[db3pt0]

Looking at the installation instructions for Docker on Mac/Windows, what is the expected way to install the Docker Engine without installing the Desktop bundle?

From https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/binaries/#install-cli...

> The macOS binary includes the Docker client only. It does not include the dockerd daemon.

[kristjansson]

Docker Engine only runs on Linux.

Docker for Mac/Windows sets up a Linux VM using macOS/Windows native virtualization via the open-source HyperKit/VPNKit abstractions maintained by Docker-the-Company and the community. That VM runs Docker Enginer (dockerd) and all interaction (docker CLI commands, shared volumes, networking, etc.) are proxied into that VM.

[OldTimeCoffee]

So unless I'm missing something important, why not just use docker engine directly on a wsl2 instance?

[kristjansson]

I’m not a Windows user but AIUI just running dockerd in WSL2 misses some of the volume sharing and networking niceties. Nothing that couldn’t be replicated though

[mongol]

Is that working? Does wsl2 provide more than a shell?

[dharmab]

WSL2 uses a full Linux VM running under HyperV.

[devoutsalsa]

WSL2 can get weird when you start trying to install software with low level virtualization and file system features. YMMV. I’d use it to install apps, but I wouldn’t be confident it’d work with Docker. Even if it did initially work, eventually you’ll hit a problem for which there is no googleable answer & good luck with that.

[amaranth]

Docker Desktop installs dockerd in a WSL2 instance these days instead of using VirtualBox so I'd assume it works pretty well now.

[w7]

Current Docker on Windows detects if you have WSL2 or not, and gives you the option of just installing docker in WSL2 + configuring the Windows docker tools to manipulate the docker daemon running in WSL2.

[mongol]

But what does it run as PID1? I think not systemd?

[singingboyo]

Last I recall, docker desktop on windows explicitly recommended WSL2 over Hyper-V or whatever based setups.

[Ajedi32]

Yeah, that's the biggest issue; right now Docker Desktop is the only supported way of installing Docker on Windows: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/#supported-platforms That's literally the only reason I use it.

There's probably a fairly simple way to run Docker directly in WSL, but a lot of documentation is going to need to be updated to point to that method.