Introduced at Microsoft Build 2026, WSL containers bring Linux container development directly into Windows through WSL, providing a built-in, enterprise-ready way to create, run, and manage Linux containers without requiring additional third-party tooling. The feature just hit public preview in WSL 2.9.3, and it ships two things developers have wanted for a long time: a Docker-compatible CLI that runs from any Windows terminal, and a native API so Windows apps can embed Linux containers in their own logic.
The problem it solves
For years, running Linux containers on Windows meant relying on third-party tooling, with Docker Desktop as the dominant intermediary. That added abstraction, licensing complexity, and resource overhead. The community workaround , installing Docker Engine directly inside a WSL distro , works, but it means managing a Linux daemon, keeping it running, and losing the clean Windows-native integration that most teams actually want. WSL containers collapse that stack.
Two new pieces: a CLI and an API
The WSL container feature has two major components: a CLI called wslc.exe to build, run, and interact with Linux containers, and a WSL container API allowing Windows app developers to use Linux containers as part of their app logic.
When you update to the latest WSL version, you get a new binary on your path: wslc.exe. You can use it for your full Linux container development workflows, including running, debugging, and testing. The CLI has a familiar format, meaning you can use your existing muscle memory when running Linux containers. There is also a built-in alias
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