FAQ
Docker on Windows, without WSL.
Common questions about running Docker on Windows 11 with hyperbutler, and how it compares with the other ways to do it.
How do I run Docker on Windows without WSL?
Install hyperbutler from the MSI, then:
hyperbutler start
docker run --rm hello-world
docker compose up -dhyperbutler boots a small Linux VM directly through the Windows Host Compute Service (HCS, the
Hyper-V API that WSL 2 itself uses) and runs Docker's own engine, dockerd and containerd, in
it. The stock docker CLI and Docker Compose talk to it through a
hyperbutler docker context. WSL can stay off, and its updates never touch the
engine.
How does it compare with Docker Desktop, Rancher Desktop and Podman Desktop?
| hyperbutler | Docker Desktop | Rancher Desktop | Podman Desktop | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VM on Windows | its own, through HCS | WSL 2 (Hyper-V on Pro and up) | WSL 2 | WSL 2, or Hyper-V |
| Needs WSL | no | by default | yes | by default |
| Engine | dockerd | dockerd | dockerd or containerd | Podman |
| Kubernetes | no | yes | yes (k3s) | through kind or minikube |
| Windows containers | no | yes | no | no |
| License | Apache-2.0, free for any company | paid subscription for larger companies | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
Measured against Docker Desktop 4.97 on one laptop (Windows 11 Home, Core Ultra 7 155H, 32 GB), out-of-the-box settings:
| hyperbutler | Docker Desktop | |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 120 MB | 592 MB (+351 MB WSL) |
| Installed size | 197 MB | about 6.7 GB |
| Start until a container runs | 2.5 s | 5.6 s |
| Idle memory, VM running | 319 MiB | 1.7–2.7 GB |
| Disk 5 min after deleting ~5 GB of images | 1.5 GiB | 6.8 GiB |
Read 2000 small files from C:\ | 0.4 s | 3.4 s |
One machine is not a general result: the method and raw data are published. Docker Desktop is ahead on breadth: Kubernetes, Windows containers, extensions and a mature GUI.
Does it work on Windows 11 Home?
Yes. Windows 11 Home, Pro and Enterprise on x64 are supported, with virtualization enabled in the firmware; the installer turns on Virtual Machine Platform if it is off. Windows 10 and Windows containers are not supported: hyperbutler runs Linux containers on Windows 11.
Do Docker Compose, VS Code and SDKs work?
Yes. They use the Docker API, which hyperbutler serves on a named pipe. Builds, healthchecks,
service names, named volumes, bind mounts and published ports are tested end to end. Bind
mounts from C:\ go through hyperbutler's own file server, and file watchers such
as Vite and webpack see changes within milliseconds.
What differs from Docker Desktop.
Do I need administrator rights?
Once, for the MSI. It installs a small broker service, the only privileged part, which starts and stops your VM from a fixed template. Daily use needs no admin rights and no Hyper-V Administrators membership.
Can I move from Docker Desktop?
hyperbutler import --from-desktop copies images and volumes over.
Can AI coding assistants use it?
hyperbutler mcp is an MCP server: an assistant in your editor can read status,
containers, logs and disk use. Starting, stopping and deleting need flags you add, and what it
may run is fenced in. MCP docs.
Is this Docker?
It runs Docker's own open-source engine and speaks the Docker API, so Docker's tools work with it. It is not made by Docker, Inc., and collects no telemetry.