Frequently asked questions

Below are the frequently asked questions regarding either features or the overall project.

What tools are installed in Exegol?

The list of tools is dynamically generated for all Exegol images and available here.

Can I contribute to the project?

Yes, please refer to the contributors section.

Can I run Exegol on a macOS?

Yes. And both CPU architectures are supported (Intel X86_64 (AMD64) and Apple Silicon M1/M2 (ARM64).

Tip

We strongly advised macOS users to replace Docker Desktop with OrbStack, allowing host network mode to work for instance, this it’s not supported by Docker Desktop for Mac.

Can I use a VPN with Exegol?

Yes. And you have multiple choices.

  • The “YOLO” choice: at the container creation (i.e. when “starting” a container for the first time), give all permissions to the container so that you’re able to run openvpn in it and start the vpn. The command should look like exegol start <container_name> <image_name> --privileged.

  • The better choice: use the --vpn option at the container creation: exegol start <container_name> <image_name> --vpn <myconf.ovpn>. It’s the easiest and more secure choice. See the start help here).

Warning

Creating a privileged container (c.f. the “YOLO” choice) exposes you to higher security risks. This should be avoided.

Can I customize Exegol?

Yes, please refer to the “my-resources” documentation that explains how to automatically setup your changes to your Exegol containers. Also, see the “wrapper’s advanced-uses” documentation to see how to edit Exegol’s conf among other things. You could also want to make your own Exegol image

Can I make my own Exegol image?

Yes. You will need to create a dockerfile (e.g. CUSTOM.dockerfile) at the root of the exegol-images module next to the other dockerfiles (i.e. /path/to/Exegol/exegol-docker-build/) containing the instructions you want the build process to follow.

Then, run something like exegol install "myimagename" "CUSTOM" to build the image locally. See the install documentation: install action.

How to install Exegol on an external drive?

Exegol’s wrapper is lightweight, but it’s Docker images can take up some space, and users may not have enough room in their internal HDD/SSD, hence the question. This usually comes down to “how can I install Docker on an external drive?”, and the answer depends on the host.

Tip

Use a fast drive, otherwise Exegol will get real slow.

For macOS and Windows users, this can be configured in the Docker Desktop dashboard (in Settings > Resources > Advanced > Disk image location).

Disk Image Location Setting (Docker Desktop)

How to add a new tool?

“Adding a tool” can mean many things. Depending on that, you’ll get a different answer. So let’s answer most of them.

If you want to add a tool:

  • in the official Exegol images: refer to the contribution guidance.

  • in your own custom local image: refer to the contribution guidance as well, but instead of creating a Pull Request at the end to offer your contribution, just build the image locally with the wrapper and enjoy your custom local image.

  • in a live container: that’s your container, you can do whatever you whish in it ;)

  • automatically in all containers at their creation: refer to the “my-resources” documentation.

Can I install docker directly on my WSL2 distro instead of Docker Desktop ?

Yes, it’s possible to install docker directly on WSL2 rather than using Docker Desktop, but you’ll be restricted to your WSL2 environment and its constraints.

Although Docker Desktop is incomplete, it does offer a few advantages (exegol can be used from powershell / cmd, windows folder sharing with the exegol workstation, etc). We therefore recommend Docker Desktop as the official support for Exegol.

We do not guarantee wrapper stability with a directly installed WSL docker.

How to retrieve your desktop login details ?

The container’s root password can be obtained with exegol info <container> (i.e. this is needed when using the desktop feature)

WSL 2 consumes massive amounts of RAM, CPU power, and Disk Space. How can I deal with this issue ?

Users might experience excessive memory consumption when using Exegol. This is caused by WSL 2 not freeing up RAM even when processes are finished, causing large amounts of unused memory to remain allocated. This leads to high memory usage on the host system and reduced performance. More information about this issue can be found [at this GitHub issue](https://github.com/microsoft/WSL/issues/4166). A simple workaround is to create a %UserProfile%.wslconfig file in Windows and use it to limit memory assigned to WSL 2 VM.

` [wsl2] memory=8GB   # Limits VM memory in WSL 2 up to 3GB processors=2 # Makes the WSL 2 VM use two virtual processors `

When using Docker with the WSL2 backend, resource limits are managed by Windows. There might be cases, for example after updating an Exegol image, where Docker might take double the disk space the image needs. To deal with this problem, users should find the Disk image location in Docker Desktop (Settings -> Resources -> Advanced). It will be in the following format C:Users<USER>AppDataLocalDockerwsl. The Virtual Hard Disk can be located in the following path, C:Users<USER>AppDataLocalDockerwsldisk. Users can use the diskpart tool to shrink the Virtual Hard Disk using the following instructions based on directions [here](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/70946140/docker-desktop-wsl-ext4-vhdx-too-large). - Stop Docker Desktop - Start an administrative CMD or PowerShell session - Stop WSL2: wsl –shutdown - Start the diskpart tool: diskpart - Select the Virtual Hard Disk: select vdisk file=”C:Users<USER>AppDataLocalDockerwsldiskdocker_data.vhdx”. A message DiskPart successfully selected the virtual disk file. should appear. - Shrink the Virtual Hard Disk: compact vdisk - Wait for the proccess to reach 100 completion (might take some time)