VirtualBox is an open-source virtualization software that allows users to run multiple operating systems on a single physical machine. Virtualization technology enables hardware abstraction by simulating virtual hardware upon which virtual machines can run.1 With virtualization, users can create and run multiple virtual machines on a single host computer. Each virtual machine contains its own virtual hardware, including CPU, memory, storage, and networking resources.2
VirtualBox, developed by Oracle, is a popular platform for virtualization on desktop computers. It competes with commercial products like VMware Workstation and open source alternatives like QEMU. VirtualBox aims to make setting up and running virtual machines simple and intuitive.
VirtualBox Overview
VirtualBox is a powerful open source virtualization software package originally created by Innotek GmbH and now owned by Oracle. It was first released as open source in January 2007[1]. The software allows users to run multiple guest operating systems like Windows, Linux, macOS, etc. on a single physical host machine. Some key milestones in the history and development of VirtualBox include:
– In January 2007, Innotek GmbH released VirtualBox 1.0 as free and open source software under the GNU General Public License (GPL)[2].
– In February 2008, Sun Microsystems acquired Innotek GmbH.
– In June 2008, Sun released VirtualBox 2.0 with major new features including 64-bit guest support and the ability to limit CPU usage.[3]
– In January 2010, Oracle acquired Sun Microsystems and took over development of VirtualBox.
– VirtualBox continues to be actively developed by Oracle with frequent new releases that add features and enhancements.
VirtualBox Features
VirtualBox is an open source virtualization software that allows users to run multiple operating systems on the same physical hardware. Some of the key features of VirtualBox include:
Cross-platform – VirtualBox runs on Windows, Linux, Macintosh, and Solaris hosts and supports a large number of guest operating systems including but not limited to Windows, Linux, BSD, OS/2, and Solaris. This makes VirtualBox extremely portable.
Open source – VirtualBox is open source software released under the GNU General Public License (GPL). This allows users to freely use, modify and distribute VirtualBox.
Free – VirtualBox can be downloaded and used completely free of charge, making it an appealing option for personal and commercial use.
Hardware virtualization support – VirtualBox makes use of hardware virtualization techniques to achieve near-native performance of virtual machines on supported hardware.
Snapshotting – Users can take snapshots of a virtual machine’s exact state and revert back to that state later, useful for testing configurations or recovering from errors.
Remote machine display – VirtualBox has built-in remote desktop server support, allowing users to access and control virtual machines remotely.
Shared folders – Folders can be configured to be shared between host and guest operating systems for easy file transfers.
Import/export appliances – VirtualBox can import and export virtual machines in industry standard formats like OVF for portability.
VirtualBox Licensing
Oracle VirtualBox is an open-source product distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2. The GPL allows VirtualBox to be downloaded and used for free, even for commercial purposes. However, there are some limitations around commercial usage that users should be aware of.
According to the Reddit thread on VirtualBox licensing, the core VirtualBox platform itself can be used commercially for free. However, the VirtualBox Extension Pack which adds extra functionality like USB 2.0/3.0 support, is under a different license called PUEL. The Extension Pack needs to be purchased if used commercially.
As explained on the Redress Compliance blog, the GPL license allows free use of VirtualBox including internal corporate usage. However for redistribution to end users, the PUEL extension pack license needs to be purchased. Prices range from $1,000 per socket to $220 per year for support.
It’s important for commercial usage to comply with the GPL open source license terms. The core platform can be used at no cost, but the advanced functionality in the Extension Pack requires purchase for redistribution.
Commercial Use
VirtualBox can be used for commercial purposes free of charge. The software is distributed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) which allows commercial use without paying any licensing fees (source). There are no restrictions on using VirtualBox, even in a corporate environment or for commercial purposes like software development, testing or production workflows. The open source license grants full commercial usage rights.
According to Oracle’s VirtualBox licensing FAQ, the VirtualBox software package is free “for use in development of and running any software program, for any purpose.” Companies of any size can leverage VirtualBox to virtualize workloads and applications without incurring any licensing costs.
Some key points on VirtualBox’s commercial usage rights:
- No fees or payments required for commercial use
- Can be integrated into proprietary software products
- Ideal for software vendors who want to virtualize their apps
- Enables testing, development and production uses
- No user, machine or revenue limits imposed
In summary, VirtualBox grants full commercial usage rights to all users at no cost, making it a compelling free alternative to paid hypervisors.
Enterprise Support
While Oracle’s VirtualBox software is available for free download and use, including for commercial purposes, Oracle does not provide official support services for VirtualBox unless you purchase a support subscription. According to a 2010 article in BSD Magazine, at that time Oracle offered an “xVM VirtualBox Enterprise Support Subscription” for 24/7 support. However, this program no longer appears to be available. As of 2022, Oracle’s website does not mention enterprise support options for VirtualBox. This suggests there is currently no official support channel for businesses relying on VirtualBox in production environments. While the VirtualBox community forums provide help for basic issues, companies likely need to rely on in-house expertise or third-party providers for enterprise-grade assistance. The lack of official Oracle support should be considered if adopting VirtualBox for business-critical systems.
Alternatives
While VirtualBox is a popular free virtualization platform, there are several paid and open source alternatives available including:
VMware Workstation Pro – A commercial hypervisor that allows running multiple operating systems as virtual machines with features like 3D graphics support and VR integration.
Microsoft Hyper-V – Microsoft’s native hypervisor built into Windows. Enables running VMs on Windows 10/11 Pro and Windows Server.
Proxmox VE – An open source server virtualization environment using KVM hypervisor and LXC containers.
VMware Fusion – VMware’s hypervisor for Macs to run Windows, Linux, etc virtually on MacOS.
Parallels Desktop – Commercial software for Mac to run virtual machines with optimizations for MacOS and Windows interoperability.
These provide alternatives to VirtualBox with expanded features, performance, and platform support depending on your specific virtualization needs.
Use Cases
Many companies and organizations use VirtualBox for development, testing, and production environments due to its free and open source nature. Some examples include:
Reddit – The popular social media platform uses VirtualBox for local development and testing environments for their engineers.
Netflix – The popular streaming service uses VirtualBox for developing and testing changes in a reproducible environment before deploying to production.
Wikimedia Foundation – The non-profit behind Wikipedia uses VirtualBox to provide Linux-based tool labs for editors and developers to test changes.
Pixar – The animation studio reportedly uses VirtualBox to provide animators a consistent development environment across platforms.
Overall, VirtualBox is commonly used by developers, testers, IT administrators, and businesses who want a free, open, and consistent virtualization platform.
Limitations
While VirtualBox is free to use commercially, there are some limitations to be aware of compared to paid virtualization solutions like VMware Workstation or Parallels Desktop:
Lack of official support – As an open source platform, VirtualBox does not come with any official enterprise-grade support. You need to rely on the community forums and documentation for help.
Performance – VirtualBox may have lower performance for intensive tasks than commercial hypervisors due to less optimized drivers and lack of proprietary optimizations.
Advanced networking – Options for networking are more limited compared to commercial solutions. Setting up complex virtual networks with networking virtual appliances is harder.
VM compatibility – While VirtualBox supports many guest operating systems, it has less broad support compared to VMware and Parallels.
3D/graphics – 3D and graphics support for games/CAD is limited. Software that needs strong 3D acceleration will not work well in VirtualBox.
Licensing concerns – While free for personal use, check Oracle’s PUEL license for redistribution and hosting concerns.
Overall, while VirtualBox lacks enterprise-grade support and performance of commercial solutions, it provides an excellent free hypervisor for basic virtualization needs and testing environments.
Conclusion
In summary, VirtualBox can be used for commercial purposes free of charge. The software is open source and available under the GNU General Public License (GPL). This allows companies and organizations to utilize VirtualBox without paying any licensing fees.
However, VirtualBox does not come with formal enterprise support services. Although Oracle provides community-based support, there is no guaranteed response time or dedicated technical support. Companies that require timely assistance and service level agreements will need to seek third-party support or use a commercial hypervisor like VMware vSphere or Microsoft Hyper-V.
So while VirtualBox provides a free and flexible virtualization platform, the lack of enterprise support should be considered carefully, especially for business critical systems. For small implementations or testing environments, VirtualBox can certainly be used commercially at no cost. But larger production deployments may benefit from commercial solutions with formal support models.