Microsoft Brings Native Linux Container Workflows to WSL

Microsoft is expanding the Windows Subsystem for Linux with built-in support for running and managing Linux containers, with WSL Containers now generally available.

Simply put, WSL can now run Linux containers more directly on Windows, without developers having to rely on a separate container platform, such as Docker for example, for every task. That means a simpler setup for running, testing, and managing Linux-based development environments while staying inside Windows.

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

The GA release adds a broader set of daily container management capabilities. These include container restarts, file copying, health checks, mounts, real-time event…