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Hypervisors: Type 1 vs. Type 2

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What is a Hypervisor?

A Hypervisor (or Virtual Machine Monitor - VMM) is software that creates and runs virtual machines (VMs). It sits between the hardware and the virtual machines, allocating resources like CPU, RAM, and storage.

Type 1: Bare-Metal

  • Installs directly on hardware. There is no underlying operating system (like Windows or Linux) required to boot first.
  • Performance: Higher, because there is less overhead.
  • Examples: VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V (Server), Xen.

Type 2: Hosted

  • Installs as an application on top of an existing OS (Host OS).
  • Convenience: Easier to set up for personal use or testing.
  • Examples: VMware Workstation, Oracle VirtualBox.