Setting Up Ubuntu VM on macOS with VirtualBox

If you’re running macOS and want to experiment with Linux (for dev, learning, or server setup), VirtualBox is a free and reliable choice. Below, I’ll walk you through setting up Ubuntu 24.04 Server on VirtualBox, configuring networking, and enabling secure SSH access.

1. Install VirtualBox

• Download VirtualBox from the official website.
• Run the installer package and follow the steps to complete installation.

2. Create Your Ubuntu VM

• Download the Ubuntu 24.04 Server ISO from Ubuntu’s site.

• Open VirtualBox → New → create a new VM.

  • Give it a name (e.g., Ubuntu-24.04).
  • Point the ISO image to the downloaded Ubuntu ISO.

• Click Finish to finalize the VM creation.

3. Configure the VM

Before booting up, tweak these settings in VirtualBox:

• User Interface: set Visual state → Scaled.

• System:

  • Allocate CPU cores ≤ host CPU.
  • Allocate memory ≤ host memory.

• Network:

  • Adapter 1 → Enabled
  • Attached to: Bridged Adapter
  • Name: en0: Wi-Fi (Mac’s Wi-Fi)
  • Promiscuous Mode: Deny
  • MAC Address: generate a new one
  • Cable Connected: ✅

4. Install and Enable SSH

Once the VM is up and running Ubuntu:

sudo apt install openssh-server

Back up the SSH config:

sudo cp /etc/ssh/sshd_config /etc/ssh/sshd_config.original
sudo chmod a-w /etc/ssh/sshd_config.original

Generate host keys (if missing):

sudo ssh-keygen -A

Restart SSH:

sudo systemctl restart ssh.service

5. Connect with SSH Keys

From inside the VM, get your VM’s IP:

sudo apt install net-tools
ifconfig

Look for inet under enp0s3 → that’s your VM’s IP (e.g., 10.10.10.52).

From your Mac host, copy your public key:

ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/your_public_key.pub <username>@<your-vm-ip>

Test login:

ssh <username>@<your-vm-ip>

Disable password login

Edit the config:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Change:

PasswordAuthentication no

Restart SSH again:

sudo systemctl restart ssh.service

6. Assign a Static IP

To avoid your VM’s IP changing, configure it manually. Inside Ubuntu:

sudo nano /etc/netplan/static-ip-netcfg.yaml

Example:

network:
  version: 2
  ethernets:
    enp0s3:
      dhcp4: no
      addresses: [10.10.10.52/24]   # VM static IP
      gateway4: 10.10.10.1
      nameservers:
        addresses: [8.8.8.8]

Apply config:

sudo netplan apply

✅ Done!

You now have:

• Ubuntu 24.04 Server running in a VirtualBox VM on macOS
• Bridged networking for direct access from your host
• Secure, key-based SSH access
• Static IP for stable connectivity

Perfect for dev environments, labs, or running lightweight services locally 🚀.