Microsoft Brings Linux Container Support Directly to Windows Subsystem

Microsoft has expanded its Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to include native support for running and managing Linux containers. WSL Containers is now generally available on Windows, allowing developers to run Linux-based development environments directly within Windows.

The new functionality includes a command-line tool called wslc.exe that lets developers build, run, and deploy Linux containers directly on Windows. Microsoft also provides container.exe as an alias for wslc.exe. A new API allows native Windows applications to launch and control Linux containers programmatically.

WSL Containers offers a range of daily container management capabilities, including container restarts, file copying, health checks, mounts, real-time event monitoring, configurable storage locations, and commands to connect or disconnect containers from networks. Custom network driver options are also supported.

Microsoft is positioning WSL Containers for enterprise use, with integration with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint exposing process, file, and network activity from containers to security teams. Microsoft Intune can now control access to WSL Containers and restrict image pulls to approved registries.

The new runtime has also improved performance, with WSL Containers delivering up to twice the performance when accessing Windows files from Linux environments. A new consomme networking mode aims to improve compatibility across development and enterprise environments.