Xen Project vs KVM: catalog facts
 Xen Project |  KVM |
|---|
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Free Free and open source, developed under the Linux Foundation. |
Free Part of the Linux kernel, free and open source under the GPL. |
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Self-hosted |
Linux |
- Type-1 hypervisor with strong isolation between guests
- Used in servers, embedded and safety-critical systems
|
- Part of the mainline kernel, so no third-party modules are needed
- Near-native CPU performance through hardware virtualization extensions
|
- Installed on bare metal, so setup is more involved than desktop VM apps
- Aimed at infrastructure builders rather than casual users
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- Provides no user interface of its own; you need QEMU, libvirt or a front end
- Requires virtualization extensions enabled in firmware
|
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Downloadable app |
Downloadable app |
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Open source |
Open source |
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License not stated |
License: GPL-2.0 |
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No account needed |
Not stated if an account is needed |
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Works offline |
Not stated if it works offline |
Checked September 23, 2026 | Checked September 22, 2026 |
Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.
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