12. Summary: The Blurring Lines
When I started, VMs and containers were completely different worlds. But now, technologies like Kata Containers (running containers as VMs), Firecracker (MicroVMs), and gVisor (sandbox containers) are blurring the lines.
The key insight: You can only pick 2 out of 3 — performance, security, or cost. That's why choosing the right technology for your situation matters.
- Fast and cheap but less secure → Regular containers
- Fast and secure but expensive → MicroVMs
- Secure and cheap but slower → VMs
I don't panic when I see my AWS bill anymore. I've learned to use the right technology for the right job.