Linux containers on Windows 10 (2024)

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Linux containers make up a huge percent of the overall container ecosystem and are fundamental to both developer experiences and production environments. Since containers share a kernel with the container host, however, running Linux containers directly on Windows isn't an option. This is where virtualization comes into the picture.

Linux containers in a Moby VM

To run Linux containers in a Linux VM, follow the instructions in Docker's get-started guide.

Docker has been able to run Linux containers on Windows desktop since it was first released in 2016 (before Hyper-V isolation or Linux containers on Windows were available) using a LinuxKit based virtual machine running on Hyper-V.

In this model, Docker Client runs on Windows desktop but calls into Docker Daemon on the Linux VM.

Linux containers on Windows 10 (1)

In this model, all Linux containers share a single Linux-based container host and all Linux containers:

  • Share a kernel with each other and the Moby VM, but not with the Windows host.
  • Have consistent storage and networking properties with Linux containers running on Linux (since they are running on a Linux VM).

It also means the Linux container host (Moby VM) needs to be running Docker Daemon and all of Docker Daemon's dependencies.

To see if you're running with Moby VM, check Hyper-V Manager for Moby VM using either the Hyper-V Manager UI or by running Get-VM in an elevated PowerShell window.

Next steps

Linux containers on Windows 10 (2024)

FAQs

Can I run Linux containers on Windows? ›

Docker has been able to run Linux containers on Windows desktop since it was first released in 2016 (before Hyper-V isolation or Linux containers on Windows were available) using a LinuxKit based virtual machine running on Hyper-V.

Is Docker on Windows any good? ›

It provides a nice, friendly GUI and CLI to manage your container images and containers running locally. If you are running containers on a Windows client machine, Docker Desktop is likely the preferred option to run containers. You can run both Windows and Linux containers, albeit, not at the same time.

What is the difference between Windows containers and Linux containers? ›

The biggest difference is the container image. Windows images are larger than Linux images. When you run your container the Docker image is downloaded and it takes a bit longer than downloading a Docker image based on Linux.

Is Docker on Windows different from Linux? ›

- **Windows**: Docker on Windows requires a Windows host and runs on the Windows kernel. It uses Hyper-V virtualization to run Linux Containers on Windows. — **Linux**: Docker on Linux runs directly on the host's Linux kernel, which is more efficient for running Linux Containers. It doesn't require virtualization.

How do I switch to Linux containers in Windows? ›

How do I switch between Windows and Linux containers? From the Docker Desktop menu, you can toggle which daemon (Linux or Windows) the Docker CLI talks to. Select Switch to Windows containers to use Windows containers, or select Switch to Linux containers to use Linux containers (the default).

Should I install Docker on Windows or WSL? ›

The docker CLI and UI all work fine from Windows without any additional Linux distros. However for the best developer experience, we recommend installing at least one additional distro and enable Docker support: Ensure the distribution runs in WSL 2 mode. WSL can run distributions in both v1 or v2 mode.

Is Docker slower on Windows? ›

Why is Docker so slow? The root of the issue is that Windows 10 is (was) using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), which is a layer between Windows and Linux. Communication between these two (Hard Drive operations) can be quite slow.

What is the best platform to run Docker on? ›

Top 10 Docker Hosting Platforms
  • 1 Back4app Containers.
  • 2 Heroku.
  • 3 Google Cloud Run.
  • 4 Kamatera.
  • 5 Amazon ECS.
  • 6 AppFleet.
  • 7 A2 Hosting.
  • 8 Digital Ocean.

Can Docker run directly on Windows? ›

Does Docker run on Linux, macOS, and Windows? You can run both Linux and Windows programs and executables in Docker containers. The Docker platform runs natively on Linux (on x86-64, ARM and many other CPU architectures) and on Windows (x86-64). Docker Inc.

Why use Linux containers? ›

Linux containers, in short, contain applications in a way that keep them isolated from the host system that they run on. Containers allow a developer to package up an application with all of the parts it needs, such as libraries and other dependencies, and ship it all out as one package.

Why would you use Windows containers? ›

Windows containers provide a way to encapsulate processes and package dependencies, making it easier to use DevOps practices and follow cloud native patterns for Windows applications.

Why use containers instead of VMs? ›

Containers have a number of benefits over traditional virtualization methods. As they are more lightweight and portable than VMs, containers support decomposition of a monolith into microservices. Containers are faster to manage and deploy than VMs, which can save time and money with application deployment.

Is it good to use Docker on Windows? ›

If you're looking for simple and painless software deployment, Docker is the right tool for you. It is the best containerization platform and in this blog on Docker for Windows we'll specifically focus on how Docker works on Windows.

Can Windows Docker run Linux containers? ›

It is now possible to run Docker containers on Windows 10 and Windows Server, leveraging Ubuntu as a hosting base. Imagine running your own Linux applications on Windows, using a Linux distribution you are comfortable with: Ubuntu!

Are there Windows Docker containers? ›

Microsoft provides a number of tools and platforms to help you develop and deploy apps in containers: Run Windows-based or Linux-based containers on Windows 10 for development and testing using Docker Desktop, which makes use of containers functionality built-in to Windows.

Can Kubernetes run Windows and Linux containers? ›

Windows nodes in Kubernetes

In order to run Windows containers, your Kubernetes cluster must include multiple operating systems. While you can only run the control plane on Linux, you can deploy worker nodes running either Windows or Linux.

Can WSL run Linux containers? ›

With the WSL 2 backend supported in Docker Desktop for Windows, you can work in a Linux-based development environment and build Linux-based containers, while using Visual Studio Code for code editing and debugging, and running your container in the Microsoft Edge browser on Windows.

How to change Docker container from Linux to Windows? ›

To switch to Windows containers in Docker, right-click the Docker icon, and select Switch to Windows containers. To use the command line to switch between containers, run & $Env:ProgramFiles\Docker\Docker\DockerCli.exe -SwitchDaemon .

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