I've heard about Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) for years, but since I've been using only Mac for a long time I never really had the chance (or need) to try it out. Recently, I set up a Windows environment again and decided to give WSL a proper spin and honestly I didn't expect it to feel this smooth.

Having a fully functional Linux environment running directly inside Windows without the overhead of a virtual machine or dual boot is just incredibly convenient. It's fast, integrated and developer-friendly; especially for anyone who misses a Unix-like terminal on Windows.

A Quick Background

When Microsoft first announced WSL, it was more of an experimental feature — something that intrigued developers but wasn’t quite ready for real-world use. You could run some Linux commands, but performance and compatibility were limited.

Fast forward to WSL 2, and things have changed dramatically. It’s now powered by a real Linux kernel running inside a lightweight utility virtual machine, meaning you get near-native performance and full system call compatibility. This makes it suitable for serious workloads, from web development to Docker containers, and even some machine learning experiments.

Why It Feels So Good Now

What impressed me most is how well integrated everything feels. You can:

• Access your Windows files directly from within Linux (/mnt/c maps to your C drive).
• Launch Windows apps from your Linux terminal, and vice versa.
• Use the same Git repositories, editors, and dev tools seamlessly.
• Run tools like apt, grep, ssh, or curl natively — no emulation layers or awkward workarounds.

It’s not just a “Linux on Windows” trick anymore — it’s a serious productivity boost.

Setting Up and First Impressions

Installing WSL today is as simple as running a single command:

wsl --install

That’s it. The installer handles everything — enabling the right features, downloading the kernel, and setting up your first distribution (Ubuntu by default). Within minutes, you have a full Linux environment ready to go.

Once inside, everything feels familiar: bash, zsh, or fish — whatever shell you prefer — just works. Even sudo apt install behaves exactly as it would on a native Linux machine. And if you install Windows Terminal, the experience becomes even more polished with tabs, themes, and GPU-accelerated rendering.

For Frontend and Fullstack Developers

If you’re coming from macOS or Linux, you’ll feel right at home setting up Node.js, Python, or Ruby environments inside WSL. Tools like nvm, pip, or yarn behave exactly as expected. You can also hook VS Code directly into your WSL environment using the Remote Development extension — meaning your editor runs on Windows, but your code executes on Linux.

This setup gives you the best of both worlds: the Linux ecosystem for dev tools, and Windows for testing, debugging, or running cross-platform builds.

Final Thoughts

It’s one of those technologies that quietly evolved in the background and has now become a mature, capable part of the Windows developer experience.

If you’re a developer who has spent years in the Mac or Linux ecosystem and never touched WSL, it’s definitely worth giving it a try. You might be surprised how far it’s come — and how effortlessly it fits into modern workflows. 🚀

You can check the details here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl