Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
Windows Subsystem for Linux observed · 2026-08-28
Health v2 · maintenance only
95/100
- Activity 99
- Release rhythm 86
- Longevity 100
How is this computed?
round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10) — computed 2026-09-03. Adoption (stars, forks) is never an input.
- gap_med: 38.5
- age_days: 3801
- days_rel: 15
- days_push: 7
- n_releases_24m: 17
Adoption not part of the score
33529 stars · 1808 forks observed · 2026-08-28
What it is AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, 2026-08-29, confidence not recorded
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) lets users run unmodified Linux command-line tools, utilities, and GUI applications directly on Windows without a traditional VM or dual boot. It comprises Windows executables, a COM service, a custom Linux kernel, and GUI support (WSLg) working together over hvsocket.
Use cases
- run linux command-line tools on windows
- develop with linux toolchains without dual booting
- run linux gui apps on windows
- install ubuntu or debian on windows
- access windows files from linux and vice versa
- set up a linux development environment on windows
When to choose
- you need real Linux tooling and package managers on a Windows machine
- you want Linux GUI apps integrated into the Windows desktop
- you want fast startup and low overhead compared to a full VM
- you need Windows/Linux file and network interop
When to avoid
- you need a full standalone Linux desktop environment or bare-metal performance
- you are on macOS or Linux where WSL is unavailable
- you need kernel modules or hardware features unsupported by the WSL2 kernel
- you require strict isolation from the Windows host
Facets
application · maturity active
developer-tools cli gui file-system networking developer-tools operating-systems cross-platform windows cli wsl linux-on-windows virtualization interop wslg linux-kernel microsoft command-line linux desktop
10 sources
- readme: https://github.com/microsoft/WSL · fetched 2026-08-28 · 1931bfcf83c6
- homepage: https://wsl.dev/ · fetched 2026-08-29 · 0d05af6538bf
- site_page: https://wsl.dev/technical-documentation · fetched 2026-08-29 · 705590d12a7c
- site_page: https://wsl.dev/technical-documentation/wsl.exe · fetched 2026-08-29 · 6c8fcbb8d5e9
- site_page: https://wsl.dev/technical-documentation/wslg.exe · fetched 2026-08-29 · 0efde46078b1
- site_page: https://wsl.dev/technical-documentation/wslconfig.exe · fetched 2026-08-29 · 4e4436f7415c
- site_page: https://wsl.dev/technical-documentation/wslhost.exe · fetched 2026-08-29 · f366370b07ed
- site_page: https://wsl.dev/technical-documentation/wslrelay.exe · fetched 2026-08-29 · 6b2689df0681
- site_page: https://wsl.dev/technical-documentation/wslservice.exe · fetched 2026-08-29 · f2a2c946e017
- site_page: https://wsl.dev/technical-documentation/mini_init · fetched 2026-08-29 · 5556ce5c4161
Member repositories
| Repository | Role | Health v2 |
|---|---|---|
| microsoft/WSL | main | 95 |
| microsoft/wslg | plugin | 64 |
| microsoft/WSL2-Linux-Kernel | infra | 96 |
For agents
Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00 · Report a problem