Microsoft Drawbridge
Under the name Drawbridge, Microsoft developed the prototype of a visualization technology, based on the concept of the Library OS – an operating system implemented as a set of libraries within an application. With Drawbridge, applications are run together with the Library OS in so-called Pico processes. These are process-based isolation containers with a kernel interface. In the Windows server container documentation, Microsoft specifies the Drawbridge experience as an important input for container server technology development for Windows Server 2016.
WinDocks
WinDocks is a Docker port for Windows, which is used to create and manage app containers for .NET applications and data containers for SQL servers. Unlike Windows server containers that are currently limited to Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 systems, WinDocks is also available for older operating systems such as Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2, as well as Windows 8 and 8.1. The software is offered for free as the Community edition and as an Enterprise product with customer support.
Sandboxie
Using Sandboxie, applications can run on Windows in an isolated environment called Sandbox. Similar to container technology, this method aims to shield the underlying host system and other applications from program activities of isolated applications. For this purpose, the tool switches between the application and the operating system in order to intercept hard disk write accesses, and redirect them to a protected area. In addition to accessing files, this also prevents write requests from the Windows registry database. Sandboxie is available for all current versions of Windows, as well as for XP and Vista as a free basic version. In addition, fee-based versions with extended functional spectrums are available for private users and commercial use.
Turbo (formerly Spoon)
Turbo is a Docker alternative for Windows, which packs applications and all their dependencies such as .NET, Java, or databases such as SQL Server or MongoDB in isolated containers. However, unlike Windows server containers, these are not natively supported by the Windows kernel, which is why a virtual machine (similar to Docker for Windows) is needed to compensate for inconsistencies. Turbo containers therefore run on the Spoon Virtual Machine Engine (SVM), which acts as an interface to the Windows kernel. The exchange of container applications also takes place at Turbo via a cloud-based hub. The software is well documented, but doesn’t receive as much attention compared to Docker.
VMware ThinApp
VMware ThinApp is a tool for application virtualization in a desktop environment. The software makes it possible to provide conflict-free applications in complex IT infrastructures. For this purpose, these, including all dependencies, are packaged in an executable EXE or MSI file and therefore isolated from the underlying operating system and other applications. The file created by ThinApp can be run on any Windows system without the need for installation (and therefore without admin rights) – optionally also from a portable storage medium (e.g. a USB flash drive). An alternative to Docker is the ThinApp when migrating legacy applications or isolating critical programs.