My WSL2 Setup

August 18, 2024

How I set up my development environment on Windows WSL v2 for working with rust, python, node js and other tools, I no longer need to overpay for a Mac!

Coming from a Mac environment, I was used to having a Unix-like shell and a package manager that made it easy to install and manage the software I need on a daily basis. But I grew tired of the silly high prices from Apple.

I tried using the WSL, and everything changed. I no longer need to pay the Apple tax to have a Unix-like environment. I can use Windows for both fun and work.

Setup WSL v2

WSL stands for Windows Subsystem for Linux. It's a compatibility layer that enables you to run Linux environments directly on Windows. This means you can use Linux tools, utilities, and applications seamlessly on your Windows system without the need for a virtual machine.

This is a short guide on how I set up my development environment on Windows WSL v2 for working with rust, python, node js, and other tools.

Install the Windows Terminal from the Microsoft Store - this allows you to have multiple tabs with different shells
make sure WSL v2 is set up correctly - on a Windows shell type
```
wsl --status
```
and check that the default version is 2.
Create a disk partition where to install a Linux distribution for WSL2 - I mounted the partition in the D drive
Install a Linux distribution from the Microsoft Store - I use Ubuntu 24.04 LTS - Install it in the dedicated disk partition if you can
If you cannot install to the dedicated partition, you can export the distribution and import it in the new location
- wsl --export Ubuntu-24.04 D:\ubuntu24_backup.tar
- wsl --import Ubuntu-24.04-2 D:\WSL\Ubuntu-24.04 D:\ubuntu24_backup.tar
Set the distribution as your default - wsl --set-default Ubuntu-24.04-2
Create a new user
- sudo adduser luca
- sudo usermod -aG sudo luca
- vim /etc/wsl.conf `and add the following lines to set the default user
```
[user]
default=your_username
```
restart WSL2 wsl --shutdown

Setup the Linux environment

Update the system sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Install the tools, this is what is needed for pyenv (see below), protobuf and other tools I use

sudo apt install \
  keychain \
  build-essential \
  protobuf-compiler \
  libssl-dev \
  zlib1g-dev \
  libbz2-dev \
  libreadline-dev \
  libsqlite3-dev \
  curl \
  git \
  libncursesw5-dev \
  xz-utils \
  tk-dev \
  libxml2-dev \
  libxmlsec1-dev \
  libffi-dev \
  liblzma-dev \
  just

Setup the shell

My .bash_aliases file

export PYENV_ROOT="$HOME/.pyenv"
export PATH="$PYENV_ROOT/bin:$PYENV_ROOT/shims:$PATH"
alias py="pyenv exec python"
# For Loading the SSH key
export HOST=luca-machine
keychain -q --nogui ${HOME}/.ssh/id_ed25519
source ${HOME}/.keychain/${HOST}-sh

Allows to use py to run the python version managed by pyenv and to load the SSH key when I open a new shell.

Setup git config

git config --global user.name Luca Sbardella
git config --global user.username lsbardel
git config --global user.email luca@quantmind.com
git config --global core.editor vim

and check it with git config --list

Setup Rust

Simply Install rust
Update to the latest version (do this anytime you want to update the compiler)
```
rustup update stable
```

Setup Python

When working with python, there are a few tools that I find essential. One of them is pyenv, which allows you to manage multiple python versions on your system. This is super useful when you need to work on different projects that require different python versions.

clone pyenv in the ~/.pyenv directory
install the python versions you need, for example
```
pyenv install 3.12.5
```

Setup Node.js

Node.js has a similar tool to pyenv called nvm. This tool allows you to manage multiple node.js versions on your system.

Simply install nvm
Install the latest LTS version of node.js
```
nvm install --lts
```
use the LTS version
```
nvm use --lts
```