There’s no denying that Linux distros are perfect for self-hosting and containerization workloads. But once you’ve completed the grueling task of setting up WSL2 and Docker Desktop, you’ll be rewarded with the ability to run containers on your Windows 11 machine. While most Linux containers will work just fine on Microsoft’s flagship OS, there are a handful of services that you must try out on your Windows 11 workstation.

5 Penpot

An amazing self-hosted design tool

From the uber-popular Adobe Illustrator to the web-based Figma and Canva, design apps are a dime a dozen on Windows 11. But if you’re looking for a free SVG-based design service that, despite its self-hosted roots, can walk toe-to-toe with industry-grade tools, you don’t want to miss Penpot.

Besides helping you edit vector images like a pro, Penpot provides solid prototype facilities, including support for trigger-action interactions and the ability to connect different design boards. For coders who wish to dabble in UI creation, Penpot lets you edit code in SVG, CSS, and HTML. Throw in the massive set of community-created templates and plugins available at your disposal, and a self-hosted Penpot can fulfill all your design needs.

4 Nextcloud

Your personal cloud storage

Tired of storing data on cloud platforms that charge premium subscription fees for extra storage without respecting your privacy? A self-hosted Nextcloud container can not only ensure your data remains on your local drives, but it also provides an easy means to sync files across multiple devices on your home network.

It also has pretty much every feature you can require from a cloud platform, be it dedicated mobile apps, simple UI, and powerful collaboration tools. Plus, you can extend the Nextcloud container’s functionality with the help of additional extensions available on its app store.

3 Joplin

With a shout-out to TriliumNext Notes

Joplin is one of the most popular names in the note-taking ecosystem, and for good reason. It has solid markdown support, an efficient tagging system, and plenty of customization options to help you fine-tune the UI to your liking.

Plus, you can host your own Joplin server using a Docker container and use your mobile app to sync all your notes without dealing with the privacy-related woes of Joplin Cloud. And if you want even more features in your personal knowledge management platform, you can try self-hosting a TriliumNext Notes server.

2 LibreOffice

The perfect alternative to Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office may be one of the most popular productivity suites in the tech space, but there are plenty of alternatives that offer better features without charging you an exorbitant one-time premium or requiring regular subscription fees.

Thanks to its multi-platform support and compatibility with tons of file systems, LibreOffice can easily replace Microsoft Office for the majority of your document-processing, spreadsheet-crunching, and presentation-designing needs. And best of all, you can containerize the entire LibreOffice suite without any drawbacks to its performance.

1 Linux distros

And even macOS, if you’re daring enough

WSL2 distros can help you run Linux programs on your PC, but nothing’s as cool as running your favorite Linux operating system inside a lightweight container. Ubuntu and Alpine Linux are obviously the most popular options, but you can even deploy Elementary OS, Arch Linux, openSUSE, and other distros inside containerized environments.

Besides providing an isolated testing ground for your coding projects, a container-based Linux distro is great when you want to familiarize yourself with the quirks of different operating systems without the extra performance overhead of a virtual machine. Heck, for those willing to push the boundaries of tinkering (and madness) even further, you can even host Apple’s proprietary macOS with the help of Docker containers!

Which Docker containers do you run on your Windows 11 PC?

Apart from these containerized apps (and distros), there are plenty of other images you should consider hosting with Docker Desktop. For instance, the holy trifecta of WireGuard, NetAlertX, and Pi-Hole can bolster your home network’s security whilst keeping pesky advertisements at bay. If you’re fond of Nextcloud and want to turn your Windows 11 PC into a full-on media server, you can try running containers for Immich, Calibre-web, and Jellyfin. Finally, you’ve got Gitea, Code Server, and Nginx for coding enthusiasts who want to leverage containers in their workflow.