The Ideal Versus the Real: Revisiting the History of Virtual Machines and Containers
It addresses misconceptions about security and performance in virtual machines and containers for researchers and practitioners in cloud and container deployments, but is incremental as a historical review.
This survey tackles the common perception that virtual machines are more secure and containers more performant by reviewing their historical evolution from the 1950s to present, revealing a different story based on accurate details to counter modern misperceptions.
The common perception in both academic literature and the industry today is that virtual machines offer better security, while containers offer better performance. However, a detailed review of the history of these technologies and the current threats they face reveals a different story. This survey covers key developments in the evolution of virtual machines and containers from the 1950s to today, with an emphasis on countering modern misperceptions with accurate historical details and providing a solid foundation for ongoing research into the future of secure isolation for multitenant infrastructures, such as cloud and container deployments.