What are Virtual Machines (VMs) designed to provide?

Virtual Machines (VMs) are designed primarily to provide isolation, flexibility, and efficiency in computing environments. Isolation means that each VM operates independently from others, allowing multiple operating systems to run concurrently on a single physical machine without interference. This enhances security and stability, as processes within one VM do not affect others.

Flexibility is another core aspect, as VMs can be easily created, modified, and deleted based on the needs of users or applications. This adaptability is particularly useful in testing environments, where developers can spin up VMs to test software in different systems without the need for additional physical hardware.

Efficiency is achieved through resource sharing, allowing multiple VMs to utilize the underlying hardware more effectively than if each had its own dedicated machine. This can lead to better utilization of resources and cost savings, especially in data centers or cloud computing scenarios.

In contrast to the other options, VMs do not provide exclusive access to physical hardware, nor do they necessarily improve hardware performance directly. Additionally, while they run on a host operating system, they do not offer direct access to it; instead, they function as isolated environments separate from the host system.