Question 1

What's the difference between a Virtual Machine and a container (like Docker)?

Accepted Answer

A virtual machine includes a full operating system (guest OS) running on virtual hardware, so it’s heavier but very isolated and flexible (you can run different OS types). A container shares the host OS kernel and packages only the app and its dependencies, so it starts faster and uses fewer resources, but it requires compatible OS kernels and typically provides a different isolation model.

Question 2

When should I use a Virtual Machine?

Accepted Answer

Use a VM when you need full control of the operating system, need to run software that requires a specific OS or kernel settings, want strong isolation between workloads, or are migrating an existing server-based application (“lift and shift”) to the cloud. VMs are also a good fit for legacy apps, commercial software with OS-level requirements, and situations where containers aren’t practical.

Question 3

How much does a Virtual Machine cost?

Accepted Answer

VM cost depends on CPU/RAM size, how long it runs, the pricing model (on-demand vs reserved/committed vs spot/preemptible), storage type and size (SSD/HDD), network egress (data leaving the cloud), and any added services (load balancers, backups, monitoring). In general, running larger VMs for more hours costs more; stopping a VM usually stops compute charges but storage may still be billed.

Virtual Machine

Definition

Real-World Example

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