LXC/LXD

LXC/LXD is Canonical’s system container platform that bridges the gap between traditional VMs and application containers, powering infrastructure for companies like Tesla, Deutsche Telekom, and CERN. Unlike Docker’s application containers, it runs complete Linux systems with init processes and multiple services.

What makes LXC/LXD unique is its approach to system-level containerization - full Linux distributions run with near-native performance while consuming fewer resources than traditional VMs. The LXD hypervisor adds enterprise features like clustering, live migration, and REST API management.

Infrastructure teams choose LXC/LXD when they need the isolation of VMs with container efficiency. From hosting multiple applications on single servers to modernizing legacy infrastructure, it provides the perfect balance of security, performance, and flexibility.

Key Features

• Complete System Containers - Run full Linux distributions with systemd, multiple services, and traditional init systems • LXD Management Hypervisor - REST API, web UI, and command-line tools for enterprise container management • Advanced Resource Controls - CPU, memory, network bandwidth, disk I/O, and process limits with cgroups • Enterprise Security Model - User namespaces, AppArmor/SELinux profiles, seccomp filters, and privilege separation • Snapshot & Live Migration - Point-in-time snapshots, incremental backups, and zero-downtime container migration • High-Availability Clustering - Distributed deployment with automatic failover and shared storage backends • Comprehensive Image Ecosystem - Pre-built images for all major Linux distributions with automatic updates • Network & Storage Flexibility - Bridge, macvlan, SR-IOV networking with ZFS, Btrfs, and LVM storage backends

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Near-native performance with significantly lower overhead than VMs • Excellent security isolation with user namespaces and profiles • Perfect for running traditional multi-service applications • Enterprise-grade features like clustering and live migration • Strong integration with Ubuntu and Canonical ecosystem

Cons

• Linux-only solution limiting cross-platform deployment • Steeper learning curve compared to Docker containers • Less ecosystem support than Kubernetes or Docker • Resource overhead higher than application containers • Limited container orchestration compared to Kubernetes

Get Started with LXC/LXD

Experience the power of system containers with VM-like isolation and container efficiency. Visit ubuntu.com/lxd to explore enterprise containerization solutions.