Windows

🪟 Option 1: Install Docker Desktop (Recommended)

Works on: Windows 10/11 (Pro, Enterprise, or Education) — for Home edition, Docker uses WSL2 (no Hyper-V).

🔹 Step 1: Install WSL2 (for Windows Home or modern Windows 11 Pro)

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

   wsl --install

2. Restart your machine.

3. Confirm WSL2 is default:

   wsl --set-default-version 2

🔹 Step 2: Download Docker Desktop

• Go to: https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop
• Download the installer and run it.

During installation:

• Enable WSL 2 backend (recommended).
• Allow it to install the required WSL distributions (e.g., Ubuntu).

🔹 Step 3: Launch Docker Desktop

• Start Docker Desktop from the Start menu.
• It will take a few seconds to initialize.
• Confirm it's running via the system tray 🐳.

🔹 Step 4: Test Installation

Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and run:

docker version
docker run hello-world

If you see the "Hello from Docker!" message — it's working ✅

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🛠️ Option 2: Install Docker without Docker Desktop (Advanced)

If you don’t want to use Docker Desktop (e.g., for licensing reasons), you can install Docker CLI & Engine manually on WSL2:

🔸 Steps:

1. Install WSL2 and a Linux distro (e.g., Ubuntu):

   wsl --install -d Ubuntu

2. Inside WSL (Ubuntu shell):

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install docker.io
   sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

3. Enable Docker service:

   sudo service docker start

4. Run Docker commands:

   docker run hello-world

⚠️ You must start Docker service manually every time unless you configure it to auto-start.