What does a virtual machine aim to emulate?

A virtual machine aims to emulate a physical machine. This means that it replicates the hardware environment of a physical computer, allowing multiple operating systems to run concurrently on a single physical host. By emulating a physical machine, a virtual machine provides the capability to run applications and operating systems as if they were operating on separate, dedicated hardware.

This emulation is crucial for various use cases including server consolidation, testing and development environments, and providing isolated environments for cloud computing. Each virtual machine can have its own operating system, hardware configuration, and applications, while sharing the underlying physical resources of the host machine. This not only maximizes resource utilization but also enhances flexibility and scalability in computing environments.