Stateless Code | Install Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) and Set Up Remote Development for Visual Studio Code @StatelessCode | Uploaded January 2024 | Updated October 2024, 4 hours ago.
We have hundreds of coding videos here at Stateless Code, but almost all of them are recorded using the Ubuntu Linux distribution. We've invited you to code along, but maybe you're having trouble taking that first step because you're a Windows user and you don't know how to set up a development environment on Windows.
We've got good news! It has never been easier to set up a development environment on Windows. When I started learning Ruby, I would use VirtualBox to run a desktop version of Linux. In 2016, Windows released the first version of Windows Subsystem for Linux. It was a major improvement over needing to work on a desktop virtual machine guest, but it was still a bit clunky. Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 became generally available in 2020, and the experience for installing it has improved since then to the point where you can get it installed using one command on administrator PowerShell:
wsl --install
Once you run that command and reboot, you will be prompted to set your UNIX username and password for Ubuntu, and you're off and running!
But wait, there's more! If you have Visual Studio Code installed on Windows, you can install the Remote Development extension pack and interact with your Linux distribution from your Windows code editor.
After a few minutes, you can be up and running and code along with Stateless Code!
This video covers:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:34 Launch PowerShell as an administrator and execute `wsl --install` to begin the install process
00:04:20 Alternatives for manual installation if you don't want the default Ubuntu distribution
00:05:09 Reboot. Remaining portion of the Ubuntu install autolaunches when you log back in.
00:05:29 Increase the font size in the terminal and set the UNIX username and password
00:06:41 Update the software on Ubuntu with `sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y`
00:07:22 Review the documentation on setting up a WSL development environment
00:08:46 Install Visual Studio Code on Windows (skip if already installed)
00:09:38 Launch VS Code and install the Remote Development extension pack
00:11:00 Re-launch VS Code and open the remote window to connect to WSL
00:12:05 Clone a Git repo in Linux and open it in the VS Code remote window
00:14:27 Quick overview of how preferences can be set at the Remote WSL level
00:15:24 Concluding thoughts
#codecast #screencast #github #opensource #softwaredevelopment #learntocode #windows #linux #wsl #wsl2 #ubuntu #windowssubsystemforlinux #vscode #visualstudiocode #remotedevelopment #powershell #unix
See other related StatelessCode videos:
- Setup and Configuration video playlist youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9kkbu1kLUeNWCKuMbpzE8r1xkx8L1Xf0
Resources that we relied upon for this solution:
- How to install Linux on Windows with WSL learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install
- Manual installation steps for older versions of WSL learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-manual
- Set up a WSL development environment learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/setup/environment
- Troubleshooting Windows Subsystem for Linux learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/troubleshooting
This video is CC0 - No rights reserved. (YouTube doesn't allow this option when publishing.) All code is released under the UNLICENSE. Stateless Code denies the concept of "intellectual property". Copying is not stealing.
We have hundreds of coding videos here at Stateless Code, but almost all of them are recorded using the Ubuntu Linux distribution. We've invited you to code along, but maybe you're having trouble taking that first step because you're a Windows user and you don't know how to set up a development environment on Windows.
We've got good news! It has never been easier to set up a development environment on Windows. When I started learning Ruby, I would use VirtualBox to run a desktop version of Linux. In 2016, Windows released the first version of Windows Subsystem for Linux. It was a major improvement over needing to work on a desktop virtual machine guest, but it was still a bit clunky. Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 became generally available in 2020, and the experience for installing it has improved since then to the point where you can get it installed using one command on administrator PowerShell:
wsl --install
Once you run that command and reboot, you will be prompted to set your UNIX username and password for Ubuntu, and you're off and running!
But wait, there's more! If you have Visual Studio Code installed on Windows, you can install the Remote Development extension pack and interact with your Linux distribution from your Windows code editor.
After a few minutes, you can be up and running and code along with Stateless Code!
This video covers:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:34 Launch PowerShell as an administrator and execute `wsl --install` to begin the install process
00:04:20 Alternatives for manual installation if you don't want the default Ubuntu distribution
00:05:09 Reboot. Remaining portion of the Ubuntu install autolaunches when you log back in.
00:05:29 Increase the font size in the terminal and set the UNIX username and password
00:06:41 Update the software on Ubuntu with `sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade -y`
00:07:22 Review the documentation on setting up a WSL development environment
00:08:46 Install Visual Studio Code on Windows (skip if already installed)
00:09:38 Launch VS Code and install the Remote Development extension pack
00:11:00 Re-launch VS Code and open the remote window to connect to WSL
00:12:05 Clone a Git repo in Linux and open it in the VS Code remote window
00:14:27 Quick overview of how preferences can be set at the Remote WSL level
00:15:24 Concluding thoughts
#codecast #screencast #github #opensource #softwaredevelopment #learntocode #windows #linux #wsl #wsl2 #ubuntu #windowssubsystemforlinux #vscode #visualstudiocode #remotedevelopment #powershell #unix
See other related StatelessCode videos:
- Setup and Configuration video playlist youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9kkbu1kLUeNWCKuMbpzE8r1xkx8L1Xf0
Resources that we relied upon for this solution:
- How to install Linux on Windows with WSL learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install
- Manual installation steps for older versions of WSL learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-manual
- Set up a WSL development environment learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/setup/environment
- Troubleshooting Windows Subsystem for Linux learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/troubleshooting
This video is CC0 - No rights reserved. (YouTube doesn't allow this option when publishing.) All code is released under the UNLICENSE. Stateless Code denies the concept of "intellectual property". Copying is not stealing.
