🧮 LARGE-SCALE: Windows and WSL
Windows users need WSL before installing Apache tools like Spark. Complete this page before following the Spark setup steps.
What is WSL?
WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) lets you run a Linux terminal directly on Windows. Apache tools like Spark run natively on Linux and macOS. On Windows, it runs inside WSL.
Do You Already Have WSL?
Open PowerShell and run:
powershell
wsl --status
If you see a version and distribution name, WSL is already installed. Skip to Verify WSL Works below.
If you see an error, continue with the installation steps.
Install WSL
In PowerShell (run as Administrator):
powershell
wsl --install
Restart your machine when prompted.
Verify WSL Works
Open PowerShell and start a WSL session:
powershell
wsl
Your prompt should change to show a Linux shell (something like username@machine:~$).
Type exit to return to PowerShell.
Two Terminal Types in VS Code
Once your project is open in VS Code, you will use two types of terminals:
| Terminal | Used for |
|---|---|
| PowerShell | Running Python (uv run ...), Git, all project commands |
| WSL (bash) | Starting and stopping Kafka, managing topics |
How to Open a WSL Terminal in VS Code
To open a WSL terminal in VS Code, either:
- Click the
+arrow in the terminal panel and select WSL from the dropdown.
OR
- Open a PowerShell terminal and run:
shell
wsl
After Completing This Page
Return to Install Spark and continue.