It runs on Unix-like operating systems, as well as Windows.

[3] The Magma system is used extensively within pure mathematics.

The Computational Algebra Group maintain a list of publications that cite Magma, and as of 2010 there are about 2600 citations, mostly in pure mathematics, but also including papers from areas as diverse as economics and geophysics.

Magma was officially released in August 1993 (version 1.0).

In 2013, the Computational Algebra Group finalized an agreement with the Simons Foundation, whereby the Simons Foundation will underwrite all costs of providing Magma to all U.S. nonprofit, non-governmental scientific research or educational institutions.