# WSL Container WSL Container is Microsoft's **built-in Linux container runtime for Windows** — create, run, and manage Linux containers natively, without Docker Desktop or any third-party tooling. Public preview since WSL 2.9.3 pre-release; general availability targeted for fall 2026. Where classic [[Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)]] gives you full Linux distributions, WSL Container adds two things on top: 1. **`wslc.exe`** — a container CLI with Docker-like syntax 2. **A programmatic API** (NuGet package for C, C++, C#) so Windows applications can run Linux containers as an implementation detail, integrated with MSBuild and CMake That second one is the strategically interesting part: a Windows app can now embed Linux-only code by building and running a container at compile time, making containers a language feature of the Windows toolchain rather than a separate ops tool. ## Technical notes - Uses **virtiofs** (about 2x faster file access) and "consomme" networking by default — both ahead of what standard WSL ships - VS Code [[Devcontainers]] supported - Enterprise hooks: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint integration (private preview), Intune management with container-registry allowlists - Current gaps: no USB passthrough, no Docker Compose equivalent ## Why it matters This is Microsoft going after the [[Docker]] Desktop license line item. For teams that only need `docker run`-level workflows on Windows — including sandboxing [[AI Agents]] — the built-in path now exists, with enterprise policy control that Docker Desktop can't match on Windows. Compose-dependent workflows still need Docker or Podman. ## References - [Announcement](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/commandline/wsl-container-is-now-available-for-public-preview/) ## Related - [[Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)]] — the substrate - [[Docker]] — what it partially replaces on Windows - [[Docker Sandboxes]] — the agent-sandboxing use case this also serves