# Consumer perspective: openvz vs KVM



## datarealm (Nov 3, 2013)

The openvz vs kvm debate recurs over and over...  (full disclosure, my preference is Xen).

At this point, there seems to be very little differentiation between the two in pricing.  So as a consumer, I cannot understand why if price is out of the equation that you would consider choosing openvz over kvm.

As a consumer I would think:

1. its more difficult to oversell kvm

2. if kvm IS oversold, its easier to identify and call out the hosting company on it

So again, price aside, can anyone come up with reasons why you would still choose openvz for a server?

Thanks!


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## blergh (Nov 3, 2013)

OVZ is slightly faster than KVM, and if there's no real need for full-virt and you need speed, well. The difference is marginal tho.


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## MannDude (Nov 3, 2013)

I love these threads, lots of folks search Google for the very same question, "KVM vs OpenVZ" (etc) and vpsBoard has great ranking for these.

Erhm, anyhow...

In short, it depends on what I'm doing. For just a quick deployment for something that isn't super duper mission critical I don't mind OpenVZ. For the end-user, OpenVZ means a fast and easy setup with great templates to choose from. I can reinstall an entire OpeVZ VPS in what... just a few short minutes... Even though SolusVM warns it could take up to 10, I have never witnessed this long of a wait.

KVM I use for everything else. Not as quick/simple to setup but not that difficult either. I'll admit that my first KVM VPS... I was a little lost. I was used to utilizing OpenVZ for years so had grown use to the simplicity of setup. But now it's my preferred choice when seeking a new server.


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## drmike (Nov 3, 2013)

Well, from my experience of many years as an end consumer....

OpenVZ can and will work, but is often abused by idiot hosts maximizing their own wealth collection.

KVM for whatever reason still attracts more technically versed providers.  These providers tend to be usually better for a bunch of reasons.

Can KVM be exploited for oversale?  Probably.  Has it been done already? Probably.

KVM still tends to cost more.   I don't see 128MB KVM annuals, yet.  Please post them if you do 

OpenVZ with Solus in the mix is idiot quick and simple end user deployment.

KVM tends to require "manual" OS install and use of  dreaded things like VNC.

I still buy mostly OpenVZ (sadly).  Ideally in the new year that changes as providers move to differentiate moreso and offer KVM more widely.  Heck, I'd consider anything not OpenVZ


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## concerto49 (Nov 3, 2013)

There's more overhead with kvm. It uses more memory (kernel is not shared). It is harder, e.g. when things break and you have real devices etc to deal with.


On the otherhand kvm isolates resources better.


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## NickM (Nov 3, 2013)

As a customer, I usually choose OpenVZ unless I have a compelling reason to use KVM (such as needing a custom kernel or kernel modules, or wanting to run something other than Linux).


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## datarealm (Nov 3, 2013)

drmike said:


> KVM still tends to cost more.   I don't see 128MB KVM annuals, yet.  Please post them if you do


What price point are you looking for?

I don't have anything to offer...  Just exploring...


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## datarealm (Nov 3, 2013)

NickM said:


> As a customer, I usually choose OpenVZ unless I have a compelling reason to use KVM (such as needing a custom kernel or kernel modules, or wanting to run something other than Linux).


So why do you usually choose OpenVZ?    It is simply that its usually cheaper or is there some feature/function that draws you to it?


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## nunim (Nov 3, 2013)

OpenVZ is usually faster and works for 99% of cases, it's also generally cheaper because the hosts can oversell to a higher degree without having negative effects on server performance. I like KVM when I'm developing something, or if it's something I want total control over as a KVM VPS can be treated as a cheap dedicated server.  If I just need a VPS to one run function, i.e. webserver, dns etc.. There is no problem with OpenVZ as long as the host is good and manages their servers well.

 I generally don't mind if the host is overselling disk and ram as long there is always enough for those who do want to use their full allocation. I have several RamNode 128's with 50GB of disk each, I know that they're oversold on HDD but I have never had a problem using my entire 50GB allotment.  The real victory that KVM has is that you can install any OS you'd like, and don't have to use provider templates, which are often broken. I hate hosts who have broken templates, I mean isn't this something you should test before you make it available to paying customers?

I can't tell you how many times I've loaded up a Debian template only for it to be missing "dialog" or locales not configured correctly, this might not make it unusable but I hate seeing errors with a brand new install.


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## budi1413 (Nov 3, 2013)

drmike said:


> KVM still tends to cost more.   I don't see 128MB KVM annuals, yet.  Please post them if you do


http://lowendtalk.com/discussion/15940/maximum-vps-64mb-kvm-monthly-special-starting-at-1-37-m-ipv6-1-gbps-la

http://vpsboard.com/topic/2415-kvm-servers-from-10year-annualkvm-from-shardhost/


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## drmike (Nov 3, 2013)

budi1413 said:


> http://lowendtalk.com/discussion/15940/maximum-vps-64mb-kvm-monthly-special-starting-at-1-37-m-ipv6-1-gbps-la
> 
> http://vpsboard.com/topic/2415-kvm-servers-from-10year-annualkvm-from-shardhost/


Close, but no cigar 

Maximum does have a tiny 64MB plan... bandwdith is lower than I touch.

ShardHost didn't have a 128MB annual in there and they are on CC's network


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## DomainBop (Nov 3, 2013)

> KVM still tends to cost more.   I don't see 128MB KVM annuals, yet.  Please post them if you do


128 MB annual KVM for $15.50 and its not on CC's network unless CC bought Nforce while I was typing


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## johnlth93 (Nov 3, 2013)

I always said as openvz can done the job just right, i always choose openvz back then.

But awhile ago i started to using certain iptables rules that aren't usually available in openvz. So i am not starting to grab for kvm/dedicated instead of openvz anymore


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## Aldryic C'boas (Nov 3, 2013)

For me, trust takes precedence over convenience.  There are very few providers I trusted enough to use OpenVZ with (pretty much just KuJoe and BigTim). 

I still end up going with KVM in most cases, though.  I've never been a big fan of templates, prebuilds, etc... the "If it's worth doing" mentality is just too strong, I suppose.


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## MannDude (Nov 3, 2013)

Aldryic C said:


> I've never been a big fan of templates, prebuilds, etc... the "If it's worth doing" mentality is just too strong, I suppose.


As Joe Dirt once said about fireworks.... It's not what you want, it's the consumer... 





Spoiler



Joe Dirt: So you're gonna tell me that you don't have no black cats, no Roman Candles, or screaming mimis?

Kicking Wing: No.

Joe Dirt: Oh come on, man. You got no lady fingers, fuzz buttles, snicker bombs, church burners, finger blasters, gut busters, zippity do das, or crap flappers?

Kicking Wing: No, I don't.

Joe Dirt: You're gonna stand there, ownin' a fireworks stand, and tell me you don't have no whistlin' bungholes, no spleen splitters, whisker biscuits, honkey lighters, hoosker doos, hoosker don'ts, cherry bombs, nipsy daisers, with or without the scooter stick, or one single whistlin' kitty chaser?

Kicking Wing: No... because snakes and sparklers are the only ones I like.

Joe Dirt: Well that might be your problem, *it's not what you like, it's the consumer.*




I don't like using application stack templates really, but they do come handy in a pinch. I wanted to try Ghost out, but too lazy to install it. Five minutes waiting for my DigitalOcean droplet to be created and boom, Ghost.


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## NickM (Nov 3, 2013)

datarealm said:


> So why do you usually choose OpenVZ?    It is simply that its usually cheaper or is there some feature/function that draws you to it?


Primarily because there's no overhead due to virtualization (since it's not virtualization at all).  Price is definitely a factor, but KVM prices are certainly falling, so that's really not much of a concern these days, and with KVM templates, reinstalls are quick too.


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## peterw (Nov 4, 2013)

If you have a good openvz provider you do not need KVM.

If all modules are loaded and if the configuration is well balanced you will not miss anything in openvz. Masquerading not available? Use SNAT. Only thing not working are settings that are really global and would affect all containers. So it is quite clever that they are not available.

Same with kernels. I know openvz providers running their nodes on different kernels to offer a wide range of templates and os choices. So KVM is only a must for windows and freebsd users.

One minute reinstall is perfect for test environments. Try to reinstall you KVM machine 8 times in a row and tell me you like the key-press and wait times.

Don't know why openvz providers do not offer the snapshot features of openvz. Would be a killer feature for all develpers. Reinstall from template or last backup.

If I would need a KVM I would probably choose a dedicated server.


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## joepie91 (Nov 4, 2013)

drmike said:


> KVM still tends to cost more.   I don't see 128MB KVM annuals, yet.  Please post them if you do


http://tinykvm.com/

http://lowendbox.com/blog/iniz-yearly-deals-and-more-25year-1gb-vps-amsterdam-ny-and-la/



EDIT: As well as http://lowendbox.com/blog/catalysthost-28year-256mb-ssd-cached-kvm-in-dallas-texas/


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## tdc-adm (Nov 4, 2013)

Because KVM means not oversold in most cases. I don't want to put my websites in a oversold node. If I know that an OpenVZ provider can manage their nodes well then I will choose their services. But there are very few providers like that. These days, I mostly use KVM boxes.


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## Aldryic C'boas (Nov 4, 2013)

MannDude said:


> As Joe Dirt once said about fireworks.... It's not what you want, it's the consumer...



While very true - I was the consumer in my anecdote


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## bizzard (Nov 5, 2013)

Trust in the provider is something that matters with OpenVZ. I have few OVZ with BuyVM, RamNode and Hostigation. Even if they oversell, I am happy with the resource my VM's get. Most of mine are 512MB and a few 1GB's and I am not pushing the most of it as what I run there is just LAMP stack, for small companies.

Another advantage for OVZ is the custom upgrades like space and RAM. Not much KVM providers offer custom upgrades.

While running things with Java and Apache Solr, I am forced to have KVM as there are known problems with Java and the OVZ memory issues, similar is the case with the need for disk encryption for some security conscious customers.


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