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NSpawn Subsystem for Linux

WSL-like development on a Linux host

Install your development tools in a Debian, Fedora or other Linux machine and leave the host alone. nsl works much like WSL: each machine keeps its packages, services and files between sessions. The machines run as systemd-nspawn containers inside a shared VM, start when you need them, and can work in your host files.

Install nsl → How it works

Create your first machine walks through creation, a login shell, running a command and stopping the VM.

What a machine gives you

  • A shell where you need it

    Run nsl from your project directory to open a shell in the default machine, working in the same files. Use nsl run for a single command; its exit status comes back to the host.

  • Your files and your account

    Your $HOME, /run/media/USER and /mnt are available under /mnt/host. The machine uses your username, UID and GID, so files you create there still belong to you. You also get passwordless sudo inside the machine.

  • Ports and windows on the host

    Run a development server in the machine and reach its forwarded port on host 127.0.0.1. Wayland applications can open windows on your desktop through Waypipe.

  • Eleven signed machine images

    Choose Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS Stream, Arch, openSUSE Tumbleweed or Leap, with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS for older toolchains. For the newest packages, try Debian testing, Fedora Rawhide or the Azure Linux 4.0 beta. The images are rebuilt weekly. nsl verifies that they came from the signed Frostyard publishing workflow before using them.

  • Isolation when you need it

    Use --isolated for software you don't trust. It gets its own VM, without access to your host files, desktop or host actions.

  • Runs as your user

    nsl runs as your user. You'll need the host prerequisites installed first; nsl doesn't install packages or change device permissions, groups or sudoers.

Start here

  • 01 Get started

    Check the host, install nsl and create your first machine.

  • 02 Architecture

    How the VM runs your machines and connects them to the host.

  • 03 Guides

    Work with machines, host files, ports, desktop applications and backups.

  • 04 Command reference

    Look up commands, settings in nsl.conf and published images.

  • 05 Limits and troubleshooting

    Check known limits and find help when a command fails.

Pre-release

nsl has no stable release yet. v0.4.0 is the first release of this design; v0.3.0 and earlier are a retired prototype. The tested host is Snow Linux 13 on x86-64 with systemd 261.2, QEMU 10.0.13, virtiofsd 1.13.2 and GNOME Wayland.