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Amazon WorkSpaces now supports nested virtualization, so Docker Desktop and Android emulators run right inside!

AWS What's New ★★★★ View Markdown
#aws#infrastructure#devops

Hi, it's me! Today I found an update that developers will love, so let's take a look.

AWS What's New aws.amazon.com

What was announced?

AWS What's New announced that Amazon WorkSpaces Personal and Amazon WorkSpaces Core Managed Bundles now support nested virtualization. That means you can run virtual machines and containers inside your virtual desktop itself.

The story so far

Until now, if you wanted to use hypervisor-dependent tools like Docker Desktop or WSL2, or run KVM-based workloads and Android emulators, you couldn't do it entirely inside WorkSpaces. You needed separate physical hardware or some kind of workaround.

What changes

With nested virtualization enabled, you can run these tools directly on your WorkSpaces, with no extra hardware or workarounds needed.

  • Windows WorkSpaces: Docker Desktop, WSL2, and other hypervisor-dependent tools
  • Linux WorkSpaces: KVM-based workloads, Android emulators, and nested containers

For anyone doing container or mobile app development, this significantly widens what you can get done from a single virtual desktop.

Dive Deep

Here's what's supported:

  • License-included (public and custom) bundles, BYOL (Bring Your Own License) bundles, and BYOP (Bring Your Own Protocol) bundles
  • Supported OSes are Windows Server 2019/2022/2025, Windows 11, Ubuntu 22.04/24.04, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8/9, and Rocky 8/9 (all using the DCV protocol)
  • Power (4 vCPU) or higher is recommended

A few things aren't supported yet, though:

  • GPU bundles
  • The PCoIP protocol
  • WorkSpaces based on Windows Server 2016, Windows 10, or Amazon Linux 2

You can turn nested virtualization on or off per WorkSpace from the console, API, or CLI. It's available in every AWS region where Amazon WorkSpaces is available, except China (Ningxia) and Israel (Tel Aviv).

Wrap-up

  • Amazon WorkSpaces Personal and WorkSpaces Core Managed Bundles now support nested virtualization
  • Windows WorkSpaces can run Docker Desktop and WSL2; Linux WorkSpaces can run KVM-based workloads, Android emulators, and nested containers
  • It works on license-included, BYOL, and BYOP bundles over the DCV protocol, with Power (4 vCPU) or higher recommended
  • GPU bundles, PCoIP, and WorkSpaces on Windows Server 2016, Windows 10, or Amazon Linux 2 aren't supported
  • You can enable it per WorkSpace via console, API, or CLI, in every region WorkSpaces supports except China (Ningxia) and Israel (Tel Aviv)

This is a great match for developers who want to run Docker or Android emulators right inside their virtual desktop!

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