I still remember the first time I set up a virtual machine (VM) – it felt like magic. I could run multiple operating systems on my computer without messing with dual-boot setups. It was the ultimate tech flex.
But here’s the thing – fast forward to today, and VMs are fading. Fewer companies use them, developers prefer containers, and cloud providers aren’t pushing them as hard. I started wondering, why are VMs slowly becoming obsolete? Why do people don’t use virtual machines anymore? After digging into it (and reflecting on my own experience), I found the answers.
Virtual Machines Are Slower and More Demanding Than Ever
I won’t lie – VMs feel like an old-school way of doing things. Running one on my laptop back in the day turned my system into a mini space heater. The fans would roar, my CPU would struggle, and opening too many VMs meant everything slowed to a crawl.
Here’s why:
Every VM runs a full operating system, which eats up CPU, memory, and storage. Boot times are painfully slow – minutes instead of seconds. Multiple VMs quickly push hardware to its limits, making it feel outdated.
I can’t count the number of times I waited for a VM to boot while questioning my life choices. That’s when I realized – there had to be a better way.
Containers Took Over Because They Just Work Better
Enter Docker and Kubernetes – the game changers.
Containers solved everything that made VMs annoying. They boot up in seconds, they don’t require a separate OS, and they run lightweight workloads without hogging system resources.
Here’s why big companies like Netflix, Spotify, and Google rely on containers instead of VMs:
Containers are faster. A VM can take minutes to start, while a container fires up in seconds. They share the host OS. No need for a bulky operating system per instance. They scale easily. Containers are built for microservices and cloud-native applications.
I first tried Docker out of curiosity, and within a day, I knew – this was the future.
Cloud Computing Changed the Game
A decade ago, if you needed infrastructure, you set up your own VMs. Today? You just spin up a cloud instance or go serverless.
Think about this:
- AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Run let you run applications without even thinking about VMs.
- Managed Kubernetes (EKS, AKS, GKE) lets you deploy at scale without touching a single virtual machine.
- Cloud-native apps scale automatically, so companies don’t need to worry about managing VMs manually.
At this point, it’s like asking – why maintain VMs when the cloud can do it for you?
VMs Are a Pain to Maintain
If you’ve ever managed VMs in production, you know they require constant babysitting. Security patches and OS updates take time. If one VM gets compromised, the entire system is at risk. Scaling VMs manually is a nightmare compared to cloud-based solutions.
With containers, security is simpler. Updating an app doesn’t mean updating an entire OS. And if something goes wrong? You just redeploy a container instead of troubleshooting a full virtual machine.
Back when I relied on VMs, I’d spend hours fixing issues. Now? With containers, updates and deployments are quick, seamless, and stress-free.
Modern Apps Need Speed – VMs Just Can’t Keep Up
VMs are too bulky for today’s tech.
If you’re building real-time applications, microservices, or anything for edge computing, you need something lightweight and fast. VMs just don’t fit the bill anymore.
For example:
Autonomous cars and IoT devices rely on edge computing. A VM would be way too slow for real-time processing. Microservices architectures are designed for containers, not heavyweight virtual machines. AI workloads run better on cloud-native solutions rather than traditional VMs.
A few years ago, I wouldn’t have believed how fast this shift would happen. But today, the writing’s on the wall – VMs just don’t cut it anymore.
Are Virtual Machines Dead? Not Yet, But…
I won’t say VMs are completely dead. Some industries still rely on them – especially for legacy applications and high-security environments where full OS isolation is needed.
But if you’re still using VMs just because you always have, maybe it’s time to rethink.
Tech moves fast. Sticking to old habits can slow you down. I learned this the hard way. Maybe it’s time to ask yourself: are you holding onto VMs out of habit, or is there a better way to do things?