# Supported build platforms

QEMU aims to support building and executing on multiple host OS platforms. This appendix outlines which platforms are the major build targets. These platforms are used as the basis for deciding upon the minimum required versions of 3rd party software QEMU depends on. The supported platforms are the targets for automated testing performed by the project when patches are submitted for review, and tested before and after merge.

If a platform is not listed here, it does not imply that QEMU won’t work. If an unlisted platform has comparable software versions to a listed platform, there is every expectation that it will work. Bug reports are welcome for problems encountered on unlisted platforms unless they are clearly older vintage than what is described here.

Note that when considering software versions shipped in distros as support targets, QEMU considers only the version number, and assumes the features in that distro match the upstream release with the same version. In other words, if a distro backports extra features to the software in their distro, QEMU upstream code will not add explicit support for those backports, unless the feature is auto-detectable in a manner that works for the upstream releases too.

The Repology site https://repology.org is a useful resource to identify currently shipped versions of software in various operating systems, though it does not cover all distros listed below.

## Linux OS

For distributions with frequent, short-lifetime releases, the project will aim to support all versions that are not end of life by their respective vendors. For the purposes of identifying supported software versions, the project will look at Fedora, Ubuntu, and openSUSE distros. Other short- lifetime distros will be assumed to ship similar software versions.

For distributions with long-lifetime releases, the project will aim to support the most recent major version at all times. Support for the previous major version will be dropped 2 years after the new major version is released, or when it reaches “end of life”. For the purposes of identifying supported software versions, the project will look at RHEL, Debian, Ubuntu LTS, and SLES distros. Other long-lifetime distros will be assumed to ship similar software versions.

## Windows

The project supports building with current versions of the MinGW toolchain, hosted on Linux.

## macOS

The project supports building with the two most recent versions of macOS, with the current Homebrew package set available.

## FreeBSD

The project aims to support all versions which are not end of life.

## NetBSD

The project aims to support the most recent major version at all times. Support for the previous major version will be dropped 2 years after the new major version is released.

## OpenBSD

The project aims to support all versions which are not end of life.