WSLg adds support for Wayland and X server scenarios to the Windows Subsystem for Linux.
Open source
10 alternativesBlink
Blink provides a compact emulator for running x86-64 Linux programs, according to its project description.
About Blink
Blink is a compact virtual machine that runs x86-64 Linux programs on different operating systems and hardware architectures. The repository also contains Blinkenlights, a terminal user interface for debugging x86-64 Linux or i8086 programs across platforms. Blink is designed to do the same job as qemu-x86_64, while being smaller and designed to run Linux binaries on any POSIX system; it is stated to be faster on some benchmarks. Building requires libc with POSIX.1-2017 and XSI extensions plus a C11 compiler with atomics; the tiny build mode removes assertions and logging. Blink is regularly tested on listed Linux, macOS, BSD, and Cygwin platforms.
Key features
- Runs x86-64 Linux binaries on POSIX systems and multiple hardware architectures.
- Debugs x86-64 Linux or i8086 programs with the Blinkenlights terminal interface.
- Visualizes execution using Unicode IBM Code Page 437 memory panels.
- Supports reverse debugging and mouse-wheel scrolling and zooming.
- Offers tiny, release, optimized, and sanitizer build modes.
- Allows POSIX-only configuration and disabling optional features for smaller builds.
Best for: Developers who need a compact x86-64 Linux emulator or a visual debugger for x86-64 Linux and i8086 programs across POSIX platforms.
Good for
- Small binary footprint compared with qemu-x86_64: 221 KB versus 4 MB.
- Designed to run Linux binaries on any POSIX system, while qemu-x86_64 only supports Linux.
- Stated to be faster on some benchmarks, such as SSE math and ephemeral compilers.
Watch out for
- Building requires libc POSIX.1-2017 with XSI extensions and a C11 compiler with atomics.
- Tiny build mode removes all assertions and logging.
- Performance advantage is described only for some benchmarks and ephemeral programs.
Blink at a glance
- Website
- github.com/jart/blink
- Category
- Software & Utilities › Virtualization
- Type
- Open-source project
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Linux
- Open source
- Yes · Source code
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 6, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
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Well-known listings from the same topic.
WSLlearn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wslHyper-Vlearn.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/hyper…PCjs Machinespcjs.orgVirtualBoxvirtualbox.orgQEMUqemu.orgLooking Glasslooking-glass.io
Blink FAQ
What platforms are regularly tested for running x86-64 Linux binaries?
Linux on x86, ARM, RISC-V, MIPS, PowerPC, and s390x; macOS on x86 and ARM; FreeBSD; OpenBSD; and Cygwin are regularly tested.
What is Blinkenlights?
It is a terminal user interface for debugging x86-64 Linux or i8086 programs across platforms, focused on visualizing execution and permitting reverse debugging.
How small can Blink be built?
The default executable is about 221 KB, or 115 KB with optional features disabled; MODE=tiny makes it about 50% smaller, and further feature disabling can produce roughly 120 KB.
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