Windows Subsystem for Linux

Windows Subsystem for Linux
Other namesWSL
Developer(s)Microsoft
Initial release2 August 2016 (2016-08-02)
Stable release
2.4.10 / 2 February 2025 (2025-02-02)[1]
Preview release
2.4.9 / January 30, 2025 (2025-01-30)[2]
Repositorygithub.com/microsoft/WSL2-Linux-Kernel
Operating systemWindows 11, Windows 10, Windows 10 LTSB/LTSC, Windows Server 2025, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016
PredecessorWindows Services for UNIX
TypeCompatibility layer, virtualization
LicenseSubsystem: Proprietary commercial software;
Linux kernel: GNU GPLv2 (only) with some code under compatible GPL variants or under permissive licenses like BSD, MIT
Websitelearn.microsoft.com/windows/wsl

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a feature of Microsoft Windows that allows the use of a GNU/Linux environment from within Windows, foregoing the overhead of a virtual machine and being an alternative to dual booting. The WSL command-line interface tool is installed by default in Windows 11, but a distribution must be downloaded and installed through it before use.[3] In Windows 10, WSL can be installed either by joining the Windows Insider program or manually via Microsoft Store or Winget.[4]

The original version, WSL 1, differs significantly from the second major version, WSL 2. WSL 1 (released August 2, 2016), acted as a compatibility layer for running Linux binary executables (in ELF format) by implementing Linux system calls in the Windows kernel.[5] WSL 2 (announced May 2019[6]), introduced a real Linux kernel – a managed virtual machine (via Hyper-V) that implements the full Linux kernel. As a result, WSL 2 is compatible with more Linux binaries as not all system calls were implemented in WSL 1.[7]

Microsoft offers WSL for a variety of reasons. Microsoft envisions WSL as "a tool for developers – especially web developers and those who work on or with open source projects".[8] Microsoft also claims that "WSL requires fewer resources (CPU, memory, and storage) than a full virtual machine" (a common alternative for using Linux in Windows), while also allowing the use of both Windows and Linux tools on the same set of files.[8]

  1. ^ "Release 2.4.10 · microsoft/WSL". GitHub. 2 February 2025. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  2. ^ "Release 2.4.9 · microsoft/WSL". GitHub. Retrieved 6 February 2025.
  3. ^ "How to install Linux on Windows with WSL". Microsoft. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  4. ^ pokhrel, bishal (27 December 2023). "Install WSL on Windows 10 or 11". Droid Crafts.
  5. ^ Leeks, Stuart (2020). Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL 2) Tips, Tricks, and Techniques: Maximise Productivity of Your Windows 10 Development Machine with Custom Workflows and Configurations. Birmingham: Packt Publishing. pp. 18–19. ISBN 978-1-80056-352-0. OCLC 1202451000.
  6. ^ Craig Loewen (6 May 2019). "Announcing WSL 2". Windows Command Line Tools For Developers.
  7. ^ mscraigloewen (19 November 2024). "About WSL 2". docs.microsoft.com.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ms-faq was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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