How to Set Up Docker for .NET Applications on Windows (Without Docker Desktop)

Introduction

This guide explains how to use Docker and set up a Windows container for a .NET application without Docker Desktop. Follow these steps to install Docker, configure your environment, and deploy your .NET app in a container.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure:

Hyper-V is enabled on your Windows machine.

Step 1: Install Docker on Windows

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator

Run PowerShell with admin rights to execute Docker installation commands.

2. Configure Your System for Containers & Install Docker

Run the following PowerShell script to enable Windows features for containers and install.

Please refer : Microsoft Document
Docker:

Invoke-WebRequest -UseBasicParsing "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/Windows-Containers/Main/helpful_tools/Install-DockerCE/install-docker-ce.ps1" -o install-docker-ce.ps1
.\install-docker-ce.ps1

This will set up Docker on your Windows machine.

Step 2: Set Up Docker Environment Variables

3. Create a Docker Folder & Update System Path

Open File Explorer and go to C:\Program Files\.
Create a new folder named Docker.
Add this folder to the system environment variables:
- Search for "Environment Variables" in Windows and open it.
- Under System Variables, find Path, click Edit, and add:
```
C:\Program Files\Docker
```

4. Run Additional Setup Scripts

Execute the below PowerShell scripts one after another:

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12

 Start-BitsTransfer -Source "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v2.35.0/docker-compose-windows-x86_64.exe" -Destination $Env:ProgramFiles\Docker\docker-compose.exe

5. Verify Docker Installation

Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and run:

docker-compose -v

If installed correctly, this will display the Docker Compose version.

Step 3: Install Azure CLI (Optional but Recommended)

Download and install the 64-bit version of Azure CLI

Step 4: Configure Docker Settings

6. Update Docker Configuration (daemon.json)

Navigate to:
```
C:\ProgramData\docker\config
```
Open (or create) daemon.json in a text editor.
Make Sure update TCP and file look like as below

7. Add Docker Environment Variable

Open Environment Variables again.
Under System Variables, click New and add:
- Variable Name: DOCKER_HOST
- Variable Value: tcp://127.0.0.1:2376

8. Test Docker Commands

Run the following in both admin and non-admin Command Prompt:

docker images

If Docker is working, this will list available images (empty if none exist).

Step 5: Create a Docker Image for .NET Application

Folder Structure

Note: SpendSmart is project here.

Organize your project as follows:

ProjectFolder/  
│── Dockerfile  
│── SpendSmart.csproj  
│── (Other project files)

Dockerfile Example

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:8.0-windowsservercore-ltsc2019 AS base  
WORKDIR /app  
EXPOSE 5000  
ENV ASPNETCORE_URLS=http://+:5000  

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:8.0-windowsservercore-ltsc2019 AS build  
ARG configuration=Release  
WORKDIR /src  
COPY ["SpendSmart.csproj", "./"]  
RUN dotnet restore "SpendSmart.csproj"  
COPY . .  
WORKDIR "/src/."  
RUN dotnet build "SpendSmart.csproj" -c $configuration -o /app/build  
RUN dotnet publish "SpendSmart.csproj" -c $configuration -o /app/publish /p:UseAppHost=false  

FROM base AS final  
WORKDIR /app  
COPY --from=build /app/publish .  
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "SpendSmart.dll"]

Build the Docker Image

Run this command in the folder containing the Dockerfile:

docker build -t spendsmart:latest .

Run the Docker Container

docker run -d -p 5000:5000 --name spendsmart_container spendsmart:latest

Verify the Application

Open a browser and navigate to:

http://localhost:5000

Conclusion

You’ve successfully set up Docker on Windows without Docker Desktop and deployed a .NET application in a container. This method is useful for developers who prefer lightweight Docker setups.

====================================

FAQ

Q1. Can I run Docker on Windows without Docker Desktop?

Yes — Docker can be installed directly on Windows using PowerShell scripts without needing Docker Desktop at all. This approach uses Docker Community Edition (CE) installed via the official Microsoft Windows Containers script, which sets up the Docker daemon natively. This is useful for developers who want a lightweight setup or work in environments where Docker Desktop licensing is a concern.

Q2. What is the difference between Windows containers and Linux containers in Docker?

Linux containers run a Linux kernel and are the default Docker container type — they work on most cloud platforms and CI/CD systems. Windows containers run a Windows kernel and are required when your application depends on Windows-specific APIs, COM components, or .NET Framework libraries that cannot run on Linux. The Dockerfile in this guide uses windowsservercore-ltsc2019 base images specifically because the .NET application targets Windows runtime.

Q3. Why do I need Hyper-V enabled to run Docker on Windows?

Docker on Windows uses Hyper-V to create an isolated virtualisation layer that runs containers. Without Hyper-V enabled, the Docker daemon cannot create the necessary virtual machine environment to isolate and run containers securely. You can enable Hyper-V through Windows Features or by running Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All in an admin PowerShell session.

Q4. What does the DOCKER_HOST environment variable do?

DOCKER_HOST tells Docker client tools which daemon to connect to. Setting it to tcp://127.0.0.1:2376 instructs the Docker CLI to communicate with the local Docker daemon over TCP on port 2376 instead of the default named pipe. This is necessary when running Docker without Desktop because the daemon is configured to listen on TCP rather than the default Windows named pipe socket.

Q5. What is the difference between docker build and docker run?

docker build reads your Dockerfile and creates a reusable image — think of it as compiling your application into a portable snapshot. docker run takes that image and starts a live container from it. You only need to run docker build again when your code or Dockerfile changes. You can run docker run multiple times from the same image to spin up multiple container instances simultaneously.

Q6. Why does the Dockerfile use a multi-stage build?

The Dockerfile in this guide uses two stages — a build stage using the full .NET SDK image and a final stage using only the smaller ASP.NET runtime image. This matters because the SDK image is several gigabytes larger than the runtime image. By copying only the published output into the final stage, your resulting Docker image stays lean, faster to pull, and contains no build tools or source code — only what the application needs to run.

Q7. How do I check if my .NET application is running inside the Docker container?

After running docker run -d -p 5000:5000 --name spendsmart_container spendsmart:latest, open a browser and go to http://localhost:5000. If the page loads, the container is running correctly. You can also run docker ps to see all running containers and their port mappings, or docker logs spendsmart_container to view the application's console output and spot any startup errors.

Q8. What should I do if docker images returns an error in non-admin Command Prompt?

This usually means the Docker daemon is not accessible to non-admin users. Ensure the DOCKER_HOST environment variable is set correctly to tcp://127.0.0.1:2376 under System Variables — not just User Variables. After updating environment variables, close and reopen your Command Prompt completely for the change to take effect. If the error persists, verify the Docker service is running by checking services.msc for the Docker service status.

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