Container Desktop is an open-source alternative to Docker Desktop. It enables you to build, push, pull and run Linux containers on Microsoft Windows, by providing a seamless integration with Docker Engine Community Edition running on Windows Subsystem for Linux. The Container Desktop bundles the open-source docker and docker-compose cli clients for a native and simple user experience.

Container Desktop Proxy handles the communication with the Docker Engine running in container-desktop distribution within Windows System Linux v2 (WSL2). The proxy enables native docker experience on Microsoft Windows, where it translates Windows Paths to WSL2 paths local to the container-desktop distribution.

With the Container Desktop System Tray Application you can manage the behavior of container-desktop. You can start, stop and restart the Container Desktop Proxy on the Windows Host or Enable or Disable a Docker Engine proxy in any available WSL2 distribution. Container Desktop installs the docker and the docker-compose command line interface tools.

Note: Container Desktop will not support Windows Containers.

• Run Docker daemon in its own distribution
• Use 'docker' and 'docker-compose' cli on Windows and enabled WSL2 Distributions to connect to the daemon.
• You can use Windows paths as volumes, the container-desktop-proxy translates these paths to WSL2 paths local to the daemon distribution
• Start/stop/restart and quit Container Desktop by right clicking on the icon in the system tray.
• Enable container-desktop integration in installed WSL2 distributions.
• Use Port Forwarding to expose containers on a specific network.
• Configure DNS Mode for Container Desktop (WLS2/Primary Network Adapter/Static).

System requirements

Container Desktop requires WLS2 which is supported on these Windows versions:

• Microsoft Windows 10, Version 1903 with Build 18362.1049 or higher
• Microsoft Windows 10, Version 1909 with Build 18363.1049 or higher
• Microsoft Windows 10, Version 2004 or higher (20H2,21H1, 21H2, ..)
• Microsoft Windows 11, any version or build

Installation Steps

1. If you currently have docker-desktop installed, you need to quit "Docker Desktop".

2. Download the latest Release

3. (optional) Validate the file checksum with the values in sha256sum.txt

   Get-FileHash .\ContainerDesktopInstaller.exe -Algorithm SHA256

4. StartContainerDesktopInstaller.exe and click install to start the installation.

Note: Windows Defender SmartScreen may pop-up and prevent StartContainerDesktopInstaller.exe from starting. When this is the case do the following: please select "More Info" and Select "Run Anyway".

Pre-requisites

• Microsoft Windows with Powershell
• .NET 6 SDK
• Docker (either container-desktop or docker-for-desktop)

Build

1. Clone this repo 'git clone https://github.com/container-desktop/container-desktop.git'
2. Inside the container-desktop folder run '.\build.ps1'

Container Desktop is made possible by using the following great projects:

• Command Line Parser Library
• Docker.DotNet
• Hardcodet NotifyIcon for WPF
• Managed DismApi Wrapper
• ModernWPF UI Library
• Nerdbank.GitVersioning
• Newtonsoft.Json
• P/Invoke
• Serilog
• System.IO.Abstractions
• System.Reactive
• Docker CLI
• Docker Compose CLI
• Docker Community Edition