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+.. _Supported-build-platforms:
+
+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 the all the 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 the all the versions which are not end of
+life.