winapps/docs/docker.md

Creating a Windows VM in Docker or Podman

Although WinApps supports using QEMU+KVM+libvirt as a backend for running Windows virtual machines, it is recommended to use Docker or Podman. These backends automate the setup process, eliminating the need for manual configuration and optimisation of the Windows virtual machine.

Important

Running a Windows virtual machine using Docker or Podman as a backend is only possible on GNU/Linux systems. This is due to the necessity of kernel interfaces, such as the KVM hypervisor, for achieving acceptable performance. The performance of the virtual machine can vary based on the version of the Linux kernel, with newer releases generally offering better performance.

Important

WinApps does NOT officially support versions of Windows prior to Windows 10. Despite this, it may be possible to achieve a successful installation with some additional experimentation. If you find a way to achieve this, please share your solution through a pull request for the benefit of other users.

Docker

Installation

You can find a guide for installing Docker Engine here.

Setup Docker Container

WinApps utilises docker compose to configure Windows VMs. A suitable compose.yaml file is included in the root directory of the WinApps repository.

Prior to initiating the installation, you can modify the RAM and number of CPU cores available to the Windows VM by changing RAM_SIZE and CPU_CORES within compose.yaml.

It is also possible to specify the version of Windows you wish to install within compose.yaml by modifying VERSION.

Note

WinApps uses a stripped-down Windows installation by default. Although this is recommended, you can request a stock Windows installation by changing VERSION to one of the versions listed in the README of the original GitHub repository.

Please refer to the original GitHub repository for more information on additional configuration options.

Installing Windows

After navigating into the cloned WinApps repository, you can initiate the Windows installation using docker compose.

docker compose up

You can then access the Windows virtual machine via a VNC connection to complete the Windows setup by navigating to http://127.0.0.1:8006 in your web browser.

Installing WinApps

Docker simplifies the WinApps installation process by eliminating the need for any additional configuration of the Windows virtual machine. Once the Windows virtual machine is up and running, you can directly launch the WinApps installer, which should automatically detect and interface with Windows.

./installer.sh

Subsequent Use

docker compose start # Power on the Windows VM
docker compose pause # Pause the Windows VM
docker compose unpause # Resume the Windows VM
docker compose restart # Restart the Windows VM
docker compose stop # Gracefully shut down the Windows VM
docker compose kill # Force shut down the Windows VM

Note

The above docker compose commands must be run within the same directory containing compose.yaml.

Podman

Installation

1. Install Podman using this guide.
2. Install podman-compose using this guide.

Setup Podman Container

Please follow the docker instructions.

Installing Windows

After navigating into the cloned WinApps repository, you can initiate the Windows installation using podman-compose.

podman-compose up

You can then access the Windows virtual machine via a VNC connection to complete the Windows setup by navigating to http://127.0.0.1:8006 in your web browser.

Installing WinApps

Please follow the docker instructions.

Subsequent Use

podman-compose start # Power on the Windows VM
podman-compose pause # Pause the Windows VM
podman-compose unpause # Resume the Windows VM
podman-compose restart # Restart the Windows VM
podman-compose stop # Gracefully shut down the Windows VM
podman-compose kill # Force shut down the Windows VM

Note

The above podman-compose commands must be run within the same directory containing compose.yaml.