Multipass

Multipass is a Canonical tool designed for creating and managing Ubuntu virtual machines. The solution is aimed at developers who need clean, isolated environments for testing or deployment. Multipass uses technologies such as KVM, Hyper-V, and VirtualBox for virtualization.

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• Quick instance creation. Multipass lets you spin up Ubuntu instances with a single command. Virtual machines start in seconds with a predefined configuration, including allocated resources and automatic network connectivity.
• cloud-init integration. The tool supports cloud-init for advanced customization during deployment. This includes user configuration, package installation, and running post-initialization scripts.
• Centralized management. All created instances can be listed, stopped, restarted, or deleted using dedicated commands. The state of each virtual machine is kept in an accessible registry.
• Interactive shell. Multipass provides direct access to the instances' terminal through a built-in subsystem. No additional configuration is required for SSH connections.
• Directory mounting. You can link folders from the host system to virtual machines. Shared directories allow file transfer without additional protocols.
• Resource configuration. Each instance can be customized with specific amounts of CPU, RAM, and disk space. Parameters are defined at creation or modified afterward.
• Virtual networking. Virtual machines receive automatic network connectivity, with options for advanced configurations. Multipass manages internal IP addresses and allows port exposure.
• Cross-platform compatibility. The tool works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It uses different hypervisors depending on the host operating system to optimize performance.
• Preconfigured images. Multipass provides access to official Ubuntu images, including LTS variants and daily builds. Images are downloaded and stored in a local cache.
• Automation via CLI. All functions are available through the command-line interface. Structured output allows integration with scripts and external tools.
• Basic snapshots. The tool offers functionality for saving and restoring instance states. Snapshots capture the exact configuration at a given point in time.
• Managed updates. Instances can receive security updates and packages directly from the official Ubuntu repositories. Multipass does not interfere with the internal package manager.

Multipass was developed by Canonical as part of its ecosystem of developer tools. The project started in 2018 with the goal of providing a lightweight alternative to complex virtualization solutions. The software is written primarily in C++, with components for hypervisor management. Integration with existing virtualization systems allows high performance without external dependencies. Multipass follows an active development cycle, with new versions released regularly.

Alternatives to Multipass:

For Multipass there is 1 alternative program. Free: 1, paid: 0.

Vagrant

Vagrant is a tool for creating and managing virtualized development environments.

Price: Free   Size: 273 MB   Version: 2.4.9   OS: Windows, Linux, MacOS