Isn't WSL2 just a VM?
2 days ago
- #Windows Subsystem for Linux
- #WSL
- #Virtualization
- Windows NT subsystems are API sets for supporting programs from other operating systems through lightweight call translations.
- WSL1 is a thin translation layer with minimal memory overhead but suffers from performance issues in I/O-heavy scenarios.
- WSL2 is a full-blown Linux VM on Hyper-V, offering better performance but with higher memory usage and slower startup.
- WSL2 dynamically allocates memory, integrates with Windows, and allows running a real Linux kernel.
- File management in WSL2 is challenging as work is stored in a single VHDX file, making it fragile.
- WSL2 provides seamless integration with Windows, including GUI apps via WSLg, though with some limitations.
- Both WSL1 and WSL2 have trade-offs: WSL1 is lightweight but limited, while WSL2 is more capable but resource-intensive.