Developer Dictionary
Virtual Machine
Definition
An emulation of a computer system.
Deep Dive
A Virtual Machine (VM) is an emulation of a computer system, often referred to as a "guest" machine, running on top of a physical "host" machine. It behaves like a complete, standalone computer, equipped with its own operating system (like Windows, Linux, or macOS), virtual hardware (CPU, memory, storage, network interfaces), and applications, all managed by a software layer called a hypervisor. VMs are completely isolated from each other and from the host system, meaning issues within one VM do not affect others, providing robust security and stability.
Examples & Use Cases
- 1A developer running a Linux VM on their Windows laptop to test a web application in a different operating environment without needing a separate physical machine
- 2A data center hosting hundreds of virtual servers, each running an independent operating system and set of applications, all sharing the resources of a few powerful physical machines
- 3Using a VM to safely open untrusted files or browse suspicious websites in an isolated environment, preventing potential malware from affecting the host system.
Related Terms
HypervisorContainerizationCloud ComputingVirtualizationEmulation