docker desktop-WSL

Docker Desktop with WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) allows you to run Docker containers on Windows using a Linux distribution. By integrating Docker with WSL, you can leverage the benefits of both Docker and WSL to develop and run containerized applications on your Windows machine.

To get started with Docker Desktop and WSL, you need to follow these steps:

1. Install Docker Desktop: Download and install Docker Desktop for Windows from the Docker website. Make sure to enable the WSL 2 backend during installation.

2. Enable WSL: Open PowerShell as an administrator and run the following command to enable WSL:

   wsl --install

This command will install WSL and Linux kernel updates on your Windows machine.

3. Choose a Linux distribution: Open the Microsoft Store, search for your preferred Linux distribution (e.g., Ubuntu, Debian), and install it. This distribution will be used by Docker to run containers.

4. Set WSL version: Open PowerShell as an administrator and run the following command to set WSL version 2 as default:

   wsl --set-default-version 2

5. Configure Docker to use WSL: Open Docker Desktop, go to "Settings," select "General," and check the "Use the WSL 2 based engine" option. Then, select the WSL default distribution you installed in step 3.

6. Test Docker: Open a terminal (WSL) and run the following command to verify that Docker is working:

   docker run hello-world

If everything is set up correctly, you should see a "Hello from Docker!" message.

That's it! Now you can start running Docker containers using the Linux distribution installed through WSL. Remember that you can also access files and directories on your Windows machine from within the Linux environment to build and run your containerized applications.