Cygwin VS MinGW

Compare Cygwin VS MinGW and see what are their differences

Unimus

Unimus is a Network Automation and Configuration management (NCM) solution designed for fast deployment network-wide and ease of use. Unimus does not require learning any abstraction or templating languages, and does not require any coding skills. featured

Contents:

» Base Details
» Videos
» Reviews
» Alternatives

Cygwin

Cygwin is a set of tools that provide Linux and POSIX functionality to Windows.

MinGW

MinGW ("Minimalistic GNU for Windows") is a port of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) and...

Landing page //
2021-09-27

Landing page //
2018-12-08

Cygwin

Website: cygwin.com

Edit details

MinGW

Website: mingw.org

Edit details

Cygwin features and specs

Unix-like Environment on Windows
Cygwin provides a large collection of GNU and Open Source tools that give functionality similar to a Unix distribution on Windows. This allows for Unix-like programming and shell scripting without leaving the Windows environment.
Package Management
Cygwin offers a robust package management system, making it easy to install, update, and manage various software packages. This streamlines the development and operational workflow.
Interoperability
Cygwin enables interoperability between POSIX and Windows applications, allowing users to run Linux tools and Windows software side-by-side, enhancing cross-platform development.
Broad Tool Set
It comes with a vast array of tools and libraries, including compilers, text editors, and networking utilities, providing a comprehensive environment for developers.

Possible disadvantages of Cygwin

Performance Overhead
Cygwin introduces a performance overhead as it acts as a compatibility layer between Windows and POSIX systems. This can lead to slower performance compared to native Unix/Linux environments.
Complexity
Setting up and maintaining Cygwin can be complex, especially for new users unfamiliar with Unix/Linux environments. Additional steps are required for configuration and management.
Partial Emulation
While Cygwin offers a Unix-like environment, it doesn’t provide full compatibility with all Unix/Linux programs. Some applications may not run properly or may require additional tweaks.
Resource Intensive
Cygwin can be resource-intensive, consuming significant memory and CPU resources, which might affect the performance of the host system, particularly on less powerful machines.

MinGW features and specs

Open Source
MinGW is an open-source software project, which makes it freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute.
Lightweight
It is a lightweight alternative to full-fledged development environments, providing essential tools without unnecessary overhead.
Windows Compatibility
MinGW offers native Windows support, allowing developers to compile applications that can run directly on Windows without the need for a compatibility layer.
GCC Integration
It includes the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC), which is widely considered a strong, stable, and versatile set of compilers for C, C++, and other languages.
Active Community
MinGW is supported by an active community, which can provide help, patches, and additional resources via forums and online discussions.

Possible disadvantages of MinGW

Limited POSIX Support
While MinGW provides some POSIX functionality, its support is limited compared to other environments like Cygwin, which might be a drawback for developers relying on extensive POSIX compatibility.
Manual Configuration
Initial setup and configuration can be cumbersome for beginners, requiring a manual installation process that might be intimidating or time-consuming.
Lacks Newest GCC Features
At times, MinGW may lag in providing the latest features or updates available in the newest versions of GCC, leading to potential compatibility or feature discrepancies.
No Native 64-bit Support
Historically, MinGW has focused on 32-bit toolchains, which may not offer the full benefits of modern 64-bit architectures. However, MinGW-w64 was developed to address this issue.
Fragmentation
The existence of multiple variants such as MinGW and MinGW-w64 can cause confusion, leading developers to face challenges in choosing the right version for their needs.

Cygwin videos

+ Add

Cygwin Review Part 1: Running Linux programs... on Windows?

MinGW videos

+ Add

MinGW или Cygwin

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cygwin and MinGW)

Cygwin

MinGW

SSH

82 82%

SSH

18% 18

Terminal Tools

60 60%

Terminal Tools

40% 40

Server Management

77 77%

Server Management

23% 23

Tool

80 80%

Tool

20% 20

User comments

Share your experience with using Cygwin and MinGW. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Cygwin and MinGW

Cygwin Reviews

10 Termux Alternatives

Cygwin is open-source software with a collection of GNU and provides all functions similar to the Linux shell environment on windows. This software also has the functionality of API manager that has premium packages to have complete control on your files and move them to other software based on your requirement. This app also has the functionality of editing different files...

Source: www.justalternativeto.com

MinGW Reviews

10 Termux Alternatives

MinGW is an application with all the functions of GNU that includes the runtime of MSVC and supports C99 functionality. This software is only supported and executed on 64bit Windows and similar platforms with Linux shell environment and provides its users the facility of different import types of files and libraries and move them to other software according to your specific...

Source: www.justalternativeto.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Cygwin should be more popular than MinGW. It has been mentiond 10 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Cygwin mentions (10)

Groovy 🎷 Cheat Sheet - 01 Say "Hello" from Groovy
Alternatively, you can use sdkman. A great tool to install your Software Development Kit. The downside is that it only works on *nix systems. So for Widnows users, you will have to use WSL or Cygwin as the official page suggests. It is really simple to use sdkman. After a successful installation, just type those commands into your *nix shell:. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
How do you even get started programming in c++ on Windows?
You could try Cygwin. I never leave home without it. Source: over 1 year ago
What exactly IS gitbash?
It's launching MSYS2, which is in turn based on cygwin, which is a collection of common Linux utilities built for windows and an incomplete POSIX abstraction layer. Source: about 2 years ago
Kind of an obvious design flaw
IME, not really? Git for Windows or MSYS2 are both pretty solid. I used Cygwin for years, but MSYS2 seems to integrate a bit more smoothly (plus MSYS uses pacman instead of Cygwin's fiddly gui for package management). Source: about 2 years ago
WSL - Ubuntu 22.04 LTS using a ton of memory?
Try Cygwin or Msys2, they are not running virtual machines. For Bash and Neovim only you probably don't want to run a whole virtual machine. Source: over 2 years ago

MinGW mentions (1)

Is Mingw dead?
Is osdn's mingw it a new project ? It's surprising how it provides gcc 4.8.2 and gcc 9.2.0. I guess the 4.8.2 is the last one provided by mingw.org, and 9.2.0 is the first of osdn's project? Is it maintained by the same developers? Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cygwin and MinGW, you can also consider the following products

MobaXterm - Enhanced terminal for Windows with X11 server, tabbed SSH client, network tools and much more

MSYS2 - A Cygwin-derived software distro for Windows using Arch Linux's Pacman

PuTTY - Popular free terminal application. Mostly used as an SSH client.

Termux - Terminal emulator and Linux environment for Android

PowerShell - Download WMF. Windows Management Framework contains the latest versions of PowerShell, DSC, WMI, and WinRM for older versions of Windows. PowerShell Module Browser. Search for PowerShell modules and cmdlets.

ConEmu - ConEmu-Maximus5 is a full-featured local terminal for Windows devs, admins and users. Get better console window with tabs, splits, Quake style, copy+paste, DosBox and PuTTY integration, and much more.