wsl: Practical Windows Subsystem Tips for Developers

Everyone says WSL is the easy answer for running Linux on Windows. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: out of the box it often feels flaky, slow, or confusing—especially when you expect a native Linux experience. I’ve set up WSL dozens of times for teams and students in Australia, and the difference between ‘it works’ and ‘it works well’ is a few intentional steps and a different mental model.

What is wsl and why bother?

wsl (Windows Subsystem for Linux) is Microsoft’s compatibility layer to run Linux binaries natively on Windows. It removes the need for dual‑boot or heavy VMs and lets you use Linux shells, package managers and dev tools inside Windows. Most people search for wsl because they want faster local tooling, easier Docker workflows, or to match server environments without leaving Windows.

Q: Which WSL version should I choose—WSL 1 or WSL 2?

Short answer: choose WSL 2 in almost all cases. WSL 2 uses a lightweight VM and gives full Linux kernel compatibility, better filesystem support for many development tasks, and full Docker compatibility. WSL 1 can be slightly faster when accessing Windows files from Linux, but it’s limited for modern toolchains.

That said, keep one nuance in mind: if your project needs extremely low latency for file I/O on files stored in Windows folders, WSL 1 sometimes performs better. Most developers should install WSL 2 and then keep their project files inside the Linux filesystem (e.g., under /home) to avoid cross‑OS slowdowns.

Q: How do I install wsl correctly on Windows (step‑by‑step)?

Follow these steps for a reliable install (Windows 10/11):

1. Open PowerShell as admin and run: wsl –install. This installs WSL 2 and a default distro. If that fails, enable features manually: dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart and dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart.
2. Restart Windows, then set WSL 2 as default: wsl –set-default-version 2.
3. Install a distro from the Microsoft Store (Ubuntu, Debian, etc.) or import one: wsl –install -d ubuntu.
4. Update the distro and install essential dev tools: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade; then install build‑essential, git, curl, and your language runtimes.

Microsoft’s official docs are a reliable reference: WSL documentation. For background, see the encyclopedia overview: Windows Subsystem for Linux (Wikipedia).

Q: What are the biggest performance traps—and how do I fix them?

Here’s what most people get wrong: they keep their repo on C: and use Windows paths from inside WSL. That causes huge slowdowns because crossing the boundary is expensive. Move active projects into the Linux filesystem (for example, /home/yourname/project), and access Windows files only when necessary.

Another trap is heavy disk usage from background Windows antivirus scanning. Exclude WSL files or the distro’s virtual disk from real‑time scanning where permitted by your org policy. On corporate machines you’ll need IT approval—don’t bypass security rules.

• Put projects on the Linux side: ~/projects.
• Configure Windows Defender exclusions for the distro VHDX file if allowed.
• Use a tmpfs for extremely I/O‑heavy temporary operations: sudo mount -t tmpfs -o size=1G tmpfs /mnt/tmp.

Q: How do I get Docker and container workflows working well with wsl?

Docker Desktop integrates with WSL 2 seamlessly when you enable the WSL backend. Install Docker Desktop for Windows, go to Settings → Resources → WSL Integration, and enable your distro. This lets you run docker commands directly inside the distro without a separate VM.

If you prefer headless setups or CI pipelines, you can run Docker Engine inside WSL 2 directly, but Docker Desktop is usually simpler for desktop devs.

Q: Common errors and quick fixes

Here are fast resolutions for things you’ll encounter:

• ‘WslRegisterDistribution failed’: Run wsl –update, then restart LxssManager service or reboot. Reinstall the distro if needed.
• Networking issues: WSL 2 uses a virtual NIC; if port forwarding fails, use localhost from Windows to reach WSL services or update firewall rules.
• High CPU from Vmmem: That typically means a process inside WSL is consuming resources. Use htop in the distro, or limit memory/CPU for WSL with a .wslconfig file in your Windows user folder.

Q: What’s a sensible .wslconfig to limit resources?

Create a %USERPROFILE%.wslconfig file with something like:

[wsl2]
memory=6GB # Limits VM memory
processors=4 # Limits number of processors
localhostForwarding=true

Adjust based on your machine. This prevents runaway resource use while giving you predictable performance.

Q: Integration tips—editors, filesystems and Windows interop

Use Windows editors (VS Code) with the Remote – WSL extension to edit files inside the WSL filesystem without crossing the OS boundary. I do this daily: open VS Code from inside WSL using code . and it feels native.

A few rules of thumb:

• Keep code in the Linux filesystem and use Windows tools via the VS Code WSL extension.
• Only access Windows files from WSL when necessary; prefer shared mounts for binary assets.
• Share SSH keys carefully—put keys in the Linux home and forward the agent to Windows apps if needed.

Q: Security and corporate constraints (what to watch for)

Some corporate policies block virtualization features or prevent installation of unsigned kernels. If your machine is managed, talk to IT: often they can whitelist WSL or supply a compliant configuration. Don’t attempt to circumvent endpoint protection—get the exception process started.

Myth-busting: Two things most guides get wrong about wsl

Contrary to popular belief, WSL is not a drop-in VM replacement for every workload. High‑performance stateful services or GPU‑intensive tasks can still need full VMs or native Linux. And no, you won’t always get identical behaviour to a remote Linux server—kernel versions and systemd differences matter.

That said, for most development tasks—web servers, CLI tools, language runtimes—WSL 2 is functionally equivalent and dramatically more convenient.

Advanced: tuning for CI, testing and VS Code remote debugging

If you run tests or CI locally, use tmpfs for ephemeral test data, cache dependencies inside the distro, and configure your test runner to use parallelism appropriate to your .wslconfig limits. For debugging, attach VS Code’s remote debugger to processes running inside WSL; it’s fast and supports breakpoints as if running locally.

Where to learn more and official references

Official resources I use frequently:

• Microsoft WSL documentation — install steps, features and troubleshooting.
• Wikipedia entry — helpful historical and technical context.
• Ubuntu on WSL — distro‑specific tips and packages.

Final recommendations: quick checklist to make wsl actually enjoyable

• Install WSL 2 and set it as your default.
• Store projects inside the Linux filesystem; open them with VS Code Remote – WSL.
• Tune .wslconfig to cap memory/CPU if you notice Vmmem spikes.
• Exclude WSL disk files from heavyweight antivirus scans after confirming policies.
• Use Docker Desktop’s WSL integration for container workflows.
• When something breaks, check wsl –list –verbose and wsl –update before reinstalling.

Bottom line: wsl can be delightfully useful, but only if you treat it like a different environment rather than a transparent extension of Windows. Make those small, deliberate choices—where to store code, how to run containers, and how to limit resources—and you’ll save hours of frustration. If you want, I can walk through your specific setup and suggest targeted tweaks.