WSL2

Windows is supported through WSL2. The repository commands run inside Linux, not directly in PowerShell. We use openSUSE Tumbleweed as the primary development distribution because it provides a reliable, rolling-release foundation for Nix and QEMU.

Check WSL From PowerShell

Run these commands in PowerShell to verify your WSL status:

wsl --status

wsl --version

If WSL is not installed, install it first and reboot Windows:

wsl --install

Install openSUSE Tumbleweed

Install the distribution:

wsl --install -d openSUSE-Tumbleweed

Make it the default distribution:

wsl --set-default openSUSE-Tumbleweed

Ensure it uses WSL2:

wsl --set-version openSUSE-Tumbleweed 2

Start it:

wsl -d openSUSE-Tumbleweed

Update The Linux Environment

Inside the openSUSE shell:

sudo zypper refresh
sudo zypper update

Install the base tools:

sudo zypper install git just qemu qemu-tools curl xz openssh sshpass

Install Nix

Install Nix inside openSUSE:

sh <(curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -L https://nixos.org/nix/install) --daemon

Enable flakes:

mkdir -p ~/.config/nix
cat > ~/.config/nix/nix.conf <<'EOF'
experimental-features = nix-command flakes
EOF

Restart your shell to pick up the changes.

Lifecycle and Cleanup

Use these PowerShell commands to manage or remove the development distribution.

Stop the Distribution

If WSL hangs or you want to free up memory:

wsl --terminate openSUSE-Tumbleweed

Completely Remove openSUSE

To delete the distribution and all files inside it (this is destructive!):

wsl --unregister openSUSE-Tumbleweed