WSL
A real Linux kernel running alongside Windows — the standard way to develop Linux workloads on Windows.
Definition
Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 runs a Microsoft-maintained Linux kernel inside a lightweight VM with deep filesystem and networking integration. Most cross-platform developer tools — Docker Desktop, Claude Code on Windows, Node, Python, Go — work best with WSL. WSL2 replaced WSL1, which translated syscalls instead of running a real kernel.
When to use
See also
- Git Bash — A POSIX-style bash shell for Windows bundled with Git for Windows — the default Unix-ish terminal on Windows dev machines.
- Docker Desktop — The official Docker GUI for macOS, Windows, and Linux — bundles the engine, CLI, Compose, and a Kubernetes node.