What is VirtualBox used for?

VirtualBox is general-purpose virtualization software that runs multiple operating systems side by side on x86 hardware. It is a good fit for testing software on multiple operating systems and running a second OS on a laptop or desktop.

Is VirtualBox open source?

Yes. VirtualBox is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at VirtualBox/virtualbox and is written mainly in C.

Yes. VirtualBox is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host VirtualBox?

Yes. VirtualBox can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What is VirtualBox an alternative to?

VirtualBox is an open-source alternative to VMware Workstation and Parallels Desktop. Other open-source alternatives to VMware Workstation include Quickemu, virt-manager and QEMU.

Is VirtualBox actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to VirtualBox was on 28 September 2026. The project has 1.4k stars on GitHub.

VirtualBox: open-source alternative to VMware Workstation

About VirtualBox

VirtualBox is general-purpose full virtualization software for x86 64 hardware, with version 7.1 adding macOS on Arm. It is aimed at laptop, desktop, server and embedded use. This repository contains the source code for Oracle VirtualBox, written mostly in C, and the project is licensed under GPL-3.0.

It has a graphical user interface and is available for Linux, Windows, macOS and Solaris. The README calls out flexible networking and interactive performance as strong points. It is meant for anyone who needs to run several operating systems at once and has basic knowledge of PCs and operating system installation, with software testing named as a typical benefit.

Because VirtualBox is a complex product with many platform-specific dependencies, the README points to separate build instructions. The User Guide covers features and configuration, a technical documentation set is aimed at developers, and tutorials show how to install and run virtual machines. Oracle customers with a support contract use Oracle Support, while everyone else can use the forums and issue tracker.

Key features

Full virtualization for x86 64 hardware
Graphical user interface
Runs on Linux, Windows, macOS and Solaris
Flexible networking setup
User guide and technical documentation

Good fit for

→Testing software on multiple operating systems
→Running a second OS on a laptop or desktop

Built with: C
Tags: virtualization; virtual-machine; virtualbox; oracle; emulation; vm; desktop; networking

VirtualBox: questions and answers

What is VirtualBox used for?: VirtualBox is general-purpose virtualization software that runs multiple operating systems side by side on x86 hardware. It is a good fit for testing software on multiple operating systems and running a second OS on a laptop or desktop.
Is VirtualBox open source?: Yes. VirtualBox is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at VirtualBox/virtualbox and is written mainly in C.
Is VirtualBox free?: Yes. VirtualBox is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host VirtualBox?: Yes. VirtualBox can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What is VirtualBox an alternative to?: VirtualBox is an open-source alternative to VMware Workstation and Parallels Desktop. Other open-source alternatives to VMware Workstation include Quickemu, virt-manager and QEMU.
Is VirtualBox actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to VirtualBox was on 28 September 2026. The project has 1.4k stars on GitHub.