Setting up RStudio Server on the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is an excellent way for R developers to use and interact with R on Linux while running Windows. While not perfect, it provides a nearly seamless way for Windows users to consume Linux-only packages, and for developers to test on both Windows and Linux at the same time. Moreover, the same benefits of running RStudio server, such as leaving jobs running in the background, apply to RStudio Server on WSL. These are my notes for successfully setting up and using RStudio Server on WSL
The first thing that needs to happen in enabling the WSL and installing a Linux distro. To install the WSL, open PowerShell as an administrator and run
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart