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libvirt vs LXD: catalog facts
libvirt	LXD
Free Free and released under open source licenses.	Free Free and open source, maintained by Canonical.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Linux, Web, Self-hosted, Command line
One management layer for many hypervisors Documented XML formats for domains, networks and storage	Runs system containers and KVM virtual machines side by side Low overhead for full Linux environments in containers
Mainly an API and daemon; a graphical manager is a separate program XML configuration takes time to learn	Linux hosts only Canonical-led project, most at home on Ubuntu
Downloadable app	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License not stated	License: AGPL-3.0
No account needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.