WSL 2 on Windows 10 and 11: Install Linux and Set Up Developer Environment

WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) runs a real Linux directly in Windows — no dual boot, no full VM. For developers it's a game-changer.

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Install WSL 2

# One command — installs WSL 2 + Ubuntu
wsl --install

Restart → Ubuntu launches and asks to create a user.

Choose a different distro

wsl --list --online          # See available
wsl --install -d Debian
wsl --install -d Ubuntu-24.04
wsl --install -d kali-linux

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First Ubuntu Setup

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

sudo apt install -y \
    git curl wget \
    build-essential \
    python3 python3-pip \
    nodejs npm

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"

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File Access

From Linux to Windows files

ls /mnt/c/Users/
cd /mnt/c/Users/YourName/Documents

From Windows to Linux files

\\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\username\

Open Linux folder in Explorer

explorer.exe .

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VS Code Integration

1. Install Remote - WSL extension
2. In WSL terminal:

code .

VS Code opens with Linux backend — extensions, terminal and files all in Linux.

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Docker in WSL 2

1. Install Docker Desktop
2. Settings → Resources → WSL Integration → enable Ubuntu

docker --version
docker run hello-world
docker compose up -d

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Limit RAM Usage

# C:\Users\YourName\.wslconfig
[wsl2]
memory=4GB
processors=4
swap=2GB

wsl --shutdown  # Apply changes

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Performance Tip

Store projects in Linux filesystem for best speed:

# ✅ Fast — in Linux
~/projects/myapp

# ❌ Slow — via Windows mount
/mnt/c/Users/user/projects/myapp

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Key WSL Commands

wsl --list --verbose       # List distros
wsl --shutdown             # Stop WSL
wsl --terminate Ubuntu     # Stop specific distro
wsl --set-default Ubuntu   # Set default
wsl ls -la /home           # Run Linux command from PowerShell
wsl --set-version Ubuntu 2 # Convert a WSL 1 distro to WSL 2
wsl --export Ubuntu-24.04 "C:\Backup\ubuntu-backup.tar"   # Backup a distro
wsl --import Ubuntu-Restored "C:\WSL\Ubuntu" "C:\Backup\ubuntu-backup.tar"  # Restore from backup
wsl --unregister Ubuntu-24.04  # Remove a distro

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Summary

Step	Command
Install WSL + Ubuntu	wsl --install
Update packages	sudo apt update && upgrade
Open in VS Code	code . (from Linux folder)
Limit RAM	.wslconfig → memory=4GB
Stop WSL	wsl --shutdown
Windows files	/mnt/c/Users/...