WSL-like development on a Linux host

nsl provides isolated Linux machines on a Linux host, similar to Windows Subsystem for Linux. Each machine runs as a systemd-nspawn container with its own packages, services, and filesystem, persisting between sessions. Machines start on demand, work in your project directories, and stop when unused.

Developers use nsl to separate project dependencies from their host system, test toolchains across different Linux distributions, or run untrusted software in isolation. The tool supports eleven signed Linux distributions including Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, and openSUSE, with weekly image updates. Features include port forwarding, SSH editor integration, Wayland window support, and optional VM isolation.