LXD
London, United Kingdom
What it is
LXD is an open-source platform for managing Linux system containers and virtual machines. It combines LXC-based containers with KVM-based virtual machines, and supports images for many Linux distributions and Windows virtual machines. Management options include a command line, REST API, web UI, and third-party tools. The same HTTP API supports local and remote access; an official web UI is included by default starting with LXD 5.21.0 LTS. Features include resource limits, scheduled and expiring snapshots, projects, hardware passthrough, live migration, and advanced networking. Containers run unprivileged by default, while virtual machines support UEFI Secure Boot and vTPM. LXD can run on a laptop or scale to data-center clusters; its documentation describes clusters of up to 50 servers with thousands of instances. The open-source plan is free. Ubuntu Pro Personal is free for up to 5 physical Ubuntu systems, while enterprise workstation and server plans are $25 a year and $500 a year, respectively. Canonical offers commercial support through Ubuntu Pro.
For and against
For
- Combines LXC containers and KVM virtual machines.
- Supports images for Linux distributions and Windows virtual machines.
- Provides snapshots, live migration, and hardware passthrough.
- Runs unprivileged containers by default.
- Open-source plan is free.
Against
- Supported host OS is Linux.
- Desktop GUI is listed as unavailable.
- Windows containers are not supported.
- Enterprise workstation plan costs $25 a year.
The verdict
LXD brings system containers and virtual machines under one management platform, with local and remote interfaces and features for scaling deployments. Linux hosting is a firm requirement, and commercial support is offered through separate Ubuntu Pro plans.
Who it suits
LXD suits teams and individuals managing containers or virtual machines on Linux, from laptop workloads to clustered data-center deployments. Its CLI, API, web UI, and integrations support different management workflows.
Plans and prices
LXD open source
KVM-based virtual machines · system containers · self-hosted deployment
Read 30 Sep 2026 · canonical.com
Ubuntu Pro Personal
Up to 5 physical Ubuntu systems · unlimited VMs or containers
Read 30 Sep 2026 · canonical.com
Ubuntu Pro Enterprise workstation
Security and compliance subscription · optional support
Read 30 Sep 2026 · canonical.com
Ubuntu Pro Enterprise server
Security and compliance subscription · optional support
Read 30 Sep 2026 · canonical.com
On the record
- Cluster limit
- LXD documentation describes clusters of up to 50 servers with thousands of instances.canonical.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Commercial support
- Canonical makes commercial LXD support available through Ubuntu Pro.canonical.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Community support
- LXD provides documentation, a discussion forum, tutorials, and GitHub-based contribution channels.canonical.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Image support
- LXD supports images for many Linux distributions and Windows virtual machines.canonical.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Integrations
- LXD integrations are available for Juju, MAAS, Ansible, Terraform, Puppet Bolt, and Packer.canonical.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Key features
- Key features include resource limits, scheduled and expiring snapshots, projects, hardware passthrough, live migration, and advanced networking.canonical.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Management interfaces
- LXD can be managed through its CLI, REST API, web UI, and third-party tools.canonical.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Release support
- LXD LTS releases are created every two years and receive standard support for five years.canonical.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- REST API
- LXD uses a single RESTful API over HTTP for local and remote access.canonical.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Scaling
- LXD can scale from containers on a laptop to thousands of instances in a data center.canonical.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Security defaults
- LXD runs unprivileged containers by default and supports UEFI Secure Boot and vTPM for virtual machines.canonical.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Web UI
- An official LXD UI is available by default starting with LXD 5.21.0 LTS.canonical.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- What it does
- LXD is an open source solution for managing virtual machines and system containers.canonical.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Workload types
- LXD provides KVM-based virtual machines and system containers based on LXC in one platform.canonical.com · read 30 Sep 2026
