Learn what virtual machines are, how they work, and why they are useful for IT infrastructure, cloud computing, and data science. Compare VMs with physical machines, process VMs, containers, and hypervisors. In computing, a virtual machine (VM) is the virtualization or emulation of a computer system. Virtual machines are based on computer architectures and provide the functionality of a physical computer. Their implementations may involve specialized hardware, software, or a combination of the two. Virtual machines differ and are organized by their function, shown here: System virtual machines ... Aug 14, 2024 · How to create your own virtual machine There are opportunities to work with virtual machines and virtualisation technology exist outside of professional positions. Platforms and tools are available to develop your own virtual machine project, like the Google Cloud Console. Building a virtual machine requires knowledge of cloud computing and operating systems. If you want to learn how to create ... Virtual machines emulate physical computers; they're easy to create and configure, and you can experiment without harming the host computer. Your host computer needs sufficient RAM, CPU power, and hard drive space to service your VMs.