Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
What is WSL
WSL is abbreviation of “Windows Subsystem for Linux”. The WSL lets us use GNU/Linux environment directly on Windows without virtual machine or dualboot setup.
With WSL You Can:
- Choose your favorite GNU/Linux distributions from the Microsoft Store.
- Run common command-line tools such as
grep,sed,awk, or other ELF-64 binaries.- Run Bash shell scripts and GNU/Linux command-line applications including: Tools: vim, emacs, tmux
Languages: NodeJS, Javascript, Python, Ruby, C/C++, C# & F#, Rust, Go, etc.
Services: SSHD, MySQL, Apache, lighttpd, MongoDB, PostgreSQL.- Install additional software using your own GNU/Linux distribution package manager.
- Invoke Windows applications using a Unix-like command-line shell.
- Invoke GNU/Linux applications on Windows.
There are two WSL concepts named “WSL 1 and WSL 2”. WSL 2 is the new version of WSL. It offers increased system performance. This new architecture powers the WSL but still provides the same UX as in WSL 1.