Cygwin is a free and open-source software that provides a Unix-like environment and command-line interface on Microsoft Windows. Essentially, it allows users to run native Linux applications and tools on Windows systems by emulating a POSIX-compatible environment.
Here’s what Cygwin offers:
• A large collection of GNU and Open Source tools: These tools provide functionality similar to a Linux distribution on Windows.
• A DLL (cygwin1.dll): This dynamic link library provides substantial POSIX (Portable Operating System Interface) API functionality, which is the family of standards specified by the IEEE for maintaining compatibility between operating systems.
Cygwin is used for a variety of purposes, including:
• Software Development: Developers who are accustomed to Unix-based systems can use Cygwin to write and test their code on Windows machines.
• System Administration: It allows system administrators to use Unix tools for tasks like scripting and automation.
• Education: Students and educators can use Cygwin to learn Unix commands and programming in a Unix-like environment without leaving Windows.
• Porting: It can be used to port applications from Unix to Windows.
It’s important to note that Cygwin is not a way to run native Linux apps on Windows without modification. Applications must be rebuilt from source if they are to run on Windows with Cygwin functionality. Also, it does not magically make native Windows apps aware of Unix functionality like signals, ptys, etc.