Getting into programming as a beginner is no easy feat. While the Internet is a library of tons and tons of resources, sometimes you run into certain obstacles ( errors ) while practicing and also learn a ton of stuff. One of those obstacles would come from being unable to run certain commands in your terminal from a Windows OS.
Most online resources offer the solution to this problem, which is quite simple WSL. The window subsystem for Linux(WSL), is a whole new world in your Windows OS, giving you the same powers you would have on a Linux system. So how do we unlock this superpower on the Windows OS and what are the benefits, challenges, and practical use cases of the Windows subsystem for Linux
*But first, The benefits *
Developers can access the power of both Windows and Linux at the same time on a Windows machine. Allowing for a complete environment. You will have heard the joke if you are serious about programming don't use a Windows
The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) lets developers install a Linux distribution (such as Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Kali, Debian, Arch Linux, etc) and use Linux applications, utilities, and Bash command-line tools directly on Windows. more power
You can perform all tasks like running docker and other heavy operations as you would on Linux without the overhead of a traditional virtual machine or dual boot setup right on the Windows OS.
*HOW DO WE ACTIVATE THIS SUPERPOWER *
One way for sure is by following the official Windows documentation so as not to run into any errors that might do some serious damage to your OS. link to documentation
You can follow along using the documentation for more info but today will be focused on how to get it up and running.
- In your Windows menu, open the PowerShell and click run as administrator once in type in the following command
wsl --install
The command will enable all WSL features necessary to run WSL and also install the default Linux distribution Ubuntu.
- Once the installation is done, it will require you to create a profile for your new superpowered system, keep in mind that this does not remove the windows from the system instead, it creates a separate partition in your system for both Linux and windows
Once done as seen in the image, the successful installation message is prompted
several times when trying to use the WSL it will prompt for your username and password, what happens when that is forgotten? Luckily there is a fix, simply head to your PowerShell of course running as administrator, and run the following command.
wsl -u root
You will be prompted to enter a new UNIX password and then confirm that password. Once you're told that the password has been updated successfully, close WSL inside of PowerShell using the command: exit.
- To make sure your new Linux system is up to date and always running properly considering that Windows does not automatically update or upgrade your Linux distribution, run the following command on your Ubuntu command line
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
SETTING UP THE WINDOWS TERMINAL AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Just like your command line interface on your Windows, let's set up something similar on our new playground to allow a friendly user interface while running and using the wsl system.
consider installing a Windows terminal from the Microsoft store
To allow for complete customization to the look and taste of the user, refer to this documentation link from the official Microsoft documentation to learn more about customizing the appearance, themes, color schemes and so much more
I mean who doesn't want to look like a badass software engineer once he opens up the terminal
Following every step listed here would have you add Windows Subsystem for Linux to your arsenal of software weapons. Doing so would also mean learning to navigate around files and folders, using code editors, and mastering the Linux command lines and methods as well as methodologies. To learn more about that refer to the official documentation that shares tips and guides on setting up docker, vs code and the likes on your new wsllearn to set up docker, work with databases, and install vscode the Linux way
See you on the other side of the terminal.
Feel free to reach out to me through the following channels
LinkedIn : Michael ukachi
Twitter : @mike_ukachi
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