For instance, you cannot access GPUs in WSL. Not all hardware resources are available in WSL. You can also check this community maintained list of programs that work (and those that don't) under the WSL. You can track the updates of WSL by following the WSL blog. While many Linux programs runs fine under WSL, it does have its limitations:īecause not all system calls have been implemented, not all Linux programs will run flawlessly under WSL. You no longer need the overhead to boot up a virtual machine (or even worse, switching between Windows and Linux on a dual boot system). Therefore, WSL can be very convenient if you need to run some Linux only program in a Windows development environment. Basically, it is like a 'wine' on Windows for Linux executables. It implements a compatibility layer that translates Linux system calls to Windows system calls.
It enables running unmodified Linux binaries in Windows without creating a virtual machine. Window Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is an optional feature of Windows 10. What is Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)?
