A virtual machine (VM) is a digital version of a physical computer that can perform almost all of the same functions as a computer, including running applications and operating systems. Virtual machines are based on computer architectures and provide the functionality of a physical computer. They are created by abstracting resources from a physical machine using software called a hypervisor, which separates the machine’s resources from the hardware and provisions them appropriately so they can be used by the VM. The hypervisor abstracts the physical machine’s resources into a pool that can be provisioned and distributed as needed, enabling multiple VMs to run on a single physical machine.

Virtual machines are used for many purposes, including:

• Cloud computing: VMs have been the fundamental unit of compute in cloud computing for over 10 years, enabling dozens of different types of applications and workloads to run and scale successfully.

• Testing and development: VMs are a good option for testing new applications or setting up a development environment because they provide an environment that is isolated from the rest of a system, so whatever is running inside a VM won’t interfere with anything else running on the host hardware.

• Running multiple operating systems: VMs allow multiple different operating systems to run simultaneously on a single computer, each running in the same way an operating system or application normally would on the host hardware.

• Running legacy applications: VMs may be deployed to accommodate different levels of processing power needs, to run software that requires a different operating system, or to test applications in a safe, sandboxed environment.

Overall, virtual machines are easy to manage and maintain, and they offer several advantages over physical machines, including flexibility, cost efficiency, and the ability to run multiple operating systems on a single computer.