libvirt 11.0 Released For Open-Source Virtualization API

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  • phoronix
    Administrator
    • Jan 2007
    • 67385

    libvirt 11.0 Released For Open-Source Virtualization API

    Phoronix: libvirt 11.0 Released For Open-Source Virtualization API

    Libvirt 11.0 was christened today as the newest version of this open-source Virtualization API for managing VMs on Linux and other platforms while supporting KVM, QEMU, Xen, VMware ESX, LXC, Bhyve, and other hypervisors...

    Phoronix, Linux Hardware Reviews, Linux hardware benchmarks, Linux server benchmarks, Linux benchmarking, Desktop Linux, Linux performance, Open Source graphics, Linux How To, Ubuntu benchmarks, Ubuntu hardware, Phoronix Test Suite
  • mirmirmir
    Senior Member
    • Jan 2021
    • 586

    #2
    I wonder if it's necessary for game emulation like switch games, or it's just limited to emulating the same architecture as the host.

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    • Britoid
      Senior Member
      • Jul 2013
      • 2173

      #3
      Originally posted by mirmirmir View Post
      I wonder if it's necessary for game emulation like switch games, or it's just limited to emulating the same architecture as the host.
      It's a frontend for Qemu, so theoretically it can emulate whatever Qemu can emulate. Emulators usually have to add a lot more than just emulating hardware.

      Comment

      • ehansin
        Senior Member
        • Oct 2016
        • 699

        #4
        I am aware of libvirt but never really dug in to understand its place. Is it an abstraction layer above all the underlying supported virtualization engines/frameworks? Would the advantage be a consistent interface to all of these? Any other reasons for it? Looking to learn more.

        ** I did find this on the FAQ entry from their wiki:

        "What is libvirt?

        Libvirt is collection of software that provides a convenient way to manage virtual machines and other virtualization functionality, such as storage and network interface management. These software pieces include an API library, a daemon (libvirtd), and a command line utility (virsh).

        An primary goal of libvirt is to provide a single way to manage multiple different virtualization providers/hypervisors. For example, the command 'virsh list --all' can be used to list the existing virtual machines for any supported hypervisor (KVM, Xen, VMWare ESX, etc.) No need to learn the hypervisor specific tools!"

        Does help make sense and a lot more in the FAQ for me to read.

        libvirt, virtualization, virtualization API


        Last edited by ehansin; 15 January 2025, 05:13 PM. Reason: Added what I found in the libvirt FAQ.

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        • Danny3
          Senior Member
          • Apr 2012
          • 2414

          #5
          Is it now anywhere near the intuitivity and ease of use of VirtualBox?

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          • zexelon
            Senior Member
            • May 2019
            • 763

            #6
            Originally posted by Danny3 View Post
            Is it now anywhere near the intuitivity and ease of use of VirtualBox?
            Probably not unfortunately, but it offers more then Vbox at a lower level. Vbox is really a desktop product whereas libvirt is more of a niche cloud/hyperscaler vm manager. They both have their place and I do use libvirt (virt manager) on my desktop these days, but thats just because its what I use in my day job anyway.

            Really loved Vbox back in the day for the desktop!

            Comment

            • elvis
              Phoronix Member
              • Jun 2007
              • 73

              #7
              Originally posted by Danny3 View Post
              Is it now anywhere near the intuitivity and ease of use of VirtualBox?
              Libvirt is the "glue" between things like KVM/Xen/QEMU, and higher level management tools.

              "virsh" is a command-line tool that can interact with it. But also, products like ProxMox manage virtualisation through libvirt calls.

              For simple desktop use, try something like virt-manager:


              Sadly it lags behind libvirt features a bit. But if you're just looking for something to easily create, start and stop VMs on a desktop, it's not too bad.

              Comment

              • aviallon
                Senior Member
                • Dec 2022
                • 294

                #8
                Originally posted by elvis View Post
                But also, products like ProxMox manage virtualisation through libvirt calls.
                Actually, and quite surprisingly, Proxmox does it own thing and directly uses qemu+KVM.

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