Virtualization

Noun · Development

Definitions

  1. Virtualization creates virtual versions of physical computing resources using a software layer called a hypervisor. The hypervisor (Type 1 like VMware ESXi or Type 2 like VirtualBox) partitions a physical machine into multiple isolated virtual machines (VMs), each running its own operating system. Hardware-assisted virtualization (Intel VT-x, AMD-V) allows guest OSes to run at near-native speed. Virtualization enables server consolidation (many workloads on fewer physical servers), environment isolation, snapshotting, and the foundation of cloud computing: AWS EC2, Azure VMs, and GCP Compute Engine all run on virtualized infrastructure. Containers have partially supplanted VMs for application deployment, but VMs remain essential for running multiple OS types on shared hardware.

    In plain English: Running multiple simulated computers on a single physical machine, so you can use one powerful server as if it were many separate ones.

    Example: "Virtualization let us consolidate 40 physical servers onto 3 beefy hosts, cutting our data center costs by 80%."

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