​A Lightweight Virtual Machine (LVM) is a streamlined virtualization technology designed to execute applications or workloads with minimal resource overhead compared to traditional virtual machines (VMs). Unlike full-fledged VMs that emulate entire operating systems, LVMs focus on efficiency, speed, and low memory consumption, making them ideal for cloud computing, edge computing, and containerized environments.

Key Features
Minimal Resource Usage: LVMs are optimized to use less CPU, memory, and storage, enabling faster startup times and efficient scaling.​
Rapid Boot Times: They can initialize in milliseconds, making them suitable for applications requiring quick deployment.​
Security and Isolation: Despite their lightweight nature, LVMs provide strong isolation between workloads, ensuring security in multi-tenant environments.

Common Use Cases
Serverless Computing: Platforms like AWS Lambda utilize lightweight virtualization to efficiently run functions on demand.​
Edge Computing: Deploying applications on devices with limited resources benefits from the minimal footprint of LVMs.​
Microservices Architecture: LVMs support the deployment of individual services in isolated environments, enhancing modularity and scalability.