Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure (AZ-800) Practice

Which of the following distinguishes containers from virtual machines?

1. Containers take longer to start than VMs

2. More containers can run on the same host than VMs

3. Containers consume more resources than VMs

4. Containers are more secure than VMs

The correct answer is: More containers can run on the same host than VMs

Containers are distinct from virtual machines primarily due to their lightweight nature and efficient resource utilization. Unlike virtual machines, which require a complete operating system environment for each instance because they virtualize an entire hardware stack, containers share the host operating system’s kernel and run in isolated user space. This sharing of the host OS significantly reduces the overhead associated with containers, allowing many more containers to operate concurrently on the same host compared to virtual machines. This aspect of resource management means that containers can indeed run more efficiently, leading to a situation where a single physical or virtual server can support a greater number of containers rather than virtual machines. The lightweight nature of containers contributes not only to launch speed but also to overall performance and scalability in cloud and on-premises environments. In regards to the other statements, containers do not take longer to start than VMs; in fact, they generally start up much faster because they do not need to boot an entire OS. Furthermore, containers are designed to be resource-efficient and usually consume fewer resources than their VM counterparts since they do not require the overhead of a full OS for each instance. As for security, while containers can be secured and managed effectively, the assumption that they are more secure than VMs can be conditional based on implementation and management