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Chandrashekar SK
Chandrashekar SK

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Using WSL2 as primary driver for 3 months with Fedora

Introduction

It all started when I stumbled upon an article about Windows Subsystem for Linux being released and is fun. I wanted to give it a try and I installed Ubuntu 18.04 and started using it on and off. I immediately fell in love with the way it works. After that I had to get OS reinstalled for some reason and left at it. Couple of months later, I wanted to give it a try again but Fedora this time. Whey Fedora? you may ask. Since most time we use Red hat, Amazon Linux in our deployments I wanted to have familiar commands and add to that we all know Fedora is cutting edge latest.

Fedora Article: Install Fedora On WSL

I followed the steps and bam. Fedora 39 running on my Windows 11 like native OS. I could access files directly using File Explorer.

Image description

I quickly installed npm, .NET, git and started using it as daily driver. However, when I go home the WSL would lose internet connection. I found out I needed to edit /etc/resolv.conf and add nameservers of my organization and Google DNS.

Git commit and sync took quick 1 to 3 to seconds that used to take 5 to 10 seconds on the Windows machine. npm install was way faster than what Windows used to take. It was like getting an upgraded machine without any money spent.

Pros

  1. Windows-Linux interoperability: Most organizations use Windows for mail, teams and are easier to maintain with AD connectivity and windows updates. Linux running natively on Windows is a boon.
  2. Linux file system being generally faster improves performance by 10 to 30%
  3. Familiar commands during dev and prod deployments.
  4. Windows ports are forwarded automatically to Linux Processes.
  5. Windows can still scan the Linux folders for vulnerabilities
  6. I can run docker/podman (we all know Docker Desktop needs a license to run on Windows)

Cons:

  1. The only issue I am facing right now is that the longer I use, feels the WSL is slowing down.

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