Feels like it belongs.
WinUI 3 controls, Mica, and light, dark, or Windows-managed appearance. A real Windows desktop app, not an embedded web UI.
BUILT FOR WINDOWS. POWERED BY WSLc.
Your containers.
Right at home
on Windows.
Meet PodWin. A native Windows 11 home for WSLc container management, built with WinUI 3 and Fluent design.
FOUNDATION PREVIEW In development. No public installer yet.
WINDOWS-NATIVE
A little more Windows. A lot less friction.
Windows 11
WinUI 3 + Fluent design
WSLc runtime
Designed to be free to use
A FAMILIAR PLACE TO START
A Windows app.
Not another browser tab.
A focused native shell for understanding your environment. Start with discovery, connect on your terms, and see what's actually there.
PodWinFOUNDATION PREVIEWAN HONEST VIEW OF YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Clarity comes first.
Interactive illustration with sample data. This is not a screenshot or a live runtime connection.
CONTAINER / IMAGESTATE
web-preview
Runningnginx:alpinedevelopment-api
Runningexample-api:devtest-database
Stoppedpostgres:alpineIMAGETAG
nginx
alpineSample local imageexample-api
devSample local imagepostgres
alpineSample local imageYour session. Your call.
Discover existing WSLc sessions before connecting. Connections require confirmation because even an inventory read can activate a session VM.
See what's there.
Browse containers and images, filter the container inventory, and inspect bounded log snapshots. Errors stay visible, never disguised as empty results.
SMALL FOOTPRINT. CLEAR BOUNDARIES.
Local-first.
Deliberate by design.
No surprise changes. The preview does not install WSL, create sessions, or modify your containers.
No app telemetry or saved container logs. WSLc is a separate runtime with its own data handling.
No compatibility theater. PodWin works with WSLc, not the Docker Engine socket. Compose execution is still on the roadmap.
THE ROAD AHEAD
A solid foundation.
Then the everyday essentials.
Early software deserves clear expectations. Here's what the foundation supports, and what is still being built. No release dates promised.
Look around.
- Native Windows shell and themes
- Runtime discovery and session selection
- Consent-based connection
- Container and image inventories
- Filtering and bounded log snapshots
Take control.
- Session creation and lifetime management
- Image pull and container lifecycle
- Streaming logs and terminal access
- Measured resource statistics
- Volume, network, and registry workflows
Ship thoughtfully.
- Compose planning and compatibility checks
- Signed Velopack releases and updates
- Separate Microsoft Store MSIX channel
- ARM64 and clean-machine qualification
- Accessibility and installation acceptance
Kubernetes, Docker API compatibility, and full Docker Compose parity are not promised. Read the scope and limitations
A FEW THINGS WORTH KNOWING
Before you dive in.
Can I download PodWin today?
Not yet. PodWin is a foundation preview with no public installer or Microsoft Store listing. Signed releases, update handling, and clean-machine validation remain release gates. The docs describe the current development workflow.
Is this a replacement for Docker Desktop?
Not today. PodWin targets WSLc containers and currently focuses on discovery and read-only inventory workflows. It does not connect to Docker Engine, and Docker Desktop containers will not appear here.
What do I need to run it?
Windows 11 22H2 or later. WSLc 3.0.3 or later is the initial runtime/schema baseline for container management. Building the app requires the repository's pinned .NET SDK. See the requirements.
Is PodWin free and open source?
PodWin is intended to be free to use. The project repository is currently private and a source-code license has not been selected, so it is not being presented as open-source software yet.
A NATIVE HOME FOR WHAT'S NEXT
Make yourself at home.
Get to know the foundation, understand the boundaries,
and follow PodWin as it takes shape.
GitHub repository access is currently restricted.