Which of the following statements is true regarding the resource requirements of containers compared to virtual machines (VMs)?

The assertion that containers are usually more lightweight than virtual machines is grounded in the fundamental architectural differences between the two technologies. Containers share the host operating system's kernel, which allows them to operate with minimal overhead, as they do not require a full guest operating system for each instance. This results in a significantly smaller resource footprint, allowing for faster start-up times and more efficient utilization of CPU and memory compared to virtual machines, which typically require a complete operating system instance for each VM.

As a result, multiple containers can run on a single host without consuming as many resources as would be needed to run the same number of virtual machines, making container deployment a more resource-efficient choice in many scenarios. This efficiency in resource usage is often one of the primary reasons organizations choose to implement containers over traditional virtualization methods.