OpenVZ

What OpenVZ is

OpenVZ is free open-source software for Linux container virtualization. It runs multiple isolated containers on one physical server, with containers sharing CPU, memory, and storage dynamically. OpenVZ says containers perform like standalone servers with near-native performance. Isolation covers filesystems, processes, IPC, and sysctl variables, and different Linux distributions can run on the same host. The project consists of a kernel, user-level tools, and container templates, including vzctl, ploop, and vzquota. OpenVZ is licensed under the GNU GPL and lists a plan at no cost. It supports Linux hosts and does not support Windows containers. Live container snapshots are available, while integrated backup is not; backup integration works through snapshots. Integrations listed by the project include OpenVZ API for Ruby and LibVirt. Public mailing lists support users, developers, Debian questions, CRIU development, and announcements. The user guide targets people administering OpenVZ systems.