When you compare VPS providers you'll see the term KVM a lot. It stands for Kernel-based Virtual Machine, and the type of virtualization your VPS uses has a real impact on performance and isolation.
What KVM does
KVM is a full (hardware-assisted) virtualization technology built into the Linux kernel. It lets a physical server run multiple virtual machines, each with its own kernel, as if they were separate physical computers. Your VPS gets genuinely dedicated, isolated resources.
Why that matters
- True isolation: each VPS runs its own kernel, so one customer's workload can't reach into or destabilise yours.
- Dedicated resources: the CPU and RAM allocated to your VPS are yours — no overselling the kernel between tenants.
- Run any OS and kernel modules: because you have your own kernel, you can load custom modules, run Docker cleanly, and install almost any Linux distro or Windows.
- Predictable performance: less "noisy neighbour" impact than container-based virtualization.
KVM vs container-based VPS (OpenVZ/LXC)
Container-based virtualization shares the host kernel between tenants. It can be efficient, but it offers weaker isolation, often allows overselling, and limits what kernel features you can use. For most workloads, KVM's stronger isolation and dedicated resources are worth it.
Every OneHost VPS runs on KVM virtualization with enterprise NVMe SSD storage, so you get real dedicated resources and dependable performance.