MontaVista is based in Santa Clara, California and was founded in 1999 by James "Jim" Ready (formerly at Mentor Graphics and creator of Versatile Real-Time Executive (VRTX)) and others.

The software includes a Linux kernel and toolchain aimed at a specific hardware configuration, collectively called a Linux Support Package (LSP), and other integrated tools including the Eclipse-based DevRocket integrated development environment (IDE).

Engineers can quickly jumpstart their ARM and x86 development with a full embedded Linux distribution that is easily customizable.

As a cornerstone in MontaVista's product lineup, Carrier Grade eXpress (CGX) is a robust operating system equipped with Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) specifications, ensuring unparalleled performance and security for a wide array of interconnected smart applications across industries.

With the GCC 13 and CLANG 18 toolchain, MontaVista CGX 5.0 provides a commercially supported Linux distribution for creating diverse embedded products on major CPU architectures, including x86, ARM, PPC, MIPS, and RISC-V. MontaVista Linux Carrier Grade Edition (CGE) is a commercial-grade Linux development platform for developers working with reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS) managed hardware (Hardware Platform Interface (HPI), Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)) or custom hardware, who need long-term support and high availability.

Evaluation Assurance Level 4+ (EAL4+) is commonly used to secure connectivity in critical environments, such as fire and police departments, or aviation and industry control systems.

Mobilinux's key features include dynamic power management, real-time performance, fast booting, and small memory footprint.

[13] The core changes to make MontaVista Linux into a real-time operating system were made by Nigel Gamble and later updated by Robert Love.

[15] MontaVista has also spun off independent open source projects based on several of its features, including dynamic power management, high resolution POSIX timers, the pramfs file system,[16] and the openais implementation of the Service Availability Forum's (SA Forum) Application Interface Specification.

[17] Other versions of MontaVista Linux are used in devices made by a number of partners, including Sony Bravia TVs, NEC routers, and others, especially in Japan.