Microsoft is rolling out Linux container support to WSL
Microsoft is taking Windows Subsystem for Linux beyond just running Linux distributions, as WSL Containers is now generally available.
Microsoft is taking Windows Subsystem for Linux beyond just running Linux distributions, as WSL Containers is now generally available.
You can get the feature by running wsl --update , and once installed, there's a new wslc.exe command-line tool.
Microsoft also includes container.exe as an alias, so you can use more familiar container commands.
VS Code Dev Containers can use wslc as their default driver, while Aspire and the VS Code Containers extension now support WSL Containers.
The most requested missing feature is Docker Compose-style support, and Microsoft says it's already working on it.
There's also a WSL Containers API, which allows Windows apps to programmatically launch and interact with Linux containers.
WSL Containers now integrates with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, so security teams can see process, file, and network activity inside containers and relate it back to the Windows host.
The general availability release adds several features that were missing during preview, including restarting containers, copying files in and out, health checks, network connect and disconnect commands, real-time container events, mount support, and configurable storage locations.
Microsoft is also working on WSL's underlying networking and cross-OS file performance.
The company says WSL Containers can already deliver up to 2x faster performance when accessing Windows files from Linux environments.
Microsoft Intune can also disable WSL Containers entirely or restrict developers to images from approved container registries.
Join Mikko Hyppönen and security leaders from the NFL, CHANEL, and Atlassian for a two-hour digital summit on what AI-speed attacks change, what defenders should stop doing, and how to validate, decide, fix, and re-validate at machine speed.
What happened
Microsoft is taking Windows Subsystem for Linux beyond just running Linux distributions, as WSL Containers is now generally available.
You can get the feature by running wsl --update , and once installed, there's a new wslc.exe command-line tool.
Microsoft also includes container.exe as an alias, so you can use more familiar container commands.
What changed
VS Code Dev Containers can use wslc as their default driver, while Aspire and the VS Code Containers extension now support WSL Containers.
The most requested missing feature is Docker Compose-style support, and Microsoft says it's already working on it.
Why it matters
There's also a WSL Containers API, which allows Windows apps to programmatically launch and interact with Linux containers.
WSL Containers now integrates with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, so security teams can see process, file, and network activity inside containers and relate it back to the Windows host.
Technical details
The general availability release adds several features that were missing during preview, including restarting containers, copying files in and out, health checks, network connect and disconnect commands, real-time container events, mount support, and configurable storage locations.
Microsoft is also working on WSL's underlying networking and cross-OS file performance.
The company says WSL Containers can already deliver up to 2x faster performance when accessing Windows files from Linux environments.
Response
Microsoft Intune can also disable WSL Containers entirely or restrict developers to images from approved container registries.
Join Mikko Hyppönen and security leaders from the NFL, CHANEL, and Atlassian for a two-hour digital summit on what AI-speed attacks change, what defenders should stop doing, and how to validate, decide, fix, and re-validate at machine speed.
Attribution
BleepingComputer: Microsoft is taking Windows Subsystem for Linux beyond just running Linux distributions, as WSL Containers is now generally available.
What to watch next
Watch for revised vendor guidance, fixed versions and mitigation updates.