What’s the difference between LXC and Xen?

9. April 2025 | Hypervisor, Linux Containers | Docker | LXC | runc

Good question! Here’s the main difference between LXC and Xen:

  • LXC (Linux Containers) uses operating system-level virtualization.

    • It shares the same Linux kernel between all containers.

    • Containers are isolated from each other, but they’re all running on the same OS.

    • Super lightweight, almost no overhead.

    • It’s more like having multiple isolated apps running side-by-side.

  • Xen is a hypervisor (a type 1 hypervisor to be exact).

    • It does hardware-level virtualization.

    • It can run completely separate operating systems (even different types, like Linux and Windows) on the same physical machine.

    • Each VM (Virtual Machine) has its own full OS and virtual hardware.

    • Heavier than LXC, but also stronger isolation and more flexibility.

In short:

  • LXC = isolate apps and services within one Linux OS (lightweight)

  • Xen = run full-blown virtual machines, each with its own OS (heavier but more flexible)