LXC vs OpenVZ: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will discuss the key differences between LXC and OpenVZ, two popular containerization technologies used in virtualization.

1. Containerization Technology: LXC (Linux Containers) is a lightweight virtualization method that utilizes the Linux kernel's cgroups and namespaces to create isolated containers. OpenVZ, on the other hand, is a containerization solution that uses a modified version of the Linux kernel to provide virtualization.

2. Kernel Requirement: LXC requires a host system to be running a Linux kernel with specific features enabled, such as cgroups and namespaces. In contrast, OpenVZ requires the host system to run a custom Linux kernel that has been modified to support containerization.

3. Ease of Installation: LXC is relatively easier to install and set up compared to OpenVZ. LXC is available in the mainline Linux kernel, making it easily accessible without the need for additional kernel modules. OpenVZ, however, requires a specific kernel version and additional packages to be installed.

4. User Isolation: LXC provides better user isolation compared to OpenVZ. With LXC, each container has its own individual user namespace, allowing for better security and isolation of user processes. OpenVZ, on the other hand, shares the user namespace among all containers, leading to potential security risks.

5. Operating System Compatibility: LXC supports a wider range of Linux distributions as both the host and guest operating systems. This flexibility allows for greater compatibility with different Linux distributions. OpenVZ, on the other hand, is limited to specific kernel versions and supports a narrower set of Linux distributions.

6. Resource Management: LXC provides more fine-grained control over resource management compared to OpenVZ. LXC supports the use of cgroups to allocate and limit resources such as CPU, memory, and disk space for each container individually. OpenVZ has more limited control over resource allocation and may have less granularity in managing resources.

In summary, LXC and OpenVZ differ in their containerization technology, kernel requirement, ease of installation, user isolation, operating system compatibility, and resource management capabilities.