libvirt

Libvirt is an open-source virtualization management framework that provides a unified interface to manage platform virtualization technologies. It uses a stable, XML-based domain model to describe virtual machines, storage pools, networks, and other resources, and exposes a programmatic API for common management tasks.

Architecturally, libvirt comprises a user-space library (libvirt) and the libvirtd daemon that runs on hosts. It offers language bindings for C, Python, Java, Perl, Ruby and others, and is accessible through command-line tools such as virsh as well as through graphical interfaces like virt-manager. The library coordinates multiple hypervisors via backend drivers, enabling a single control plane across different virtualization technologies.

Libvirt supports multiple hypervisors, including QEMU/KVM, Xen, and LXC, with additional backends available through drivers. It provides features such as storage pools, networks, snapshots, and live migration support, depending on the underlying hypervisor capabilities. The daemon can manage local or remote hosts and expose a consistent API for VM lifecycle management.

Management and deployment use cases include local desktop virtualization, data-center hosting, and cloud platforms. Libvirt can be accessed remotely over TLS or SSH, enabling centralized VM management across hosts. It is widely integrated with orchestration and cloud projects such as OpenStack and oVirt, as well as with virt-manager and other tools.

The project is free and open-source software, maintained by a community of developers and sponsors, with development hosted on libvirt.org and distributed under the LGPL and related licenses.