Definition
A virtual machine VM is a software based emulation of a physical computer system that allows you to run multiple operating systems and applications on a single piece of hardware. It functions by using a hypervisor, a layer of software that creates and manages the VMs, allocating resources like CPU, memory, and storage from the host machine. VMs are crucial for isolating environments, testing software, and deploying applications efficiently without needing separate physical servers. For instance, a developer might use a VM to run a Linux operating system on their Windows laptop for coding and testing. Unlike a container, which shares the host OS kernel, a VM includes its own complete operating system, offering greater isolation but requiring more resources. Understanding VMs is essential for cloud computing and cybersecurity domains tested on exams like AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate and CompTIA Security+.