WSL UI

WSL UI is a desktop application developed to manage Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) distributions using a modern graphical interface. The tool replaces command-line interaction with visual controls that allow monitoring, configuring, and operating on Linux environments installed on the system. Compatible with WSL 1 and WSL 2, the application centralizes lifecycle operations, configuration, and storage maintenance in a single panel.

★★★★★

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• Control panel and real-time monitoring. The main interface shows all installed distributions with updated indicators of CPU, memory, and disk space usage. Listings can be filtered by status (running/stopped), WSL version, or installation source (Microsoft Store, OCI image, or LXC catalog).
• Complete distribution lifecycle management. From the application, distributions can be started, stopped, restarted, renamed, cloned, or deleted. Advanced operations include exporting to .tar file, importing from backups, and moving entire instances between disk drives.
• Storage optimization and maintenance. VHDX files can be compacted to reclaim unused space, virtual disks can be resized, sparse mode can be activated, and distributions can be migrated between local disks without data loss or configuration changes.
• Installation from multiple sources. The installation wizard allows deploying new distributions from the Microsoft Store, Docker or Podman container images, the LXC image catalog, or from custom URLs with checksum verification. The application includes its own OCI implementation, so it does not require Docker on the host system.
• Visual configuration editors. Instead of manually editing .wslconfig (global) or wsl.conf (per-distribution) files, the application offers configuration panels with structured fields and predefined values. Changes are applied directly to WSL configuration files.
• Integrated scripts for desktop environments. WSL UI includes predefined configuration scripts to enable XRDP sessions on distributions like Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch Linux, and openSUSE. For Kali Linux, Win-KeX support is provided, with automatic handling of RDP connections.
• Automation via custom actions. Administrators can define reusable commands with variable substitution. These actions can be executed on demand or at distribution startup, and allow selecting targets by exact name or regular expressions.
• Backup and restore. Distributions can be exported to .tar format with a single click. Subsequent restoration allows specifying a different name and location, effectively cloning the original installation.
• Seven built-in interface themes and custom editor. The application features seventeen preconfigured themes, including dark, light, high contrast modes, and accessibility options. The custom theme editor allows adjusting twenty-nine color variables.
• System tray integration. When minimizing the application, an icon in the notification area provides direct access to registered distributions and opening terminal sessions without needing to open the main window.
• Privacy policy and data transparency. The tool does not collect personal information. Usage statistics are disabled by default and require explicit user consent to be activated.

Development of WSL UI began in 2023 as a response to the need for a stable graphical front-end for WSL. The application is written in Rust, using the Tauri framework for the system layer, while the user interface is implemented with React. The hybrid model allows for low resource consumption and high integration with native Windows APIs. The project is maintained by OctaSoft, an independent initiative focused on productivity tools for Windows/Linux environments.

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