creating a virtual version of operating systems and hardware resources such as CPU, memory, storage, and network interface. It allows multiple operating systems to run on a single physical machine by dividing hardware resources among them. Each operating system runs in its own separate environment with its own kernel.
Containerization, on the other hand, involves packaging software code and its dependencies into a container that can run on any machine with the same container runtime. It allows multiple applications to run on a single operating system by isolating each application in its own container. Each container shares the same operating system kernel and resources such as CPU, memory, storage, and network interface.
The key difference between virtualization and containerization lies in their level of abstraction. Virtualization involves creating a complete virtual environment, including an operating system, while containerization only encapsulates the application and its dependencies. This makes containerization more lightweight and efficient than virtualization, as it requires fewer resources and can be scaled up or down easily. However, containerization offers less isolation than virtualization, as containers share the same operating system kernel.
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