WSL 2 + Docker: When Windows Becomes a Serious Dev Environment

There was a time when running containers or real Linux tooling on Windows felt like a bad compromise. It worked — kind of — but you were always watching for version mismatches, networking weirdness, or filesystem bugs. That changed with WSL 2.

And once Docker Desktop started integrating natively with it, something clicked. Suddenly, Windows wasn’t “the machine that runs Linux in a VM.” It became a real development platform. Local, fast, consistent — with the tooling you’d expect from a Linux box.

Used together, WSL 2 and Docker make Windows a viable workstation for developers, sysadmins, and even people managing lightweight CI pipelines.

WSL 2: Real Linux Kernel, No VirtualBox Drama

WSL 2 isn’t emulation. It runs a real Linux kernel, inside a lightweight VM managed directly by Windows — no GUI, no extra hypervisor, no dual boot. You can drop into a shell and use apt, systemd (with tweaks), even run services in the background.

Why it matters:
– Actual Linux kernel (not a compatibility layer)
– Much faster file I/O than WSL 1 — especially with bind mounts
– You can run real daemons (e.g., SSH, Redis)
– Perfect for scripting, testing, and local dev with Linux-only tools

Docker + WSL 2: Native Containers on Windows Without the Clunk

Docker Desktop used to be its own thing — Hyper-V, separate networks, isolated volumes. With WSL 2, that changed. Now it integrates directly into your distro, so docker runs inside WSL, with shared resources and full interop.

Why that’s a big deal:
– No need to run a separate Linux VM just for Docker
– Faster startup and lower memory usage
– Containers feel native — volume mounts, network access, docker compose — it all just works
– Works seamlessly with IDEs, Git clients, CLI tools in both Linux and Windows shells

Why Use Them Together?

Here’s where things get interesting:

– Use WSL 2 to manage local Linux scripts, services, Ansible playbooks
– Use Docker (inside WSL) to spin up containers that share the same filesystem and runtime
– Jump between Windows and Linux tools — VS Code, PowerShell, bash, Python — in one flow
– Build container images in WSL, test them, then ship to cloud registries from the same terminal
– Run Linux-only apps locally — PostgreSQL, NGINX, Node.js — without weird workarounds

This combo effectively turns a Windows machine into a hybrid workstation. You’re not working around the OS — you’re using both parts, fully.

Real-World Use Case

– A developer codes in VS Code on Windows, saves files into the WSL 2 filesystem
– Docker Compose brings up a full dev stack (PostgreSQL + Redis + backend) inside WSL
– The stack runs on Linux, but ports are available to Windows and the browser
– Git operates inside WSL, but Windows Git clients can see the repo too
– Everything is containerized and disposable — with no dual-booting, no Vagrant, no VMs

What You’ll Need

Final Thought

There’s no pretending anymore. Windows + WSL 2 + Docker is a serious dev stack — especially for people juggling Linux workflows inside a Windows shop. Whether it’s for personal development, scripting, or even building deployable containers — this setup holds up.

And it gets out of your way. Which, honestly, might be the most impressive part.