How to Install Docker on Windows 10 and 11
Windows is mighty, but it isn’t suited to application development and deployment. Container platforms such as Docker make it easy to develop and scale cross-platform applications. Read on to learn how you can get started with Docker on Windows 10 and 11.
What Is Docker?
Docker is an open-source platform that allows developers to efficiently build, deploy and run their applications within a container. All dependencies are bundled up so your project can easily be deployed in any environment.
Docker is popular among many containerization platforms because it is reliable, functional, and highly scalable. It runs on the Docker engine, an essential DevOps tool that provides a clean and lightweight environment for testing and deployment. Docker isnot a virtual machine; it’s a container—it only virtualizes the operating system and not the underlying hardware.
Nevertheless, these are some ofthe best Docker alternativesif you want to try something else.
On Windows 10 and 11, you can access Docker via Docker Desktop and the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Docker Desktop is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and it’s known to accelerate productivity by simplifying the process of configuring complex application environments.
But if you prefer to containerize your applications through the command line interface (CLI) instead, you may use WSL 2 on Windows 10 and 11 or the Linux terminal.
A simple example to comprehensively understand Docker is to imagine a web application with a front-end user interface, a back-end server, and a database.
Through Docker, it’s possible to isolate the three modules into different containers along with their dependencies; your application can be developed and deployed on any platform. If you want to increase a single module’s capacity (the backend server, for example), you can directly scale it without impacting the other modules.
Why Should You Use Docker?
Many developers rely on Docker because they can pack application configurations and dependencies into a single container. This can then be executed using a single Docker image. You can also use Docker Hub to download the Docker image of thousands of publicly hosted applications, including Apache, Tomahawk, Ubuntu, and more.
Since Docker containers are robust, you can also configure them to host your server; nginx docker containers are commonly used as web servers. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, Docker makes scaling and deploying your applications incredibly convenient.
This is a significant advantage over traditional virtual machines in the DevOps framework. Container orchestration services such as Kubernetes (K8s) can also help you efficiently manage multiple Docker containers. To sum up, you may use Docker in several ways:
If you want to try one of these features—specifically running Linux distros easily—you could check outour guide on running Ubuntu as a Docker container.
What Is the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)?
The Windows Subsystem for Linux lets Windows users run Linux distributions such as Ubuntu and Kali on Windows without having to dual-boot or configure a dedicated virtual machine. Windows users can directly access the Linux command-line tools, applications, and utilities without additional installation overhead.
Initially launched with Windows 10, the latest version—WSL 2—offers much more stability and power. As a developer, you can benefit from WSL by developing cross-platform applications without worrying about dedicated hardware or leaving the Windows ecosystem.
How to Install Docker with Docker Desktop on Windows
You can use Docker Desktop as a standalone application or integrate it with Windows Subsystem for Linux for better performance and efficient resource consumption. We’ll cover both methods in the upcoming sections.
To install Docker Desktop on Windows 10 and 11:
it’s possible to now download a sample image from Docker Hub to test out a container.
How to Enable WSL 2 on Windows
Before you install Docker through WSL 2, you’ll have first to install WSL 2.
The Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 is available to users running Windows 10 (Build 19041 and higher) and Windows 11. If you’re running an older version of Windows 10, you’ll have to install it manually.
Fortunately, Microsoft makes it easy to install and set up a Linux distro with this tool. Here’s how to install WSL 2 with the default Ubuntu image:
The installation process will take some time, so you might need to wait around. If you want to install a different Linux distribution, it’s possible to do so via the following command:
You can view the list of Linux distributions through:
Once you’ve safely configured WSL 2 on Windows 10 or 11, you could install Docker.
How to Install Docker with WSL 2 Backend on Windows
You can leverage better performance from your containers if you integrate Docker Desktop to use WSL 2 as its backend. WSL 2 provides efficient boot-up and enhances resource consumption using dynamic memory allocation; these features allow you to start Docker containers considerably faster.
For optimum performance on Windows, we recommend installing Docker by integrating Docker Desktop with WSL 2. You can do that in just a few steps:
Learn Docker to Set Yourself Apart
Docker has made development and deployment very easy. If you want to be a formidable software engineer, we highly recommend getting hands-on experience with Docker and container orchestration services such as Kubernetes.
What is Docker used for? Here are some practical, real-world benefits of using Docker containers.
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