Windows Subsystem for Linux

E195480

Microsoft software component compatibility layer subsystem

Windows Subsystem for Linux is a compatibility layer in Windows that enables users to run native Linux command-line tools and applications directly on Windows without a traditional virtual machine or dual-boot setup.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Disambiguation Statements Elicitation Referenced by

All labels observed (14)

Label	Occurrences
WSL	3
Windows Subsystem for Linux canonical	3
Bash on Ubuntu on Windows	1
Debian on WSL2	1
Fedora Remix for WSL	1
Ubuntu for WSL	1
Ubuntu on WSL2	1
WSL 1	1
WSL 2	1
Windows (via WSL2)	1
Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) preview	1
Windows Subsystem for Linux (beta)	1
Windows Subsystem for Linux 2	1
Windows Subsystem for Linux version 2	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T1761973 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Windows Subsystem for Linux
Context triple: [Windows 10, feature, Windows Subsystem for Linux]

A. WSL
WSL is a Swiss research institute specializing in the sustainable use and protection of terrestrial environments such as forests, landscapes, and natural hazards.
B. Linux
Linux is a widely used open-source Unix-like operating system kernel that powers servers, desktops, mobile devices, and embedded systems around the world.
C. Cygwin
Cygwin is a compatibility layer that provides a Unix-like environment and command-line tools for Microsoft Windows, enabling users to run and build POSIX-compliant software on the Windows platform.
D. Linux Mint
Linux Mint is a popular, user-friendly Linux distribution based on Ubuntu (and sometimes Debian), known for its traditional desktop interface and ease of use for newcomers.
E. Ubuntu
Ubuntu is a popular, user-friendly Linux distribution widely used on desktops, servers, and in cloud environments.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Windows Subsystem for Linux
Target entity description: Windows Subsystem for Linux is a compatibility layer in Windows that enables users to run native Linux command-line tools and applications directly on Windows without a traditional virtual machine or dual-boot setup.

A. WSL
WSL is a Swiss research institute specializing in the sustainable use and protection of terrestrial environments such as forests, landscapes, and natural hazards.
B. Linux
Linux is a widely used open-source Unix-like operating system kernel that powers servers, desktops, mobile devices, and embedded systems around the world.
C. Cygwin
Cygwin is a compatibility layer that provides a Unix-like environment and command-line tools for Microsoft Windows, enabling users to run and build POSIX-compliant software on the Windows platform.
D. Linux Mint
Linux Mint is a popular, user-friendly Linux distribution based on Ubuntu (and sometimes Debian), known for its traditional desktop interface and ease of use for newcomers.
E. Ubuntu
Ubuntu is a popular, user-friendly Linux distribution widely used on desktops, servers, and in cloud environments.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (53)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Microsoft software component ⓘ compatibility layer ⓘ subsystem ⓘ
allows	running native Linux binaries on Windows ⓘ
architecture	user-mode subsystem ⓘ
category	Windows component ⓘ
commandLineTool	wsl.exe ⓘ
componentOf	Windows features ⓘ linked to: Windows Features dialog
developer	Microsoft ⓘ
distributionChannel	Microsoft Store ⓘ Windows Features control panel ⓘ linked to: Windows Features dialog
doesNotRequire	dual-boot setup ⓘ traditional virtual machine ⓘ
fileSystemIntegration	access to Linux file system from Windows ⓘ access to Windows file system from Linux environment ⓘ
initialAvailability	Windows 10 Anniversary Update ⓘ linked to: Windows 10
initialReleaseYear	2016 ⓘ
license	proprietary with open-source components ⓘ
operatingSystem	Windows 10 ⓘ Windows 11 ⓘ
runsOn	Windows ⓘ
shortName	WSL ⓘ linked to: Windows Subsystem for Linux
supports	Bash shell ⓘ GNU userland tools ⓘ linked to: GNU userland Linux applications ⓘ Linux command-line tools ⓘ Linux distributions ⓘ Linux networking tools ⓘ development toolchains ⓘ interoperability between Windows and Linux commands ⓘ package managers of Linux distributions ⓘ running multiple Linux distributions side by side ⓘ
supportsDistribution	AlmaLinux ⓘ Debian ⓘ Fedora Remix for WSL ⓘ linked to: Windows Subsystem for Linux Kali Linux ⓘ Oracle Linux ⓘ Rocky Linux ⓘ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server ⓘ linked to: SUSE Ubuntu ⓘ openSUSE ⓘ
targetUser	developers ⓘ power users ⓘ system administrators ⓘ
useCase	DevOps workflows ⓘ education and learning Linux ⓘ software development ⓘ system administration ⓘ
version	WSL 1 ⓘ linked to: Windows Subsystem for Linux WSL 2 ⓘ linked to: Windows Subsystem for Linux
WSL1Architecture	translation layer between Linux system calls and Windows NT kernel ⓘ
WSL2Architecture	lightweight virtual machine with real Linux kernel ⓘ
WSL2Kernel	Microsoft-built Linux kernel ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (18)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Windows 10 → feature → Windows Subsystem for Linux ⓘ

Cygwin → competesWith → Windows Subsystem for Linux ⓘ

WSL → shortName → WSL ⓘ