Kubernetes

bare metal server vs virtual machine (VM) vs on-premises virtual machine

A bare metal server is a physical server that is dedicated to a single tenant. It provides users with total access to the hardware, allowing them to configure the processor, memory, and storage¹. In contrast, a virtual machine (VM) is a software-based emulation of a physical machine that runs on top of a hypervisor layer. The hypervisor creates a virtual environment that allows multiple VMs to run on the same physical server¹²⁴.

An on-premises virtual machine is a VM that runs on hardware located within an organization's premises. This type of VM is managed by the organization's IT department and provides users with complete control over the hardware and software environment³.

A cloud-based virtual machine is a VM that runs on hardware located in a cloud provider's data center. This type of VM is managed by the cloud provider and provides users with access to scalable computing resources on-demand¹⁴.

In summary, bare metal servers are single-tenant physical servers that provide users with total access to the hardware. Virtual machines, whether on-premises or cloud-based, are software-based emulations of physical machines that run on top of a hypervisor layer.