A native Mac application with OS-specific virtualization paths
SlateVM presents one coherent lifecycle while choosing the platform technology that best fits each operating system. macOS and Linux use Apple’s Virtualization framework. Windows uses a bundled, verified QEMU runtime accelerated by Hypervisor.framework and rendered through SPICE.
macOS + Linux
SlateVM constructs and validates VZVirtualMachine configurations for CPU, memory, storage, entropy, graphics, input, networking, and shared directories. macOS creation uses Apple restore images; Linux creation supports installer media and cloud-init seed generation.
Windows 11 ARM
A pinned runtime launches ARM64 Windows guests with hardware acceleration, UEFI firmware, TPM support, virtio devices, and SPICE display channels. SlateVM owns the lifecycle and presents the result as a first-class Mac window.
Each VM keeps its configuration and disk state together, for portable, straightforward discovery and recovery.
NAT is the low-friction default. Optional bridged and routed modes use a dedicated helper/service rather than broadening the main app’s responsibility.
Shared folders, Linux and Windows guest tools, clipboard paths, screen capture, and SSH-based guest commands connect host workflows to the VM through purpose-built integration points.
Creation progress, persistent configuration, start and stop control, media validation, network selection, diagnostics, and orphan cleanup give the full VM lifecycle a deliberate place in the architecture.
