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![]() Bash running on Windows 10 | |
Other names | WSL |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Microsoft |
Initial release | 2 August 2016 |
Stable release | 2.4.10
/ 2 February 2025[1] |
Preview release | 2.4.9
/ January 30, 2025[2] |
Repository | github |
Operating system | Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 10 LTSB/LTSC, Windows Server 2025, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016 |
Predecessor | Windows Services for UNIX |
Type | Compatibility layer, virtualization |
License | Subsystem: Proprietary commercial software; Linux kernel: GNU GPLv2 (only) with some code under compatible GPL variants or under permissive licenses like BSD, MIT |
Website | learn |
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]
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