# nix-community/NixOS-WSL

NixOS on WSL [maintainer=@nzbr]

Repository: https://github.com/nix-community/NixOS-WSL
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/nixos-wsl
Language: Nix
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: nixos, wsl, nix, wsl2, wsl-environment, wsl-distro, nixos-wsl
Last push: 2026-08-26T18:19:00+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 87/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 63, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2461, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": 88, "gap_med": 177, "n_releases_24m": 4}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3071, forks 163 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:41.553963+00:00)

## What it is
NixOS-WSL provides modules and a distributable NixOS image for running NixOS inside the Windows Subsystem for Linux. It lets Windows users boot a fully declarative NixOS environment with a simple installer file.

## Use cases
- run nixos on windows via wsl
- declarative linux environment on windows
- set up a reproducible wsl distro
- use nix package manager inside wsl
- replace default wsl distro with nixos

## When to choose
- you want NixOS's declarative configuration on a Windows machine
- you need a reproducible WSL2 development environment
- you already use Nix/NixOS and must work on Windows

## When to avoid
- you want a conventional WSL distro like Ubuntu without learning Nix
- you need full systemd/NixOS on bare metal or a VM instead of WSL
- your WSL version is older than required by the installer

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: configuration-management, developer-tools, cli
- domain: operating-systems, developer-tools, self-hosted
- platform: windows, cli
- tags: nixos, wsl, wsl2, nix, declarative-configuration, windows-subsystem-for-linux, linux

## Member repositories
- nix-community/NixOS-WSL (main) score 87

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:41.553963+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T07:28:01.005721+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/nix-community/NixOS-WSL (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:41.553963+00:00, sha 623cb5614ccf)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.