[en] The sources adapted to beam production for high power proton accelerators must obey to the request of high brightness, stability and reliability. The Versatile Ion Source (VIS) is based on permanent magnets to produce an off-resonance microwave discharge (the maximum field value on the chamber axis is around 0.1 T). It operates up to 75 kV without a bulky high voltage platform, producing several tens of mA of proton beams and mono-charged ions. The microwave injection system and the extraction electrodes geometry have been designed in order to optimize the beam brightness. Moreover, the VIS source ensures long time operations without maintenance and high reliability. A description of the main components and of the source performances is given in the following. A brief summary of the possible next developments is also presented, particularly for pulsed mode operations, that are relevant for some future projects (e.g. the European Spallation Source of Lund). (authors)