Microsoft Opens Windows Subsystem for Linux to Developer Community

Microsoft has officially open-sourced its Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), a significant milestone that allows developers worldwide to access, modify, and contribute to the WSL codebase. This marks a pivotal shift in how Microsoft engages with the developer community, fostering collaboration and innovation around the integration of Linux environments within Windows.

Originally launched in 2016 as part of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, WSL has undergone extensive evolution. Initially, it relied on a pico process provider (lxcore.sys) to run Linux ELF executables natively by implementing Linux system calls inside the Windows kernel. However, to achieve optimal compatibility and performance, Microsoft transitioned to using the actual Linux kernel within WSL.

In 2019, Microsoft released WSL 2, which introduced GPU support and separated WSL from the Windows operating system codebase. This separation was crucial to enable faster updates and accommodate the growing demands of the developer community. The latest Windows 11 24H2 update fully transitions WSL to a standalone package, further decoupling it from the OS and facilitating independent development and deployment.

By open-sourcing WSL on GitHub, Microsoft empowers developers to download the source code, build it themselves, and contribute fixes or new features. This openness is expected to accelerate improvements in WSL’s performance and integration with Linux services, addressing long-standing requests from the developer community.

Windows chief Pavan Davuluri emphasized that the goal is to make Windows a premier development platform, stating, “We want Windows to be a great dev box for developers.” The open-source release of WSL is a strategic step toward that ambition, enabling a collaborative ecosystem where community contributions can directly influence the feature set and stability of WSL.

This development not only enhances the flexibility and power of WSL but also signals Microsoft’s commitment to open-source principles and developer engagement. For organizations and developers relying on cross-platform tools and workflows, the open-source WSL offers new opportunities to customize and optimize their environments, driving productivity and innovation.

In summary, the open-sourcing of WSL is a transformative step that:

• Grants developers direct access to WSL’s source code for customization and enhancement
• Facilitates faster iteration and deployment of new features independent of Windows OS updates
• Encourages community-driven improvements in performance and Linux integration
• Strengthens Windows as a versatile and developer-friendly platform for cross-platform development

As WSL continues to evolve with community input, developers and enterprises can expect a more robust, flexible, and high-performance Linux experience on Windows, unlocking new possibilities for software development and operations.