QA Wolf runs Windows desktop tests in disposable VMs from Linux
Running Windows desktop tests from Linux with disposable VMs
QA Wolf built a system to run Windows desktop tests from Linux by treating Windows VMs like disposable devices. Each test claims a warm VM from a pool, controls it remotely via CDP and Appium, and releases it for destruction. This solves slow boot times, state contamination, and tooling gaps, enabling enterprise-scale parallel testing without maintaining a Windows fleet.
Our answer was to stop treating Windows machines as servers and treat them like phones: a device that one test claims, uses once, and throws away.