Difference between clone and template in VMware VSphere
| Clone | Template |
|---|---|
| Clone is a copy of the virtual machine. | A template is a main copy of a virtual machine; many clone made by this template. |
| You cannot change back the cloned Virtual Machine. |
Template can be change back to the virtual machine. |
| A clone of a virtual machine can be made when the virtual machine is powered on. |
Template cannot be powered on. |
| A full clone is independent from parent virtual machines and does not share anything with virtual machines. |
When you clone a virtual machine by the template, the resulting cloned virtual machine is free of the original virtual machine. |
