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. WSL lets developers install a Linux distribution (such as Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Kali, Debian, Arch Linux, etc) and use Linux applications, utilities, and Bash command-line tools directly on Windows, unmodified, without the overhead of a traditional virtual machine or dual-boot setup.
WSL has two versions: WSL 1 and WSL 2. WSL 1 acts as a compatibility layer for running Linux binary executables (in ELF format) by implementing Linux system calls on the Windows kernel. WSL 2 is a new version of the Windows Subsystem for Linux architecture that powers the Windows Subsystem for Linux to run ELF64 Linux binaries on Windows. Its primary goals are to increase file system performance, as well as adding full system call compatibility.
WSL is available in Windows Server 2019 and in versions of Windows 10 from version 1607, though only in 64-bit versions. Developers can access the power of both Windows and Linux at the same time on a Windows machine using WSL. WSL is primarily a tool for developers, especially web developers, those working on open source projects, or deploying to Linux server environments.
