Microsoft has announced the open-sourcing of its Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), addressing a long-standing request from the developer community. The announcement was made at the Build 2025 developer conference, marking a significant milestone in Microsoft’s relationship with open-source contributors.
WSL allows users to run Linux distributions natively on Windows, facilitating seamless integration between Linux tools and the Windows environment. Initially launched at Build 2016 and included in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, WSL has become essential for developers needing Linux utilities and applications without leaving the Windows platform.
The primary motivation behind WSL was to provide developers, particularly web developers and those working with open-source systems, a direct method to run Linux tools alongside Windows apps. This eliminated the need for dual-booting or intensive virtual machines, thus streamlining workflows.
Microsoft’s move to open-source the majority of WSL’s code on GitHub under the MIT License signifies years of community requests, with the first inquiry about open-sourcing WSL dating back to 2016. The open-sourced components include command-line tools and service applications that manage WSL’s functionalities, enhancing the overall user experience.
The evolution of WSL has seen significant changes since its first version, which utilized a compatibility layer. The introduction of WSL 2, featuring a complete Linux kernel in a lightweight virtual machine, improved performance and compatibility, allowing users to run graphical Linux interfaces.
Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft corporate VP for Windows, explained that the decision to open-source took considerable time due to the fundamental architectural changes required to separate WSL from the core Windows codebase.
Now, over a dozen popular Linux distributions like Fedora, Debian, and Ubuntu are available on WSL, enabling users to run various distros simultaneously or switch between them with relative ease.
Developers interested in learning more can access the WSL project on its GitHub page.
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