Setting Up the Perfect Windows Development Environment in 2025

Setting Up the Perfect Windows Development Environment in 2025

Setting Up the Perfect Windows Development Environment in 2026

Windows has undergone a remarkable transformation for developers over the past few years. With the introduction of WSL2, Windows Terminal, and improved Docker support, Windows 11 now offers a development experience that rivals macOS and Linux. Combined with powerful tools like VS Code, GitHub integration, and seamless cloud deployment options, Windows provides a robust platform for modern web development in 2026.

Foundation: Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2)

WSL2 is the game-changer that makes Windows development truly powerful. It provides a full Linux kernel running alongside Windows, giving you the best of both worlds.

Enable WSL2 through PowerShell (run as Administrator):

dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart
wsl --set-default-version 2

Restart your computer, then install Ubuntu from the Microsoft Store:

wsl --install -d Ubuntu

WSL2 provides near-native Linux performance while maintaining full integration with Windows applications and file systems.

Windows Terminal: Modern Command Line Experience

Windows Terminal is essential for managing multiple shells and environments. Install it from the Microsoft Store or via winget:

winget install Microsoft.WindowsTerminal

Configure Windows Terminal with custom profiles for PowerShell, Command Prompt, and your WSL2 distributions. Set up a beautiful color scheme and configure hotkeys for productivity:

{
    "defaultProfile": "{2c4de342-38b7-51cf-b940-2309a097f518}",
    "profiles": {
        "defaults": {
            "fontFace": "CascadiaCode Nerd Font",
            "fontSize": 11,
            "colorScheme": "One Half Dark"
        }
    }
}

Package Management with Chocolatey and Winget

Install Chocolatey for comprehensive package management:

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

Winget comes built-in with Windows 11 and provides access to many modern applications. Use both package managers to install development tools efficiently.

Visual Studio Code: Cross-Platform Excellence

Install VS Code and configure it for optimal development:

winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode

Install the Remote-WSL extension first, then essential extensions for our tech stack:

code --install-extension ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl
code --install-extension bmewburn.vscode-intelephense-client
code --install-extension onecentlin.laravel-extension-pack
code --install-extension dsznajder.es7-react-js-snippets
code --install-extension ms-vscode.vscode-docker
code --install-extension github.copilot
code --install-extension eamodio.gitlens
code --install-extension esbenp.prettier-vscode
code --install-extension dbaeumer.vscode-eslint

The Remote-WSL extension allows VS Code to run on Windows while executing code in your Linux environment, providing the best development experience.

Docker Desktop: Containerized Development

Install Docker Desktop with WSL2 integration:

winget install Docker.DockerDesktop

After installation, enable WSL2 integration in Docker Desktop settings. This allows you to run Docker commands from both Windows and WSL2, with containers running in the Linux environment for optimal performance.

Configure Docker Desktop to start with Windows and allocate appropriate resources based on your system specifications.

Git and GitHub Setup

Install Git for Windows:

winget install Git.Git

Configure Git with your credentials:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Generate SSH keys for GitHub (run in WSL2):

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@example.com"
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Install GitHub CLI:

winget install GitHub.cli

The GitHub CLI provides seamless repository management and integrates well with both Windows and WSL2 environments.

Node.js and npm: JavaScript Foundation

Install Node.js using winget:

winget install OpenJS.NodeJS

For WSL2, install Node.js using the NodeSource repository:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_lts.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y nodejs

Consider using nvm-windows for managing multiple Node.js versions on Windows:

winget install CoreyButler.NVMforWindows

This allows you to switch between Node.js versions easily across different projects.

PHP and Composer: Laravel Development

For Windows-native PHP development, install PHP and Composer:

choco install php composer

However, for Laravel Sail compatibility, set up PHP in WSL2:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y php8.3 php8.3-cli php8.3-common php8.3-mysql php8.3-zip php8.3-gd php8.3-mbstring php8.3-curl php8.3-xml php8.3-bcmath php8.3-sqlite3

# Install Composer
curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php
sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer

Add Composer to your PATH in WSL2:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.config/composer/vendor/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Claude Code: AI Development Assistant

Install Claude Code for intelligent development assistance:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Claude Code works seamlessly across Windows and WSL2 environments, providing context-aware code suggestions and helping with complex refactoring tasks.

Laravel with Sail: Modern PHP Development

Install Laravel globally and create a Sail project:

composer global require laravel/installer
laravel new example-app --sail
cd example-app && ./vendor/bin/sail up -d

Sail provides a consistent Docker-based development environment that works identically across Windows, macOS, and Linux, eliminating environment-specific issues.

Create a convenient alias in WSL2:

echo "alias sail='./vendor/bin/sail'" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Next.js: React Framework Excellence

Create a new Next.js project with modern tooling:

npx create-next-app@latest my-nextjs-app --typescript --tailwind --eslint --app --src-dir --import-alias "@/*"
cd my-nextjs-app && npm run dev

The development server will be accessible from Windows browsers while running in WSL2, thanks to automatic port forwarding.

Database Management

Install database servers in WSL2 for development:

# MySQL
sudo apt install mysql-server
sudo mysql_secure_installation

# PostgreSQL
sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib
sudo -u postgres createuser --interactive

# Redis
sudo apt install redis-server
sudo service redis-server start

For GUI database management, install tools on Windows:

winget install dbeaver.dbeaver
choco install mysql.workbench

These Windows applications can connect to databases running in WSL2 through localhost.

GitHub Actions: Automated Workflows

Set up GitHub Actions for your projects. For Laravel applications:

name: Laravel CI/CD
on:
  push:
    branches: [ main, develop ]
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    services:
      mysql:
        image: mysql:8.0
        env:
          MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: password
          MYSQL_DATABASE: laravel_test
        ports:
          - 3306:3306
        options: --health-cmd="mysqladmin ping" --health-interval=10s --health-timeout=5s --health-retries=3

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Setup PHP
        uses: shivammathur/setup-php@v2
        with:
          php-version: '8.3'
          extensions: mbstring, dom, fileinfo, mysql, zip
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: composer install --no-interaction --prefer-dist
      - name: Run tests
        run: ./vendor/bin/sail test

Windows developers can trigger and monitor these workflows using GitHub CLI or the GitHub web interface.

Cloud Integration

Azure CLI and Services

Install Azure CLI:

winget install Microsoft.AzureCLI

Azure provides excellent integration with Windows development workflows. Use Azure Static Web Apps for Next.js applications and Azure Container Apps for Laravel deployments.

AWS CLI and Services

Install AWS CLI v2:

winget install Amazon.AWSCLI

Configure AWS credentials and use services like AWS Amplify for Next.js and AWS App Runner for containerized Laravel applications.

Windows-Specific Development Tools

Take advantage of Windows-specific productivity tools:

# PowerToys for enhanced Windows functionality
winget install Microsoft.PowerToys

# Windows Subsystem for Android (for mobile development)
winget install Microsoft.WSAPackages

# Postman for API testing
winget install Postman.Postman

# Slack for team communication
winget install SlackTechnologies.Slack

# Notion for documentation
winget install Notion.Notion

PowerToys provides features like FancyZones for window management, PowerRename for batch file renaming, and Color Picker for design work.

Performance Optimization

Configure WSL2 for optimal performance by creating .wslconfig in your Windows user directory:

[wsl2]
memory=8GB
processors=4
swap=2GB
localhostForwarding=true

Enable Windows Developer Mode for improved file system performance:

# Enable Developer Mode through Windows Settings
# Settings > Update & Security > For developers > Developer Mode

Security and Best Practices

Configure Windows Defender to exclude WSL2 directories from real-time scanning for better performance:

# Add WSL2 directories to Windows Defender exclusions
Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "\\wsl$\"
Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Docker"

Use Windows Hello for secure authentication and consider using Windows Credential Manager for storing development credentials securely.

Backup and Synchronization

Set up automatic backups using Windows built-in tools or OneDrive:

# Configure OneDrive to sync your development directories
# Use Windows Backup to create system restore points

Export and version control your WSL2 distributions:

wsl --export Ubuntu ubuntu-backup.tar

Create a PowerShell script to automate environment setup:

# install-dev-environment.ps1
# Install all development tools via winget and chocolatey
# Configure VS Code extensions
# Set up WSL2 and clone dotfiles repository

File System Integration

Take advantage of seamless file system integration between Windows and WSL2:

  • Access Windows files from WSL2: /mnt/c/Users/YourName/
  • Access WSL2 files from Windows: \\wsl$\Ubuntu\home\username\
  • Use VS Code Remote-WSL to edit files directly in WSL2

This integration allows you to use Windows applications with files stored in WSL2 and vice versa.

Development Workflow Optimization

Configure your development workflow to leverage both Windows and Linux capabilities:

  1. Code editing: VS Code on Windows with Remote-WSL extension
  2. Command line work: Windows Terminal with WSL2 Ubuntu
  3. File management: Windows Explorer with WSL2 integration
  4. Database management: Windows GUI tools connecting to WSL2 databases
  5. Container orchestration: Docker Desktop managing WSL2 containers

Conclusion

The Windows development environment in 2025 offers unprecedented flexibility and power. The combination of WSL2, modern Windows tooling, and seamless cloud integration creates a development experience that’s both familiar to Windows users and powerful enough for complex modern applications.

The key advantage of this setup is choice – you can use Windows-native tools where they excel (like GUI applications and Office integration) while leveraging the Linux ecosystem for development tasks. This hybrid approach often provides the best of both worlds.

Regular maintenance involves keeping both Windows and WSL2 updated, managing Docker Desktop resource allocation, and synchronizing your development environment across machines using dotfiles and automation scripts.

The Windows development ecosystem continues to evolve rapidly, with Microsoft’s continued investment in developer experience showing in features like WSL2, Windows Terminal, and improved Docker integration. This makes Windows an increasingly attractive platform for developers who want flexibility without sacrificing productivity.

Whether you’re building Laravel APIs, Next.js applications, or deploying to cloud services, this Windows setup provides a robust, efficient foundation that scales from personal projects to enterprise development workflows.

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