Incus: System Containers vs. Virtual Machines – A Deep Dive

Incus supports two instance types: system containers and virtual machines. System containers leverage Linux kernel features for isolation, are Linux-only, and consume fewer resources. Virtual machines use hardware virtualization for isolation, allowing different operating systems but consuming more resources. Application containers (like Docker) package single applications, while system containers simulate a full OS, suitable for multiple applications and creating separate user spaces. Choose system containers for better performance and smaller size if all functionality is compatible with the host kernel; otherwise, use virtual machines.