What is the main purpose of a hypervisor?

The main purpose of a hypervisor is to manage virtual machines. It acts as an intermediary between the physical hardware of a computer and the virtual instances deployed on that hardware. Hypervisors allow multiple operating systems to run concurrently on a single physical machine by allocating resources such as CPU time, memory, and storage to each virtual machine. This enables efficient use of hardware and enhances scalability and flexibility in computing environments.

In contrast, while an operating system serves as the primary interface for users and applications to interact with computer hardware, the hypervisor specifically focuses on managing multiple virtual environments. Connecting to the internet is a function that operating systems handle rather than a hypervisor's responsibility. Storing data pertains to storage solutions and not directly to the roles of hypervisors. Therefore, the key function of a hypervisor in virtualization technology is its ability to manage and orchestrate virtual machines effectively.