Cloud Hypervisor vs KVM
Cloud Hypervisor
cloudhypervisor.orgKVM
linux-kvm.orgSide by side
| Figure | Cloud Hypervisor | KVM |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · Hypervisor Software | 8.6 (#3) | 8.6 (#4) |
| Spec score · Virtual machine software | 7.9 (#13) | 8.7 (#4) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Guest architecture | both | both |
| Guest operating systems | It supports modern Linux and Windows guests. | KVM can host many operating systems, with Linux, Windows and BSD guests commonly supported through the QEMU/KVM stack. |
| Host platforms | Linux | Linux |
| Integration | Kata Containers supports Cloud Hypervisor for running secure containerized workloads. | KVM userspace code is developed in the QEMU mainline repository, and KVM feature documentation references QEMU, libvirt, OpenStack and oVirt as upper layers. |
| Nested virtualization | Yes | Yes |
| VM snapshots | Yes | Yes |
| What it does | Cloud Hypervisor is an open-source Virtual Machine Monitor written in Rust for modern cloud workloads, with minimal hardware emulation. | KVM is an open-source Linux virtualization technology that lets Linux operate as a hypervisor for multiple isolated virtual machines. |
Plans
KVM
- KVM open-source softwareFree
- KVM open-source softwareFree
- KVM commercial supportPriced on request
In their own words
Cloud Hypervisor
Cloud Hypervisor is a free, open-source virtual machine monitor written in Rust for modern cloud workloads. It runs modern Linux and Windows guests on Linux hosts with x86-64 or AArch64 architectures, using minimal hardware emulation. Operators can manage VM lifecycles through a REST API or command-line interface, with an optional D-Bus API. It supports snapshots, nested virtualization, paravirtualized devices, physical device passthrough, and live migration between hosts without interrupting VMs. Migration data can be encrypted using mutual TLS. The maker says direct kernel boot reaches userspace in less than 100 ms. The project is supported by Kata Containers for running secure containerized workloads and is governed openly as part of the Linux Foundation. It has no commercial plan or usage limits stated. Linux hosts need kernel 4.11 or later for required KVM functionality; kernel 5.6 is recommended for adequate performance. Packages for some popular Linux distributions are available through the Open Build Service. For help, the project points users to GitHub discussions or Slack, with GitHub issues for bug reports and a mailing list for broader discussion.
KVM
KVM is an open-source virtualization solution for Linux hosts with Intel VT or AMD-V extensions. It runs multiple virtual machines using unmodified Linux or Windows images, each with virtualized hardware such as a network card, disk, and graphics adapter. The documented capabilities include live migration, nested guests, CPU and PCI hotplug, virtio devices, and device assignment; snapshots and GPU acceleration are also listed. KVM’s kernel component is part of mainline Linux, while its userspace component is part of mainline QEMU. Linux distributions commonly package the required modules and tools, and Windows guest drivers are available separately. Documented processor coverage includes Intel, AMD, ARM, PowerPC, and 64-bit S390 systems. KVM can be used with upper layers including QEMU, libvirt, OpenStack, and oVirt. It is available for Linux and self-hosted use, and the listed plan is free. The host must have Intel VT or AMD-V virtualization extensions.