Great questions—let’s break this down step by step, since WSL and Docker can feel overlapping at first but serve distinct purposes.

WSL Distros vs Docker Images: Core Distinction #

First, let’s clear up why your WSL distro list doesn’t match Docker’s image list—they’re fundamentally different tools:

• WSL Distros: These are persistent, full Linux system instances running on WSL 2’s lightweight virtual machine layer. They integrate deeply with Windows (you can access your Windows files via /mnt/c, run Linux and Windows apps side-by-side) and retain all your changes between sessions. Think of them as a "Linux environment tailored for Windows interoperability."
• Docker Images: These are read-only, immutable templates used to spin up isolated, ephemeral containerized processes. Containers are designed to be disposable—when you stop one, any uncommitted changes vanish unless you save them to a new image. While Docker Desktop uses WSL 2 as its backend for performance, WSL distros and Docker images are stored separately. The Alpine/Ubuntu in WSL’s "additional distros" list are WSL-specific installation packages, not Docker-compatible images, hence the mismatch.

How to Run a WSL Distro as a Docker Container & Access Its Terminal #

You can convert your existing WSL distro into a Docker image and spin up a container from it. Here’s the play-by-play:

1. Export your WSL distro to a tar file
   Open PowerShell or Command Prompt, then run:

   wsl --export <YourDistroName> <path/to/save/distro.tar>
   

   For example, if your WSL Alpine is named Alpine:

   wsl --export Alpine alpine_wsl_export.tar
   

2. Import the tar file as a Docker image
   Use docker import to turn the tar into a usable Docker image:

   docker import alpine_wsl_export.tar alpine-wsl:latest
   

   Replace alpine-wsl:latest with whatever image name/tag you prefer.

3. Run the container and enter its terminal
   For Alpine (which uses sh by default):

   docker run -it --name alpine-wsl-container alpine-wsl:latest /bin/sh
   

   For Ubuntu (swap to bash):

   docker run -it --name ubuntu-wsl-container ubuntu-wsl:latest /bin/bash
   

   The -it flags let you interact with the terminal directly.

Note: WSL distros are optimized for WSL’s environment, so the imported Docker image might lack some container-friendly tools (like proper systemd setup). It’ll work perfectly for basic terminal use, but you may need tweaks for production scenarios.

Can You Launch Ubuntu’s Desktop UI in This Container? #

Yes, but you’ll need to set up X11 forwarding to render the GUI on your Windows desktop. Here’s how:

1. Install an X server on Windows
   Grab a tool like VcXsrv or X410. When launching the X server, make sure to check "Disable access control" to let the container connect.

2. Run the container with X11 forwarding enabled
   Use this command (adjust the image name to match your imported Ubuntu image):

   docker run -it --name ubuntu-wsl-desktop \
     -e DISPLAY=$(hostname).local:0 \
     -v /tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix \
     ubuntu-wsl:latest
   

   The -e DISPLAY sets the display target to your Windows X server, and the -v mount shares the X11 socket between the container and Windows.

3. Install a lightweight desktop environment
   Inside the container, update packages and install Xfce (it’s lighter than GNOME/KDE for container use):

   apt update && apt install -y xfce4 xfce4-terminal
   

4. Launch the desktop
   Run:

   startxfce4
   

   You should see the Ubuntu Xfce desktop pop up in your X server window.

Quick heads-up: Running a desktop in a container is less performant than running it directly in WSL (thanks to WSLg’s native Linux GUI support). Also, containers are ephemeral—if you want to keep your desktop setup, commit the changes to a new image with docker commit ubuntu-wsl-desktop ubuntu-wsl-desktop:custom.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者dotNET