Microsoft Unveils Linux Containers for Native Windows Execution

Microsoft announced a public preview that adds native Linux container support to Windows, introducing a built‑in Linux container command‑line tool ( wslc.exe) and an API that allows Windows applications to run Linux containers as part of their logic.

The CLI follows familiar Docker syntax and includes an alias ( container.exe), making it easy for developers accustomed to Docker to adopt the new tool.

Senior project manager Craig Lowen emphasized that containers are a core component of modern development—from cloud‑native applications and AI workloads to testing and deployment pipelines—so WSL containers provide an enterprise‑grade way to create, run, and manage Linux containers on Windows without extra third‑party utilities.

The preview also brings a new default file system that Microsoft claims can double Windows file‑access speed, a new default network mode for better compatibility, and enhanced memory‑reclamation techniques; however, these changes are disabled by default in the preview.

Microsoft released a WSL container API via a NuGet package supporting C, C++, and C#; the API integrates with MSBuild and CMake, allowing developers to add container build and deployment steps directly into their project files.

Although the features appear stable in the downloadable preview, Microsoft advises against relying on them for critical production workloads until the final release later this year. The preview can be obtained from the official GitHub releases page.