Microsoft has introduced official Fedora Linux builds for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), further expanding its support for Linux distributions. This move follows the recent addition of Arch Linux and AlmaLinux builds, which began rolling out in late April. While Arch Linux updates are scheduled to be released monthly, Fedora and AlmaLinux builds will follow their respective release cycles.
These new distributions join the extensive list of Linux systems available through the WSL repository, including Debian GNU/Linux, Ubuntu, openSUSE Leap, Kali Linux, and more. Installation is simplified and requires only one command on Windows. For example, users can run wsl --install FedoraLinux-42 or wsl --install archlinux to quickly set up their preferred distribution.
The builds use a new format designed to simplify distribution. Instead of relying on the Microsoft Store or being packaged in appx format, the distributions are delivered as tar archives.
Each archive includes a system environment and a configuration file (/etc/wsl-distribution.conffile). The file contains basic metadata such as the distribution name, icon, default user ID, and setup scripts for initial startup. This approach eliminates the need for Windows-specific code in the build. So developers can distribute Linux environments directly from their Linux servers.
WSL continues to provide a robust Linux kernel-based virtual machine optimized for performance on Windows. The kernel, which is based on 6.6 or 5.15, includes WSL-specific improvements such as reduced startup times, efficient memory usage, and the ability to reclaim memory freed by Linux processes for Windows. Each Linux distribution runs in a dedicated disk image. The images use the ext4 file system and connect to Windows via a virtual network adapter.
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