Docker on Windows, without Docker Desktop.

Kiri runs its engine inside WSL2 and serves the Docker API on a named pipe, so docker works from PowerShell and from inside WSL. On one Windows PC it started a container in 78 ms; Docker Desktop took 491 ms.

Download Kiri See the numbers

Windows 10 or 11, x64 or ARM. A per-user installer: no admin prompt, no service.

Measured

Six times faster to start a container.

Kiri and Docker Desktop on one Windows PC, minutes apart, through the same docker CLI from PowerShell, with the same images, warm.

Measurement	Kiri	Docker Desktop
`docker run --rm alpine true`	78 ms	491 ms
`docker exec … true`	57 ms	89 ms
200 MB out of a container	255 MB/s	40 MB/s
Inside WSL: `docker run`	190 ms	669 ms

Medians, 25 October 2026, Windows 11 Pro, WSL 2.6.3 with NAT networking, Docker Desktop on its WSL2 backend with default settings. Every figure: benchmarks.

Windows

Windows on the outside, Linux where it counts.

A native window

The same Kiri window as on the Mac, built on Win32 and WebView2. No Electron.

The Docker API on a named pipe

\\.\pipe\kiri, as the kiri docker context, carried into WSL over a single bridge.

Your network settings stay put

No change to WSL's or Windows' network configuration, no port juggling.

No admin, no service

Installs into your own profile, starts when you sign in, and uninstalls cleanly.

Plays nicely with Docker Desktop

If Docker Desktop is installed, Kiri doesn't take over as the default engine. Switch with docker context use kiri.

Everything in one installer

The engine, the docker CLI, Compose and buildx.

Side by side

Docker on Windows: your choices.

Feature	Kiri	Docker Desktop	Podman Desktop	Rancher Desktop
Mac	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Linux	Yes, no VM	In a VM	Yes	Yes
Free at work	Yes	Paid over 250 staff	Yes	Yes
Open source	Apache 2.0	No	Apache 2.0	Apache 2.0
Desktop app	Native	Electron	Electron	Electron
`docker`, Compose, buildx	Yes	Yes	Through its Docker API layer	With its dockerd option
Kubernetes	Yes	Yes	Through kind or Minikube	k3s
Public link to a container	Kiri Share	No	No	No
`docker run` on a Mac	22 ms	178 ms	Not measured yet	Not measured yet

Docker Desktop needs a paid subscription in companies with more than 250 employees or more than $10 million a year in revenue. OrbStack is free for personal use and paid for work. Checked November 2026; each project's own pages have the current terms.

Switching

Keep your commands. Change the engine.

Install Kiri
On a Mac, the app. On Windows, a per-user installer for WSL2. On Linux, a .deb or .rpm: curl -fsSL https://runkiri.com/install.sh | bash.
Bring your things over
Kiri moves images, volumes and containers over from Docker Desktop or OrbStack, so nothing is rebuilt. Keep the old one installed while you try it.
Run what you always run
```
$ docker compose up
```
Kiri adds a kiri docker context, so the docker CLI, Compose, buildx and your IDE talk to Kiri.

Questions

Asked often.

Can I run Docker on Windows without Docker Desktop?

Yes. Kiri runs its engine inside WSL2, serves the Docker API on a named pipe and brings its own docker CLI, Compose and buildx, so Docker Desktop isn't needed.

Does Kiri need WSL2?

Yes. If you don't have it yet, run wsl --install in an administrator PowerShell and restart. Kiri uses a WSL distro you pick on first run.

Does Kiri run on Windows on ARM?

Yes. There is an installer for x64 and one for ARM PCs such as Snapdragon laptops.

Is Kiri faster than Docker Desktop on Windows?

On one Windows 11 PC, Kiri started a container in 78 ms against Docker Desktop's 491 ms, and moved data out of a container at 255 MB/s against 40 MB/s.