What is clone and template in VMware? Differentiate between them.

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VMware CLONE: It is an identical copy of a VM (called parent VM (VIRTUAL Machine), since it is the one from which you made a clone). MAC addresses and UUIDs for both cloned and parent VM, however, will be different. Any CHANGES to the cloned VM will not impact the original VM or parent VM (and vice versa).
VMware template: It is a golden image or a master copy of Virtual Machine that is capable of creating and provisioning virtual machines. It can later be used to make many clones.

Clone	Template
An exact copy of an existing virtual machine that WORKS independently.	A master copy of a VM with basic configurations, although it cannot WORK independently.
You can turn it on/off.	You cannot turn on/off or edit a template.
It is not possible to convert a cloned VM back to a parent or original VM.	The template can be converted back to a Virtual Machine and updated with the latest configuration before being converted back to the template for use in future VM deployments.
They are ideal for test environments or disaster recovery environments.	For deployment of mass virtual machines in production environments, the template works well.
For large deployments of VMs, it is not recommended.	When deploying large numbers of VMs, it is recommended.
The VM that is powered on can be cloned.	A powered-on VM cannot be used to create a Template.

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