Windows Subsystem for Linux icon
Windows Subsystem for Linux icon

Windows Subsystem for Linux

 17 likes

The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a new Windows 10 feature that enables you to run native Linux command-line tools directly on Windows, alongside your traditional Windows desktop and modern store apps.

Windows Subsystem for Linux screenshot 1

License model

  • FreeProprietary

Country of Origin

  • US flagUnited States

Platforms

  • Windows
4 / 5 Avg rating (1)
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Features

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Properties

  1.  Lightweight

Features

  1.  Command line interface
  2.  Linux on Windows
  3.  Compatibility Layer
  4.  Virtualization

 Tags

  • Linux
  • command-line-tool
  • unix

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Windows Subsystem for Linux information

  • Developed by

    US flagMicrosoft
  • Licensing

    Proprietary and Free product.
  • Alternatives

    34 alternatives listed
  • Supported Languages

    • English

AlternativeTo Categories

OS & UtilitiesNetwork & Admin

Our users have written 0 comments and reviews about Windows Subsystem for Linux, and it has gotten 17 likes

Windows Subsystem for Linux was added to AlternativeTo by Foad on Jan 11, 2019 and this page was last updated Jun 19, 2023. Windows Subsystem for Linux is sometimes referred to as WSL.
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What is Windows Subsystem for Linux?

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a feature of Windows that allows developers to run a Linux environment without the need for a separate virtual machine or dual booting. There are two versions of WSL: WSL 1 and WSL 2. WSL 1 was first released on August 2, 2016, and acts as a compatibility layer for running Linux binary executables (in ELF format) by implementing Linux system calls on the Windows kernel. It is available on Windows 10, Windows 10 LTSB/LTSC, Windows 11, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2022.

In May 2019, WSL 2 was announced, introducing important changes such as a real Linux kernel, through a subset of Hyper-V features. WSL 2 differs from WSL 1 in that WSL 2 runs inside a managed virtual machine that implements the full Linux kernel. As a result, WSL 2 is compatible with more Linux binaries than WSL 1, as not all syscalls were implemented in WSL 1. Since June 2019, WSL 2 is available to Windows 10 customers through the Windows Insider program, including the Home edition. WSL is not available to all Windows 10 users by default. It can be installed either by joining the Windows Insider program or manual install.

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