

Virtual machines are also used to develop and publish apps to the cloud, run software that is not compatible with the host operating system, and back up existing operating systems. The actual computer is often referred to as the “host” in these situations, while other operating system(s) running on it are referred to as the “guests.” Using the hardware resources of the host, virtual machines let users install more than one operating system (OS) on the same computer. The term “virtual machine” (VM) refers to a computer that exists only in digital form. VM software replaces physical computing infrastructure/hardware with software to provide an environment for deploying applications and performing other app-related tasks. A virtual machine (VM) is a computer system emulation.
