Updated

Updated · InfoWorld · Jul 23

Microsoft Ships WSL-Native Linux Containers With New CLI and API in Public Preview

Updated

Updated · InfoWorld · Jul 23

Microsoft Ships WSL-Native Linux Containers With New CLI and API in Public Preview

3 articles · Updated · InfoWorld · Jul 23

Late June’s release adds WSL-native container support to Windows, giving developers a new wslc CLI to create, run and stop Linux containers without relying on heavier Hyper-V-based setups.
WSL pre-release 2.9.3 underpins the preview, adding a faster file system for Windows access inside containers and a networking mode that routes connections through the Windows stack.
A new NuGet API for C, C# and C++ lets Windows apps start Linux containers, call them over local REST or gRPC endpoints, and shut them down when work is done.
GitHub projects are already building Docker Desktop-like tooling on top of the API, including WSL Container Desktop and K3s support for local Kubernetes testing.
The push fits Microsoft’s broader effort to make Windows more attractive for developers as Linux remains central to cloud-native work and runs on more than 50% of Azure servers.

Sources

InfoWorld6h ago

Microsoft Ships WSL-Native Container Support for Linux on Windows Development

Facebook6h ago

Introducing: WSL containers ⚡ Containers and Linux are core to modern development workflows. At #MSBuild, we announced WSL containers — a built-in way to create, run, and interact | Windows Developer

lobste.rs6h ago

Development on Windows is Painful | Lobsters

4 Sources

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WSL Containers Public Preview: Native Linux Container Support on Windows Accelerates Developer Productivity and Enterprise Security

Overview

The public preview of Linux container integration on Windows introduces wslc.exe and the WSL Container API, allowing Linux container workflows to be embedded directly into Windows. This creates a more native, efficient, and secure environment for running Linux-based containerized applications, transforming how developers use these tools on Windows. Integration with popular developer tools, like the VS Code Dev Containers extension, makes it easy for developers to switch to wslc support without complex setup. Overall, this marks a major step forward in making Linux containers a seamless part of the Windows development experience.

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