# Run Kubernetes on Windows


Recently Docker [announced](https://kubernetes.io/blog/2020/05/21/wsl-docker-kubernetes-on-the-windows-desktop/) an experimental feature on their Windows App, that allows us to run Kubernetes on [Windows Linux Subsystem](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/wsl2-index). Here's a high-level overview of how to do it:

1. Install WSL2 by following the official [installation guide](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install).

      > WSL 2 is a new version of the architecture in WSL that changes how Linux distributions interact with Windows

      If you are like me and try to use the Windows Store to install WSL, you end up with the first version of WSL installed. 
      I had to join the [Windows Insider Program](https://insider.windows.com/en/), update my windows version, and
      follow the steps to [Update from WSL 1 to WSL 2](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10#update-to-wsl-2).

2. Install Docker desktop for windows by following the official [installation guide](https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop)

3. Enable the WSL2 based engine on the settings:

      <p align="center">
      <img src="docker-desktop-wls2-settings.png" alt="docker desktop windows Linux subsystem settings"/>
      </p>

4. Enable Kubernetes

      <p align="center">
      <img src="docker-desktop-kubernetes-settings.png" alt="docker desktop Kubernetes settings"/>
      </p>

5. Open the terminal on the Linux subsystem and [install kubectl](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/install-kubectl/).

      ```bash
      curl -LO https://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/release/$(curl -s https://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/release/stable.txt)/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl \
      && chmod +x ./kubectl \
      && sudo mv ./kubectl /usr/local/bin/kubectl
      ```

6. Get the configuration for the Kubernetes cluster from the Windows file system