KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is an open-source virtualization technology that is integrated into the Linux kernel. KVM enables Ubuntu to function as a hypervisor, which allows multiple virtual machines (VMs) to run concurrently on a single physical machine.
KVM provides a secure and efficient environment for running multiple VMs on the same physical server, each with its own operating system and resources, including CPU, memory, disk, and network interfaces. KVM supports a wide range of guest operating systems, including various flavors of Linux, Windows, and other operating systems.
In Ubuntu, KVM is managed using the libvirt management library, which provides a high-level API for creating, configuring, and managing VMs. Libvirt also supports various virtualization tools, such as Virtual Machine Manager (virt-manager) and virsh command-line tool, which make it easy to create, configure, and manage VMs on Ubuntu.