Bridging VMs and Containers on Kubernetes

As the cloud native landscape continues to evolve, a key question is emerging: can Kubernetes serve as a unified platform for both virtual machines (VMs) and containers? This move reflects broader industry trends towards consolidation and efficiency, but it’s not without its challenges. At the heart of this discussion is the ability to manage diverse workloads on a single platform, streamlining operations and reducing costs.

The idea of running VMs and containers on the same platform is enticing, but it requires a fundamental shift in skills, expectations, and migration strategies. VM operators, accustomed to working with VMware, Hyper-V, or Nutanix, must adapt to Kubernetes’ ephemeral pods, policy-driven networking, and abstracted storage. This skills gap is being addressed by open source projects like KubeVirt, which extends Kubernetes to manage VMs in a familiar way, and Red Hat’s OpenShift Virtualization, which provides a standalone license for hosting VMs on Kubernetes.

However, the convergence of VMs and containers on Kubernetes also introduces new expectations for the platform itself. Containers are designed to be stateless and transient, while VMs are often stateful and long-lived. Reconciling these models demands flexibility in scheduling, storage handling, and life cycle management. Networking, in particular, poses a significant challenge, as VM workloads rely on static IPs, VLANs, and firewall constructs, whereas Kubernetes assumes a flat network with dynamic addressing and network policies.

To bridge this gap, projects like Cilium are introducing eBPF-powered networking models that provide microsegmentation, visibility, and security controls, making Kubernetes more appealing to VM operators. Meanwhile, vendors are innovating in the migration space, with tools like Red Hat’s Migration Toolkit for Virtualization (MTV) and the Isovalent Network Bridge, which simplify the process of moving VMs into Kubernetes environments.

The outcome of this convergence will have significant implications for enterprise IT, as it will determine whether Kubernetes remains a container platform or evolves into a universal foundation for enterprise computing. As the industry continues to discuss this topic, with events like KubeCon North America 2025 on the horizon, it’s clear that the challenges of uniting VMs and containers on a single platform are not insurmountable, but rather an opportunity for growth, innovation, and consolidation.

Source: https://thenewstack.io/the-challenges-of-uniting-vms-and-containers-on-a-single-platform