KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine)

KVM is a Linux kernel virtualization module that turns Linux into a hypervisor.

What is KVM?

KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a virtualization module in the Linux kernel that allows the kernel to function as a hypervisor, using QEMU for hardware emulation.

KVM ecosystem

libvirt (management API), QEMU (emulation), virt-manager (GUI), virsh (CLI).

Common misconceptions

"KVM is hard to manage" — Good tooling available
"KVM is not enterprise-ready" — Used in major clouds
"KVM only runs Linux" — Windows and other OS supported