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Lima vs Windows Subsystem for Linux: catalog facts
Lima	Windows Subsystem for Linux
Free Free and open source under Apache 2.0, a CNCF project.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence, published by Microsoft. Included with Windows.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows
Automatic file sharing and port forwarding, so the VM feels like part of the host Runs containerd, Docker, Podman and Kubernetes, not just one of them	Runs Linux command-line tools unmodified, with no virtual machine overhead or dual boot WSLg lets Linux graphical applications appear as ordinary Windows windows
Command-line only; there is no graphical management interface Linux guests only	Requires Windows virtualisation features to be enabled, which conflicts with some other software Filesystem performance across the Windows and Linux boundary is poor; keep files on the correct side
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: Apache-2.0	License: MIT
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

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