wsl2 config

I have being using wsl2 for development for like 4 years i tested arch and other linux but i still find the Ubuntu 24 still more stable for work

here my wsl2 setup to share
https://github.com/karleeov/wslsetup

WSL2 can deliver near-native Linux performance on Windows when configured correctly. This post documents a proven configuration optimized for a workstation with an Intel i9-12900 (16C/24T) and 128GB RAM. It includes the global .wslconfig, per-distro /etc/wsl.conf, rationale for each setting, and reproducible setup steps.

Note: Settings are safe defaults for heavy development. Adjust to your hardware and workload.

Hardware profile and targets

• CPU: Intel i9-12900 (16 cores, 24 threads)
• RAM: 128GB
• WSL allocation: 64GB RAM, 20 CPU cores
• Goals: fast builds/containers, stable networking, WSLg apps, GPU access, sane memory reclaim

Global WSL2 config (Windows) — .wslconfig

Place at %UserProfile%\.wslconfig (for example C:\Users\YOUR_USER\.wslconfig). Applies to all WSL2 distros.

# WSL2 Global Configuration
# Settings apply across all Linux distros running on WSL 2
# Place this file at: %UserProfile%\.wslconfig (C:\Users\li_sz\.wslconfig)

[wsl2]
# Memory allocation - With 128GB RAM, allocate generous amount for development
# Using 64GB (50%) for heavy development workloads
memory=64GB

# CPU cores - Using 20 of 24 logical processors for optimal performance
# Leaving 4 cores for Windows host system
processors=20

# Network settings for better connectivity
localhostForwarding=true
networkingMode=mirrored

# DNS and proxy settings for better internet connectivity
dnsProxy=true
autoProxy=true

# Swap configuration for memory management
swap=2GB

# Enable GUI applications (WSLg) for development tools
guiApplications=true

# Enable nested virtualization for Docker/containers
nestedVirtualization=true

# VM idle timeout (60 seconds) to balance performance and resource usage
vmIdleTimeout=60000

# Firewall settings for development
firewall=true

# Enable DNS tunneling for better name resolution
dnsTunneling=true

# Experimental features for better performance
[experimental]
# Automatic memory reclaim for better host system performance
autoMemoryReclaim=gradual

# Sparse VHD for efficient disk usage
sparseVhd=true

# Better DNS parsing
bestEffortDnsParsing=true

# Auto proxy timeout for corporate environments
initialAutoProxyTimeout=1000

Why these choices:

• memory=64GB: ample headroom for compilers, databases, ML, containers; adjust down on smaller hosts.
• processors=20: reserves 4 logical CPUs for Windows UI/background tasks to keep the host responsive.
• networkingMode=mirrored + localhostForwarding=true: simpler, more reliable networking and service access across host/guest.
• dnsProxy, autoProxy, dnsTunneling, bestEffortDnsParsing: resilient name resolution, especially in corporate networks/VPNs.
• swap=2GB: prevents abrupt OOM with modest overhead; increase if workloads spike memory.
• guiApplications=true: WSLg enables Linux GUI apps.
• nestedVirtualization=true: better Docker/VM-in-WSL scenarios.
• vmIdleTimeout=60000: power/perf balance; increase if WSL shuts down too eagerly during pauses.
• [experimental].autoMemoryReclaim=gradual: returns idle memory to Windows over time.
• sparseVhd=true: reduces VHD growth; compacts better over time.
• firewall=true: routes through Windows Firewall for consistent policy.

Per-distro config (Linux) — /etc/wsl.conf

Copy this into each distro at /etc/wsl.conf. Tailor the [user] section to your username.

# Sample wsl.conf - Copy this to /etc/wsl.conf in your WSL distributions
# This file configures per-distribution settings

[boot]
# Enable systemd for modern Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Arch, etc.)
systemd=true

# Optional: Run commands on boot (uncomment and modify as needed)
# Examples:
# command="service docker start"
# command="service ssh start && service nginx start"

[automount]
# Enable automatic mounting of Windows drives
enabled=true

# Mount Windows drives under /mnt (default) or change to your preference
root=/mnt

# Set proper permissions and metadata support
# uid=1000,gid=1000 should match your Linux user ID
options="metadata,uid=1000,gid=1000,umask=0022,fmask=0111,case=off"

# Process /etc/fstab for additional mounts
mountFsTab=true

[network]
# Generate /etc/hosts automatically
generateHosts=true

# Generate /etc/resolv.conf automatically
generateResolvConf=true

# Set hostname (optional - uncomment to customize)
# hostname=dev-machine

[interop]
# Enable Windows/Linux interoperability
enabled=true

# Add Windows PATH to Linux PATH
appendWindowsPath=true

[user]
# Set default user (replace with your actual username)
# Find your username with: whoami
# default=yourusername

[gpu]
# Enable GPU access for development and ML workloads
enabled=true

[time]
# Sync timezone with Windows
useWindowsTimezone=true

Key notes:

• systemd=true: enables modern service management (systemctl).
• [automount] with metadata and uid/gid: correct permissions on /mnt/c/....
• mountFsTab=true: honors custom mounts via /etc/fstab.
• appendWindowsPath=true: convenient access to Windows tools from Linux.
• [gpu].enabled=true: unlocks CUDA/DirectML where supported.
• [user]: set default= to your Linux username to avoid root logins.

Setup — automated or manual

Automated (recommended):

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
.\setup.ps1

Manual:

1) Apply global config

Copy-Item "C:\Users\li_sz\wslsetup\.wslconfig" "$env:USERPROFILE\.wslconfig" -Force
wsl --shutdown
Start-Sleep -Seconds 8

2) Configure each distro

# Example for Ubuntu; repeat for Arch/Kali/NixOS by changing the name
wsl -d Ubuntu-24.04
sudo cp /mnt/c/Users/li_sz/wslsetup/wsl.conf /etc/wsl.conf
sudo nano /etc/wsl.conf   # set [user].default to your username

3) Final restart

wsl --shutdown
Start-Sleep -Seconds 8

Verify

free -h            # memory accounting
nproc              # CPU cores available
lscpu              # CPU details
df -h              # disk space
systemctl status   # systemd active?
ls -la /mnt/       # windows drives
ip addr show       # interfaces
ping google.com    # outbound connectivity
nvidia-smi         # GPU (if NVIDIA)

Windows-side diagnostics:

wsl --status
wsl --list --verbose
wsl --version


please comment if you have idea how to develop better on wsl2 working environment

Expected results

• Build times: significant improvements vs default WSL2 (fewer stalls under load).
• Memory behavior: stable under large compiles/containers; unused memory gradually returned to Windows.
• Networking: mirror mode produces fewer surprises on VPNs and corporate Wi-Fi.
• File I/O: consistent experience accessing Windows paths via /mnt.

Troubleshooting

• WSL won’t start: confirm wsl --version and Windows features are enabled.
• Memory limits ignored: ensure .wslconfig resides in your user profile, then wsl --shutdown.
• DNS/Network: restart WSL and verify generateResolvConf=true; watch for VPN DNS overrides.
• Permissions under /mnt: confirm options="metadata,uid=1000,gid=1000,..." and your UID/GID.

Tips

• Use Arch for cutting-edge dev, Ubuntu 24.04 for stability, Kali for security work, NixOS for reproducibility.
• Monitor with htop, iotop, and Windows Task Manager to fine-tune memory/processors.
• For container-heavy work, consider increasing swap to 4–8GB if builds occasionally OOM.

This configuration balances raw performance with host stability and is a solid baseline for demanding daily development on Windows 11 with WSL2.