Back to Overview

Virtual Machine (VM)

virtualization infrastructure computing

What is a Virtual Machine?

A Virtual Machine (VM) is a computer that doesn’t exist physically.


Instead, it’s created with software and runs inside a real physical computer. The VM acts exactly like a real computer - it has its own operating system, applications, and files, but it’s completely separate from the physical computer hosting it.

Simple Analogy

Imagine playing a racing game that simulates driving a car. The car isn’t real, but it behaves like one within the game world. Similarly, a VM isn’t a physical computer, but it behaves like one within your real computer.


Just as you can have multiple game windows open at once, you can run multiple VMs on one physical computer. If the simulated car crashes in the game, your real car is fine. Similarly, if a VM gets a virus or crashes, your host computer remains safe.

Key Benefits

  • Isolation: VMs are completely separate from each other and the host system
  • Multiple Operating Systems: Run Windows, Linux, and macOS all at once on the same computer
  • Testing: Try new software without risking your main system
  • Legacy Applications: Run old software that doesn’t work on newer operating systems
  • Server Consolidation: Run multiple server workloads on one physical machine
  • Snapshots: Save the exact state of a VM and return to it later if something goes wrong

Example

A web developer might use a VM to test a website on different operating systems.


Instead of having multiple physical computers (one with Windows, one with Linux, one with macOS), they can create VMs for each operating system on their main development computer and test the website on all of them without rebooting.