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v1.0.0: Docker on Windows without Docker Desktop

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@alozdev alozdev released this 30 Oct 05:35
· 17 commits to main since this release
v1.0.0
c7f5fb3

First release. Docker on Windows without Docker Desktop: Docker Engine on WSL 2 plus the official Docker CLI, set up with one command.

demo

Install

Open PowerShell (no admin needed) and run:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/alozdev/wsl-docker-engine/main/install.ps1 | iex

Or download Source code (zip) below, extract it and double-click install.cmd.

What's included

  • Docker Engine in WSL 2. A dedicated docker distro (Ubuntu 24.04) where Docker is installed with the official script and started by systemd.
  • Official Windows tools. docker.exe, docker compose and docker buildx, downloaded from official sources. Compose and buildx are checked against their published checksums.
  • Same endpoint as Docker Desktop. A small relay serves \\.\pipe\docker_engine, so the CLI, compose, VS Code, Testcontainers and SDKs work with no DOCKER_HOST and no TCP port.
  • Starts at sign-in. Containers with restart: unless-stopped / always come back on their own.
  • Compose bind mounts work (./data:/data): Windows paths are converted, and Linux permissions are kept on Windows drives (e.g. Postgres).
  • Safe to re-run. It reuses an existing WSL, distro, Docker Engine or tools, and only adds what is missing. Re-running it is also how you update.
  • Installs WSL if missing, asking for admin permission once, and continues by itself after the restart.
  • Retries downloads on flaky networks or VPNs.
  • Secure by default. Only your user can reach the pipe, network clients are rejected, it refuses to start if another program owns the pipe, and Ubuntu and Docker Engine get automatic security updates.
  • Clean uninstall. uninstall.cmd keeps your containers, images and volumes unless you ask to delete them.

Requirements

Windows 10 2004+ or Windows 11 (Home works), x64, virtualization enabled.

Known limitations

  • With plain docker run -v, write Windows paths as /c/Users/.... Compose does this conversion for you.
  • Published ports are reachable from your PC only, not from your LAN.
  • ARM64 Windows is not supported yet.

Docker is a trademark of Docker, Inc. This project is not affiliated with Docker, Inc.

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