{"slug": "dockur-windows", "name": "dockur/windows", "category": "infra", "category_name": "Infrastructure and DevOps", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 5, "warners": 0, "score": 3.16, "rising": 1.67, "first": "2025-11-29", "latest": "2026-09-15", "why": "I use a single Docker container [1] to run a full VM on Linux, and it works like a charm for Excel and Word", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 1, "compare": 1, "warn": 0}, "spark": [1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "I use a single Docker container [1] to run a full VM on Linux, and it works like a charm for Excel and Word", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": "github.com/dockur/windows", "official_url": "https://github.com/dockur/windows", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["dockur/windows"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 795481808, "item_id": 49717613, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49717613", "by": "d3Xt3r", "date": "2026-09-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Windows in Docker is a pretty decent, free and local alternative.", "excerpt": "If you don't need it to be \"instant\" (can wait 15-20 minutes, can be even faster if you pick a lightweight version) then Windows in Docker is a pretty decent, free and local alternative. https://github.com/dockur/windows", "context": "", "use_case": "Free local Windows VM", "switched_from": "", "story": "AppOnFly \u2013 On Demand Near Instant Windows Desktop"}, {"id": 791831648, "item_id": 49489478, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49489478", "by": "zazuke", "date": "2026-08-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use a single Docker container [1] to run a full VM on Linux, and it works like a charm for Excel and Word", "excerpt": "I use a single Docker container [1] to run a full VM on Linux, and it works like a charm for Excel and Word when I still need them. [1] https://github.com/dockur/windows", "context": "Linux user", "use_case": "running Windows VM for Office", "switched_from": "", "story": "Kumander Linux \u2013 A Linux Distro with a Windows 7 Desktop"}, {"id": 737386944, "item_id": 46086684, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46086684", "by": "noisem4ker", "date": "2025-11-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The container runs a virtual machine using the host kernel's KVM device.", "excerpt": "The container runs a virtual machine using the host kernel's KVM device. Windows is then automatically installed inside said virtual machine. https://github.com/dockur/windows", "context": "", "use_case": "running Windows in Docker", "switched_from": "", "story": "WinApps: Run Windows apps as if they were a part of the native Linux OS"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "zazuke", "context": "Linux user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49489478", "date": "2026-08-29"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["free local windows vm", "running windows vm for office", "curated windows/macos vm images", "windows vm in container", "running windows in docker"], "compared": [], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46045207", "title": "WinApps: Run Windows apps as if they were a part of the native Linux OS", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49717036", "title": "AppOnFly \u2013 On Demand Near Instant Windows Desktop", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49486176", "title": "Kumander Linux \u2013 A Linux Distro with a Windows 7 Desktop", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47840851", "title": "Show HN: Holos \u2013 QEMU/KVM with a compose-style YAML, GPUs and health checks", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {"compare": 1}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 795481808, "item_id": 49717613, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49717613", "by": "d3Xt3r", "date": "2026-09-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Windows in Docker is a pretty decent, free and local alternative.", "excerpt": "If you don't need it to be \"instant\" (can wait 15-20 minutes, can be even faster if you pick a lightweight version) then Windows in Docker is a pretty decent, free and local alternative. https://github.com/dockur/windows", "context": "", "use_case": "Free local Windows VM", "switched_from": "", "story": "AppOnFly \u2013 On Demand Near Instant Windows Desktop"}, {"id": 791831648, "item_id": 49489478, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49489478", "by": "zazuke", "date": "2026-08-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use a single Docker container [1] to run a full VM on Linux, and it works like a charm for Excel and Word", "excerpt": "I use a single Docker container [1] to run a full VM on Linux, and it works like a charm for Excel and Word when I still need them. [1] https://github.com/dockur/windows", "context": "Linux user", "use_case": "running Windows VM for Office", "switched_from": "", "story": "Kumander Linux \u2013 A Linux Distro with a Windows 7 Desktop"}, {"id": 765478721, "item_id": 47842420, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47842420", "by": "frabonacci", "date": "2026-04-20", "stance": "compare", "quote": "dockur ships curated OS images (Windows/macOS), while holos looks more like a generic single-host VM runner", "excerpt": "it reminds me of https://github.com/dockur/windows with its compose-style YAML over QEMU/KVM. The difference i'm seeing is scope: dockur ships curated OS images (Windows/macOS), while holos looks more like a generic single-host VM runner. Is that a fair read? also curious any plans to support running unattended processes for OS installs?", "context": "", "use_case": "Curated Windows/macOS VM images", "switched_from": "", "story": "Show HN: Holos \u2013 QEMU/KVM with a compose-style YAML, GPUs and health checks"}, {"id": 737392577, "item_id": 46087036, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46087036", "by": "jodoherty", "date": "2025-11-29", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "The container's bash scripts download the Windows installer ISOs", "excerpt": "The container is a Linux container running a virtual machine inside. WinApps needs a Windows RDP server to work. Most of the functionality doesn't care where that Windows RDP server is actually running as long as its FreeRDP client can connect to it. The container or libvirt VM options are just ways to accomplish that via virtualization. I imagine the container part makes it easier to automate QEMU virtualization usi", "context": "", "use_case": "Windows VM in container", "switched_from": "", "story": "WinApps: Run Windows apps as if they were a part of the native Linux OS"}, {"id": 737386944, "item_id": 46086684, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46086684", "by": "noisem4ker", "date": "2025-11-29", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "The container runs a virtual machine using the host kernel's KVM device.", "excerpt": "The container runs a virtual machine using the host kernel's KVM device. Windows is then automatically installed inside said virtual machine. https://github.com/dockur/windows", "context": "", "use_case": "running Windows in Docker", "switched_from": "", "story": "WinApps: Run Windows apps as if they were a part of the native Linux OS"}]}