Accessing docker from bash under windows subsystem for linux

[sohailalam2]

Expected behavior

Windows subsystem for linux allows us to run bash shell.
Docker should be accessible from this shell also (as we are able to do it from windows command prompt).

Actual behavior

command not found: docker

Information

• Windows 10 Pro version 1709, OS Build 16299.125
• Docker version 17.09.1-ce, build 19e2cf6

Steps to reproduce the behavior

0. Install docker for windows
1. Enable "Windows subsystem for linux"
2. Install Ubuntu bash or zsh terminal
3. Run docker -v in ubuntu bash shell

[jasonbivins]

Hi @sohailalam2
This is a bit of a roundabout way to access Docker, but i've been able to use it in the past by adding .exe to my docker commands. docker.exe run hello-world I was also unable to get any containers to display interactive prompts.
There is a great utility here that might help simplify the connection though:
https://github.com/jstarks/npiperelay

[tallaxes]

You will need to check "Expose daemon on tcp://localhost:2375" in Docker for Windows configuration, and get Docker client (only the client is needed):

curl -sSL https://download.docker.com/linux/static/stable/x86_64/docker-17.09.1-ce.tgz | sudo tar -C /usr/local/bin -xz --strip=1 docker/docker
export DOCKER_HOST=tcp://localhost:2375
docker version

Alternatively (from Windows 10 Anniversary Update build 14951 and later) you could just point WSL to the Windows client (no need to "Expose daemon …", Windows client uses named pipe)

[sohailalam2]

Thanks @jasonbivins this did the trick for me too :) docker.exe --version

[geerlingguy]

Note that I tried using docker-compose.exe up -d to bring up a Compose environment under Ubuntu in WSL, but it said 'Can't find a suitable configuration file in this directory', I'm guessing because the environment in which the Windows executable runs doesn't have the path to where the WSL/Ubuntu current directory is :(

Is there any way one could use a Docker Compose file to bring up an environment within Ubuntu/WSL, or do I have to switch back over to PowerShell so Docker Compose can pick up the compose file?

[geerlingguy]

Something with my Docker install must've been messed up; I went into settings and reset Docker to factory defaults, and now it seems to be working whether using docker-compose.exe in WSL or docker-compose in PowerShell.

[cldambrosio]

This solved it for me:

[ripper234]

Tried the above, docker-compose still complains that it can't find the config file.

[CajuCLC]

I also tried the above and at first it didn't work. I restarted Windows and Docker and now it's working fine.
It didn't work using docker-composer.exe up -d, it only worked when running as docker-compose up -d

[rn]

Looks like this issues is resolved so I'm closing it.

In general, we don't support running the docker CLI in WSL against Docker for Windows as WSL is still under heavy development. It may work with recent versions (as some of you reported) but we don't test this configuration.

[alexandis]

This solved it for me:

And how to "reload the environment"?

[docker-robott]

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