The software between the server and the app

Three layers of software sit between the physical server and the app.

3Containers and Kubernetes ↓Software that runs an app's parts in containers across many servers.Spectro CloudMirantis1Operating systems ↓Linux and other operating systems, sold as a subscription with support.Red HatCanonicalWind RiverAzul2Virtual machines ↓Software that splits one physical server into many virtual servers.NutanixBroadcom3Containers and Kubernetes ↓Software that runs an app's parts incontainers across many servers.Spectro CloudMirantis1Operating systems ↓Linux and other operating systems, sold asa subscription with support.Red HatCanonicalWind RiverAzul2Virtual machines ↓Software that splits one physical serverinto many virtual servers.NutanixBroadcom

Read from the bottom: box 3 splits the server into virtual machines, box 1 is the operating system in each one, and box 2 runs the app's parts on top. Tap a title in the diagram to jump to its companies.

1

Operating systems 4 companies

Linux is free, but companies pay for a version that is tested, supported and kept up to date for years. These companies sell that subscription, and some make operating systems for special machines.

Red Hat logoRed HatRed Hat proved that free software could be a business: the code stays free, and companies pay a subscription for support and updates. It hires more engineers in India than any other company on this page, most of them in Pune and Bengaluru.Pune · BengaluruHired recently
Canonical logoCanonicalCanonical publishes Ubuntu, the version of Linux that most developers and most cloud machines run. It sells support and certification for Ubuntu.
Wind River logoWind RiverWind River makes VxWorks, an operating system for machines that must respond within a fixed time, every time, such as the computers in aircraft, cars and factory robots.
Azul logoAzulAzul sells a supported, faster version of the Java virtual machine: the program that runs software written in Java, the language of much large-company software.
The tech, explainedEnterprise Linux subscriptionJava runtime (JDK) supportReal-time operating system (RTOS)↗ Embedded software
2

Virtual machines 2 companies

A hypervisor splits one physical server into many virtual machines, each of which behaves like a separate server. This is how one machine can run twenty different systems at once.

Nutanix logoNutanixNutanix joins ordinary servers into one system that provides both computing and storage, instead of a separate storage system. This is called hyperconverged infrastructure. It also sells a hypervisor of its own.
Broadcom logoBroadcomBroadcom is here because it has owned VMware, the best-known maker of virtual-machine software, since 2023.Hyderabad · BengaluruHiring nowSee alsoConnectivity and wireless chips
The tech, explainedHypervisor and virtualisationHyperconverged infrastructure (HCI)
3

Containers and Kubernetes 2 companies

Modern apps are split into small parts, each packed in a container with everything it needs. Kubernetes decides which server runs each container, and restarts a container when it fails.

Spectro Cloud logoSpectro CloudSpectro Cloud sells Palette, a platform for managing many Kubernetes clusters at once, in the cloud, in a company's own data centre or in small sites near users.Bengaluru
Mirantis logoMirantisMirantis made its name with OpenStack, free software for running a private cloud. In 2019 it bought Docker's business for companies, and it now sells its own versions of Kubernetes and Docker's tools.
The tech, explainedKubernetes platformPrivate cloud software
How it all worksInfrastructure softwareOperating system, hypervisor and Kubernetes under every app.
See how it works →

What's changing

Companies are looking for alternatives to VMware.

After Broadcom bought VMware in 2023, it changed how VMware is sold, and many customers found their costs rising sharply. Many are now testing alternatives: Nutanix, Red Hat's software that runs virtual machines alongside containers, and free, open-source hypervisors.

Read moreHypervisor and virtualisationKubernetes platform
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Companies: ingrid's company map. Hiring signals: postings feed of 5 Nov 2026.