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A virtual machine (VM) is a software-based emulation of a physical computer system that enables multiple operating systems to run on a single physical machine. Virtual machines are created and managed by a hypervisor, which allocates resources such as CPU, memory, and storage to each VM.
Virtual machines are commonly used in cloud computing environments to enable multiple users to access and use the same physical hardware resources. They are also used for software testing, development, and deployment, as they provide a consistent and isolated environment for running applications.
Some popular virtual machine software includes VMware, VirtualBox, and Microsoft Hyper-V. These tools allow users to create, configure, and manage virtual machines on their local machines or in cloud environments.