Microsoft brings Linux containers to WSL

Microsoft is working on its own container platform for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). The WSL Container feature integrates Linux containers directly into WSL and includes the new command-line tool wslc.exe as well as an API that allows Windows applications to use containers programmatically.

Microsoft still officially refers to the feature as “in development,” but the documentation for WSL Containers is already available and points to ongoing development in the WSL repository. At Build 2026 on June 2nd, Microsoft officially announced WSLC as coming soon to Public Preview. With a future WSL update, wslc.exe is expected to be installed automatically as part of WSL.

CLI, API, and SDK for Windows Applications

Microsoft describes the new component as a combination of the wslc.exe CLI and a WSL Container API. A NuGet package allows applications to download container images, start containers, and interact with them. Support includes input and output via stdin and stdout, file sharing, network functions, and GPU access, among other features.

For developers, the platform also includes a WSLC SDK with C++ and C# libraries. This allows Windows applications to manage containers directly through the provided API. Potential use cases range from development environments that automatically spin up build containers to applications that provide databases or other Linux services in the background.

The official documentation only provides partial insights into the exact technical basis Microsoft is using. The documentation generally refers to Linux containers. The associated pull request Add WSLC (WSL Containers) feature offers a few more details: The platform includes components for managing containers, images, volumes, and networks, and supports container registries.

Network, Storage, and GPU

The pull request mentions additional technical building blocks. For networking, the platform supports port forwarding, DNS tunneling, and Virtio networking, integrating with the Windows network stack. Container data is stored in VHD-based volumes. For container file systems, wslc uses overlay file systems, common on Linux. Virtiofs is used for file exchange between Windows and the container environment.

GPU acceleration is also part of the functionality. Both the documentation and the pull request explicitly mention GPU access. GPU support is likely to be of particular interest for AI and machine learning workloads, as well as GPU-accelerated development environments.

Microsoft has not yet provided a release date. The documentation only refers to a future WSL update. Parts of the implementation are already visible in the WSL repository.

(fo)