What is Harvester?

Harvester is a free, open-source platform that lets you run virtual machines (VMs) and containers together on the same physical servers. It’s built to be simple to install and manage, turning ordinary hardware into a private cloud.

Let's break it down

  • Free, open-source: No cost to use, and the code is publicly available for anyone to see or modify.
  • Platform: A software layer that sits on top of your hardware and provides tools to create and control VMs and containers.
  • Virtual machines (VMs): Software computers that act like real computers, each with its own operating system.
  • Containers: Lightweight packages that run applications quickly and consistently.
  • Private cloud: A cloud-like environment that you run inside your own data center or office, not on a public service like AWS.
  • Simple to install and manage: Comes with a web UI and automation tools so you don’t need deep expertise to get it running.

Why does it matter?

Harvester lets small businesses, labs, or developers get many of the benefits of big public clouds-like flexibility and scalability-without paying for external services or dealing with complex setups. It gives you control over your data and costs while still being easy to use.

Where is it used?

  • A startup’s office server farm, providing VMs for developers and containers for testing micro-services.
  • A university research lab that needs to spin up isolated VMs for different projects while sharing the same hardware.
  • An IT department consolidating old physical servers into a single, manageable private cloud.
  • A remote branch office that wants to run local workloads without relying on a distant public cloud.

Good things about it

  • No licensing fees - completely free to use.
  • Combines VMs and containers in one place, reducing the need for separate systems.
  • Web-based dashboard makes everyday tasks easy for beginners.
  • Works on standard x86 hardware, so you can reuse existing servers.
  • Strong community and backing from Rancher/SUSE, providing regular updates and support.

Not-so-good things

  • Still maturing; some advanced features may be missing compared to established commercial hypervisors.
  • Requires a baseline level of hardware (CPU, RAM, storage) to run both VMs and containers efficiently.
  • Limited official integrations with some niche enterprise tools, which may need custom scripting.
  • Community support can vary in response time, especially for very specific issues.