Using Linux under Windows for your Data Science projects: an installation guide of WSL.

As a data scientist or software developer, Python is usually unavoidable. And the best way to use the full potential of Python is to use Linux as well.

Furthermore, if you work in a software company or on your own IT projects, Linux is almost always mandatory:

• the project environment is traditionally built with it,
• plenty of Python libraries are only available under Linux, such as Trax (a Deep Learning library developed by Google)
• files and paths management is easier…

But what can you do if you have a Windows computer? How can you install Linux without giving up on Windows?

There is a simple solution called WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)!

In this article, I will explain in detail all the steps to set up your environment:

• Enable WSL and run Linux under your system,
• Set up your Python environment with miniconda,
• Set up your IDE (Pycharm or VSCode) to code under the Linux system.

Are you ready to expand your programming skills? So follow me!

Photo by Michal Mrozek on Unsplash

What is WSL?