Two Windows Container Apps That Make WSLC Easier to Learn

Important: These applications are currently intended for testing and development, not for running production containers. They are early-stage projects, and their behavior, command catalog, and release process can change.

The two-minute idea

Think of the applications as two views of the same learning journey.

WinContainers is the visual view. Its template catalog provides a starting point with several well-known container images. Instead of beginning with a blank terminal, you can browse available templates, choose one, and see what a working container workflow looks like.

WSLC TUI is the learning view. It presents WSLC commands in an interactive terminal UI. You can search the catalog, open guided forms, review the generated command, confirm it, and inspect the result. This makes the command line easier to understand while you use it.

The GUI helps you get moving. The TUI helps you understand what happened.

What WinContainers brings to the table

WinContainers is designed to make container management approachable from Windows. Its catalog of templates can help you discover common container scenarios and install a useful starting point without building every command manually.

It is a good fit when you want to:

• Browse container templates.
• Try familiar images in a test environment.
• Manage containers through a Windows-native interface.
• Learn the basic lifecycle of images and containers visually.

The catalog is especially useful for first experiments. Pick a template, start it, inspect its state, and then compare what you see in the GUI with the equivalent WSLC command in the terminal.

What WSLC TUI brings to the table

WSLC TUI is an interactive terminal UI for the wslc command line. It does not replace WSLC or install the WSLC runtime. It works as a front end for the wslc executable already available in your environment.

Its command browser covers areas such as:

• Containers
• Images
• Networks
• Volumes
• Sessions
• System operations
• Registry operations

The TUI can help you:

• Search for commands instead of memorizing them.
• Fill in command arguments through guided forms.
• Preview the generated command before it runs.
• Review confirmation screens for commands that change system state.
• Read command output and exit status.
• Re-run a command or copy it for later use.
• Explore built-in learning topics.

That preview step is valuable. It turns a mysterious button press into a visible command that you can read, understand, and eventually run yourself.

Why the combination works

These are not competing tools. They support different parts of the same workflow.

1. Use WinContainers to discover a template and start a small test container.
2. Use WSLC TUI to find the related command and inspect how the workflow is represented in WSLC.
3. Review the generated command before execution.
4. Run, inspect, stop, and remove the test resources.
5. Repeat with another image or command area.

The result is more than a container launcher. It is a practical way to connect the visual result with the command-line operation behind it.

Before you install

Prepare the Windows machine first. The applications depend on the underlying WSL and WSLC environment, and virtualization must be available.

Keep these points in mind:

• Use a supported Windows system with WSL and WSLC configured.
• Make sure the wslc command is available on PATH before using WSLC TUI.
• Expect the prerequisite installation to take some time. Runtime packages, WSL components, and container support may need to be downloaded and initialized.
• Launch both applications as Administrator. Without elevation, WSL-related operations may fail or behave unexpectedly.
• Leave enough disk space for the runtime, images, and test containers.

Using a Hyper-V test VM

Testing inside a virtual machine is recommended. If the Windows guest is running in Hyper-V, nested virtualization must be exposed to the guest.

First stop the virtual machine. Then run this command on the Hyper-V host in an elevated PowerShell window:

powershellCopy
Set-VMProcessor -VMName "w11" -ExposeVirtualizationExtensions $true

Replace w11 with the actual name of your VM. The VM must be stopped when changing this setting. Start it again only after the command completes successfully.

A simple first experiment

1. Start with WinContainers

Install and launch WinContainers as Administrator. Give the first startup time to detect and initialize the available runtime.

Open the template catalog and choose a small, familiar container image. For a first experiment, avoid large images or complicated multi-container applications.

Start the container and inspect its status. Look at the image, container name, ports, and available actions. The goal is not to build a production service. The goal is to see the container lifecycle in action.

2. Open WSLC TUI

Launch WSLC TUI as Administrator. The command browser lets you search or browse WSLC commands by category.

Try this workflow:

1. Search for a container or image command.
2. Press Enter to open the selected command.
3. Fill in the guided form.
4. Review the generated command.
5. Confirm the command only when you understand what it will change.
6. Read the output and exit status.

Useful controls include:

Key	Action
Up / Down	Move through commands or fields
/	Focus search
Enter	Open, preview, or submit
1 - 7	Switch command categories
l	Open learning topics
?	Show help
Esc	Go back or cancel
Ctrl+C	Quit

The exact catalog and interface are still evolving, so controls and command coverage may change between releases.

3. Compare the two views

Start, inspect, and stop the same test resource from both applications. This is where the pairing becomes useful:

• WinContainers shows the state in a visual interface.
• WSLC TUI shows the command and its output.
• WSLC remains the runtime underneath both workflows.

If a command can remove an image, container, network, or volume, slow down and read the confirmation screen. Treat advanced commands as destructive until you have verified them.

Updates and beta releases

Both applications are under active development. When a new version is released, use the application's update or settings area to check for updates where available.

For now, releases may be provided through the Beta channel. Beta software is useful for trying new features early, but it should not be treated as a stability guarantee. Read the release notes, keep test data disposable, and update only when you are ready to test the new version.

Why a virtual machine is the right place to experiment

WSLC and container tools can change system state. They can create and remove containers, images, networks, volumes, sessions, and runtime data. A mistake in a learning environment is much easier to recover from than a mistake on a workstation containing important projects.

A disposable VM gives you:

• A safer place to test new releases.
• A clean environment for reproducing issues.
• The option to take a snapshot before a major experiment.
• A simple way to reset after an unsuccessful setup.

Do not use these applications as the foundation for production workloads at this stage. Do not store irreplaceable data in test volumes. Do not assume that a successful local experiment provides production reliability, security, backup, or upgrade guarantees.

Use at your own responsibility. Back up anything important, test in a disposable environment, and report problems through the relevant GitHub repository.

The bigger picture

Learning containers does not have to begin with a wall of commands. WinContainers gives you a visual catalog and a Windows-friendly management experience. WSLC TUI gives you a guided path into the command line and makes the generated commands visible.

Together they provide a practical loop:

Discover visually. Preview the command. Execute carefully. Inspect the result. Learn by repeating.

If you are curious about WSLC and want a safer place to experiment, start with a test VM, run both applications as Administrator, and take your time during the prerequisite installation.

Explore the projects:

• WinContainers on GitHub
• WSLC TUI on GitHub

This is version 1. The tools are still growing, and that is part of the appeal: you can learn the workflow, test the ideas, and help shape what comes next.