Virtualization versus containerization

In this section, we are going to explain what virtualization and containerization are and what the major differences between them are.

Virtualization

Virtualization is a technique of running a complete simulated computer within another computer. Complete means that it mirrors everything a physical computer would have: motherboard, BIOS, processor, hard drives, USB ports, and so on. Simulated means that it is entirely a product of software. This computer does not exist physically, thus it is called virtual. To exist, the virtual machine (VM), as simulated computers are often called, needs a real, physical one to emulate it. The physical machine is called a host or hypervisor.

So, I have a physical computer. It is powerful. Why would I want to run a VM in it? For obvious reasons, the VM will be less powerful than the host: after all, the host requires RAM, CPU, and hard drive space for itself. There is also some small drop in performance...