Add support for WSL container runtime

[karolz-ms]

WSL now supports its own container runtime and CLI (wslc, https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/wsl-container).

We should support it on par with existing Docker and Podman runtimes.

Current WSLC support gaps

Track remaining gaps for supporting wslc as a DCP container runtime, measured against the capabilities DCP currently uses from Docker and Podman.

Blocking gaps

• Tar/archive-based copy into containers

  • Add wslc container cp command for tar archive upload WSL#40835
  • Current wslc does not have container cp support sufficient for DCP CreateFiles.
  • DCP impact: blocks streaming generated tar contents into a created container.

• Per-network aliases / DNS alias parity

  • Support network aliases in wslc container run/create --network arguments WSL#40970
  • Support Docker-style network aliases in wslc WSL#40972
  • Current wslc supports --network and --network-alias, but aliases are not scoped inside each --network value and current alias behavior is limited to the single-user-network path.
  • DCP impact: blocks full Docker/Podman-style service discovery when a container joins multiple networks with different aliases.

Gaps requiring workarounds or degraded functionality

• Runtime events/watch support

  • Wslc events WSL#40971
  • Current wslc does not expose a Docker/Podman-style event stream.
  • DCP impact: container/network watches would require polling or another WSLC-specific strategy. Network watch support may still need separate validation even after container events land.

• Post-create network connect/disconnect

  • Add wslc network connect and disconnect commands WSL#41011
  • Current wslc network supports create/remove/inspect/list/prune, but not connect or disconnect.
  • DCP impact: dynamic network attach/detach is not directly implementable. This is less important if DCP attaches all required networks during container creation.

• Pull policy semantics during create/run

  • Current wslc container run has pull support commented out and does not expose Docker/Podman-style --pull=always|missing|never.
  • DCP impact: PullPolicyAlways / PullPolicyNever would need to be approximated with explicit image inspect/pull behavior before create/run.

• Build secrets and platform selection

  • Current wslc image build supports path, build args, pull, target, Dockerfile, labels, no-cache, tags, and verbose output.
  • It does not appear to expose build secrets or build platform.
  • DCP impact: builds using ContainerBuildContext.Secrets or Platform would be degraded or unsupported.

• Healthcheck configuration/status

  • Add support for container healthchecks WSL#41012
  • No Docker/Podman-style healthcheck configuration or health status equivalent was identified.
  • DCP impact: may block tests or future runtime behavior if DCP requires CreateContainerOptions.Healthcheck.

• Stable host callback name

  • No obvious host.docker.internal, host.containers.internal, host-gateway, or --add-host equivalent was identified in the current wslc CLI surface.
  • DCP impact: may affect ContainerHost() and host callback/proxy paths that need a stable host name from inside containers.

Honorable mentions

• Registry proxy/mirror configuration
  • wslc pull (and WSL autoProxy) fail behind a PAC/Zscaler proxy: http_proxy is set but HTTPS_PROXY is left empty, so HTTPS registry pulls bypass the proxy and time out WSL#40945
  • wslc pull behind a corporate proxy (HTTP_PROXY, HTTPS_PROXY, NO_PROXY) WSL#40981
  • [Feature Request] Support registry mirror configuration in WSLC settings.yaml WSL#40951
  • DCP impact: not a direct orchestrator interface gap, but relevant for reliable PullImage behavior in enterprise or restricted-network environments.

[hansmbakker]

WSLc is now in public preview

[hansmbakker]

@karolz-ms

• Add wslc network connect and disconnect commands WSL#41011 seems relevant for

  Post-create network connect/disconnect

  • Current wslc network supports create/remove/inspect/list/prune, but not connect or disconnect.

• Add support for container healthchecks WSL#41012 seems relevant for the healthcheck support bullet