Blog¶

wsl.conf vs .wslconfig: What’s the Difference and Why Both Matter

My WSL overview begins with a look at its main configurations. These files provide the big picture of what WSL can do and how to control its behavior, both for the overall WSL environment and for individual Linux instances.

Throughout this text, I will use the term instance to distinguish between two related concepts. A distribution is an archive containing the rootfs of the operating system being installed. An instance is a system that has been installed from a distribution and is ready to run (or already running).

About the Blog

About a year ago, I decided to start learning again and chose the DevOps direction. I no longer had access to infrastructure where I could deploy projects and experiment, so I began looking for a convenient way to work locally.

At first, I tried VirtualBox, but quickly realized that it wasn’t for me. Setting up environments took too much time, and the resources of my Surface simply weren’t enough for comfortable work.

Then I turned my attention to WSL, specifically its second version. It proved to be exactly what I needed: easy installation and setup, fast deployment of instances, integration with Windows and VS Code, and at the same time the feeling of working on Linux. Since then, I have been using WSL daily for learning, experiments, and projects.