Using WSL for Linux Practice on Windows

1. What WSL provides

Windows Subsystem for Linux integrates a Linux environment into Windows. WSL 2 runs distributions with a Microsoft-maintained Linux kernel in a lightweight managed virtual machine, while preserving convenient access from Windows Terminal, PowerShell, editors, and the Windows filesystem.

flowchart TD
  W["Windows host"] --> M["WSL management and lightweight VM"]
  M --> K["Linux kernel"]
  K --> D["Installed Linux distribution"]
  D --> T["Bash, tools, services, and DevOps workloads"]
  W <--> I["Process, filesystem, network, and editor interoperability"]
  I <--> D

2. Install and inspect WSL from PowerShell

Use an elevated PowerShell session for initial installation when required. The supported one-command path enables the needed Windows features and installs a default distribution. The exact restart behavior depends on the current Windows and WSL state.

# Inspect available distributions.
wsl --list --online

# Install WSL and the default distribution when WSL is not yet installed.
wsl --install

# Or choose a distribution explicitly.
wsl --install --distribution Ubuntu

# Update the WSL platform and inspect versions.
wsl --update
wsl --version

# List installed distributions and whether each uses WSL 1 or WSL 2.
wsl --list --verbose

New installations normally use WSL 2. If an existing distribution is still WSL 1, conversion is available, but back up important data before changing platform state.

# Example: convert an installed distribution to WSL 2.
wsl --set-version Ubuntu 2

# Set WSL 2 as the default for future distributions.
wsl --set-default-version 2

3. First launch and Linux identity

The first launch expands the distribution filesystem and asks you to create a Linux user. This account is separate from the Windows account even when names are similar.

# Run inside the WSL distribution.
whoami
id
cat /etc/os-release
uname -srmo

# Confirm WSL-related kernel and environment evidence.
grep -i microsoft /proc/version || true
printf 'WSL_DISTRO_NAME=%s\n' "${WSL_DISTRO_NAME:-not-set}"
printf 'WSL_INTEROP=%s\n' "${WSL_INTEROP:-not-set}"

# Update the selected distribution using its package manager.
if command -v apt-get >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  sudo apt-get update
  sudo apt-get upgrade
elif command -v dnf >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  sudo dnf upgrade --refresh
fi

4. systemd support and WSL lifecycle

Current WSL supports systemd, and the default Ubuntu installed by the standard WSL installation path may already use it. Verify rather than assume:

ps -p 1 -o pid,comm,args
systemctl is-system-running 2>/dev/null || true
systemctl list-units --type=service --state=running --no-pager 2>/dev/null | head

For a distribution where systemd is installed but not enabled, Microsoft documents the following WSL configuration:

# /etc/wsl.conf
[boot]
systemd=true

After changing /etc/wsl.conf, shut down WSL from PowerShell with wsl --shutdown, then relaunch the distribution. A key difference remains: background systemd services do not necessarily keep a WSL instance alive in the same way a continuously running server VM remains powered on.

5. Store projects in the correct filesystem

mkdir -p "$HOME/projects"
cd "$HOME/projects"

# Open this Linux directory in Windows Explorer.
explorer.exe .

# Invoke a Windows program from Linux.
powershell.exe -NoProfile -Command 'Get-Date'

# Invoke a Linux command from PowerShell using: wsl uname -a

6. Networking and localhost interoperability

WSL networking has evolved across Windows and WSL versions. Many local development services are reachable through localhost, but firewall policy, VPN software, mirrored versus NAT networking, and corporate controls can affect behavior.

# Inside WSL: inspect Linux addresses, routes, DNS, and listeners.
ip -brief address
ip route
cat /etc/resolv.conf
ss -lntup

# Start a temporary local web server for a connectivity test.
mkdir -p "$HOME/devops-academy/wsl-web-test"
printf 'WSL test\n' > "$HOME/devops-academy/wsl-web-test/index.html"
cd "$HOME/devops-academy/wsl-web-test"
python3 -m http.server 8000 --bind 127.0.0.1

Open http://localhost:8000 from Windows while the server runs. Binding only to loopback avoids exposing the test service broadly. Stop it with Ctrl+C.

7. Back up and reproduce a WSL distribution

WSL distributions can be exported and imported. Export before major experiments, conversions, or cleanup. Use a destination with enough free disk space and protect archives that may contain credentials or source code.

# Discover the exact registered distribution name.
wsl --list --verbose

# Stop running WSL instances for a consistent export.
wsl --shutdown

# Export a distribution to a tar archive.
wsl --export Ubuntu D:\WSL-Backups\Ubuntu-baseline.tar

# Inspect commands and options supported by the installed WSL version.
wsl --help

8. Which academy labs fit WSL?

9. Hands-on lab: produce a WSL suitability report

lab="$HOME/devops-academy/linux/chapter02/lesson03"
mkdir -p "$lab"
cd "$lab"

{
  printf '=== distribution and kernel ===\n'
  cat /etc/os-release
  uname -a

  printf '\n=== WSL evidence ===\n'
  printf 'WSL_DISTRO_NAME=%s\n' "${WSL_DISTRO_NAME:-not-set}"
  grep -i microsoft /proc/version || true

  printf '\n=== init and systemd ===\n'
  ps -p 1 -o pid,comm,args
  systemctl is-system-running 2>/dev/null || true

  printf '\n=== filesystem locations ===\n'
  findmnt -T "$HOME"
  findmnt -T /mnt/c 2>/dev/null || true

  printf '\n=== network ===\n'
  ip -brief address
  ip route

  printf '\n=== interoperability ===\n'
  command -v powershell.exe || true
  command -v explorer.exe || true
} > wsl-suitability-report.txt

less wsl-suitability-report.txt

10. Common WSL mistakes

11. Knowledge check

12. Summary

WSL 2 is a high-value Windows development environment with a real Linux kernel, package-managed distributions, systemd support, and strong interoperability. Keep Linux projects in the Linux filesystem, understand WSL-specific networking and lifecycle behavior, export before risky changes, and retain a full VM for boot, storage, and machine-level administration labs.

13. Further reading

• Microsoft Learn: Install WSL — supported installation and distribution-management commands.
• Microsoft Learn: Basic commands for WSL — listing, conversion, export, import, and lifecycle operations.
• Microsoft Learn: Set up a WSL development environment — filesystem placement, editors, Git, databases, and tooling.
• Microsoft Learn: Use systemd to manage Linux services with WSL.
• Microsoft WSL documentation and release notes — current networking and platform behavior.