Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 To Offer Faster I/O Performance, Native Docker Containers

In addition to the Windows Terminal app, Microsoft announced from their Build 2019 conference that Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) will be coming out this summer.

The main limitation of Windows Subsystem for Linux on Windows 10 to date has been the slow I/O performance. With WSL2, that will at least be partially overcome. Microsoft says Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 will offer faster I/O, but just how fast remains to be seen. It will certainly be interesting to benchmark. Already the existing WSL implementation is fast for CPU/system performance so if the I/O / storage performance is now in order, this could be quite promising for those stuck to using WSL for your Linux fix on Windows.

The other big change with WSL2 is offering native support for Docker. This will allow Docker containers to run natively on Windows without needing any extra software.

Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 will be out later this year while the insider builds should begin rolling out next month.

More details on the Windows blog.

Microsoft says that the WSL2 implementation is based on a "Linux 4.19" kernel.