🐧 WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)

📘 What Is WSL

WSL stands for Windows Subsystem for Linux, a feature built into Windows 10 and 11 that allows you to run Linux distributions natively on Windows.

It’s not a virtual machine — WSL translates Linux system calls into Windows ones, so Linux binaries run directly alongside Windows processes.

🔧 Key Features

• Run Linux command-line tools like Bash, grep, sed, and awk
• Install multiple Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Debian, Kali)
• Access a real Linux file system, isolated but shareable
• Use Linux for development (web dev, scripting, open-source tools)

⚔️ WSL vs Virtual Machines

• WSL: Lightweight compatibility layer, runs Linux binaries directly on Windows
• VM: Full virtualized OS running inside a host via hypervisor

📦 Versions: WSL 1 vs WSL 2

• WSL 1: Translates Linux calls into Windows calls — fast and lightweight
• WSL 2: Uses a real Linux kernel via lightweight VM — better compatibility and performance

🚀 How to Get Started

• Enable WSL via PowerShell or Windows Features
• Install a Linux distro from the Microsoft Store
• Launch it from the Start menu and start using Linux

❤️ Why Developers Love It