Thresh 1.5.0 Release - Complete Feature Overview

February 27, 2026 · 9 min read

thresh Development Team

Release Date: February 27, 2026
Major Release: Phase 1.5 - Enterprise Container Features

We're thrilled to announce thresh 1.5.0, the most significant release yet! This update brings production-ready networking, persistent storage, advanced WSL configuration, and volume management to your development environments.

🚀 Release Highlights

What's New in 1.5.0

🌐 Full Networking Support - Port mapping, network modes, hostnames, and exposed ports
📦 Persistent Storage - Named volumes, bind mounts, and tmpfs storage
🔄 Lifecycle Management - New start and stop commands for better control
⚙️ WSL Configuration Profiles - Fix database permissions and optimize environments
💾 Volume Management - Complete volume lifecycle with CLI commands
📊 Improved Metadata - Persistent configuration tracking

🌐 Networking & Port Mapping

Access your services from anywhere with full networking support.

Port Mapping

Define port mappings in blueprints:

{
  "name": "webserver",
  "base": "ubuntu-22.04",
  "ports": ["8080:80", "8443:443", "5432:5432"],
  "packages": ["nginx"]
}

Platform behavior:

Windows (WSL2):

All listening ports automatically forwarded to localhost
No manual configuration needed - WSL2 handles it
Access services: http://localhost:8080

Linux/macOS (containerd/nerdctl):

Ports explicitly mapped with -p flag
Docker-compatible syntax
Full control over port bindings

Advanced Networking Options

IP Binding:

{
  "ports": ["127.0.0.1:8080:80"]  // Localhost only
}

Protocol Specification:

{
  "ports": ["8080:80/tcp", "53:53/udp"]
}

Exposed Ports (inter-container communication):

{
  "expose": ["9090", "9091"]
}

Network Modes:

{
  "network": "bridge"  // or "host", "none"
}

Custom Hostnames:

{
  "hostname": "api.local"
}

Complete Example: Full-Stack Application

{
  "name": "fullstack-app",
  "base": "ubuntu-22.04",
  "packages": ["nodejs", "npm", "postgresql-14"],
  "ports": [
    "3000:3000",    // Frontend
    "8080:8080",    // API
    "5432:5432"     // PostgreSQL
  ],
  "expose": ["6379"],  // Redis (internal only)
  "network": "bridge",
  "hostname": "app.local",
  "volumes": [
    {"name": "postgres-data", "mount": "/var/lib/postgresql/data"},
    {"name": "app-logs", "mount": "/var/log/app"}
  ],
  "wslConfig": "database"
}

Learn More: Networking Tutorial

📦 Persistent Storage

Three types of storage for every use case.

1. Named Volumes

Persistent data that survives environment recreation:

{
  "volumes": [
    {"name": "postgres-data", "mount": "/var/lib/postgresql/data"},
    {"name": "redis-data", "mount": "/var/lib/redis"},
    {"name": "app-config", "mount": "/etc/myapp"}
  ]
}

Perfect for:

Database files
Application configuration
User-generated content
Logs and state

Platform behavior:

Windows (WSL):

Stored in %USERPROFILE%\.thresh\volumes\
Accessible from both Windows and WSL
Directory-based bind mounts

Linux/macOS:

Managed by containerd/nerdctl
Container runtime handles lifecycle
Volume driver support

2. Bind Mounts

Direct access to host files:

{
  "bind_mounts": [
    {
      "host": "C:/projects/myapp",
      "container": "/app",
      "readonly": false
    },
    {
      "host": "/etc/ssl/certs",
      "container": "/certs",
      "readonly": true
    }
  ]
}

Perfect for:

Live code editing
Sharing configuration files
Mounting source code
Development workflows

3. Tmpfs Mounts

Fast in-memory storage:

{
  "tmpfs": ["/tmp", "/run", "/cache"]
}

Perfect for:

Temporary files
Build artifacts
Cache directories
Session data

Volume Persistence Example

# Create environment with volume
thresh up postgres-server

# Populate database
psql -h localhost -p 5432 -c "CREATE TABLE users (id SERIAL, name TEXT);"

# Destroy environment
thresh destroy postgres-server -y

# Recreate - data still exists!
thresh up postgres-server
psql -h localhost -p 5432 -c "SELECT * FROM users;"
# ✓ Data persisted across recreations

Learn More: Volumes Tutorial

🔄 Lifecycle Management

New commands for better environment control.

`thresh start`

Start stopped environments:

# Windows (WSL)
thresh start webserver
# Starts WSL distribution
# Services accessible via localhost

# Linux/macOS
thresh start webserver
# Starts container
# Port mappings restored

Use after:

System restarts
Manual stops
wsl --shutdown (Windows)

`thresh stop`

Stop running environments without data loss:

thresh stop webserver
# Graceful shutdown
# All volumes preserved
# Port mappings released

Use when:

Freeing system resources
Temporarily disabling services
Changing configuration

Learn More: start command | stop command

⚙️ WSL Configuration Profiles

Fix database permission errors and optimize environments (Windows only).

The Problem

Databases fail on WSL2 due to Plan9 filesystem permissions:

$ sudo systemctl start postgresql
Job for postgresql.service failed...
FATAL: data directory has wrong ownership

The Solution

Use built-in WSL configuration profiles:

{
  "name": "postgres-server",
  "base": "ubuntu-22.04",
  "packages": ["postgresql-14"],
  "wslConfig": "database",  // ✓ Fixes permissions!
  "volumes": [
    {"name": "postgres-data", "mount": "/var/lib/postgresql/data"}
  ]
}

Built-in Profiles

Profile	Description	Use Case
`database`	Fixes file permissions	PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis
`docker`	Enables systemd	Docker daemon auto-start
`web-server`	Optimized mounts	Nginx/Apache development
`systemd`	Basic systemd	Modern services (Kubernetes, etc.)
`minimal`	Maximum isolation	Security-focused environments
`development`	Balanced setup	General development

Custom Profiles

Create your own:

# Create profile
mkdir ~/.thresh/profiles
nano ~/.thresh/profiles/ml-workstation.wslconf

# ML Workstation Profile
[boot]
systemd=true
command=nvidia-smi

[automount]
enabled=true
options=metadata,uid=1000,gid=1000,umask=022

[network]
hostname=ml-workstation

[gpu]
enabled=true

Use in blueprint:

{
  "wslConfigFile": "~/.thresh/profiles/ml-workstation.wslconf"
}

CLI Management

# List profiles
thresh wslconf list

# Show profile content
thresh wslconf show database

# Show all valid options
thresh wslconf options

# Validate custom profile
thresh wslconf validate my-profile.wslconf

Learn More: WSL Configuration Guide | wslconf command

💾 Volume Management

Complete volume lifecycle management.

Volume Commands

List volumes:

thresh volume list
# Shows all named volumes with mount points

Create volume:

thresh volume create app-data
# Pre-create for initialization or sharing

Inspect volume:

thresh volume inspect postgres-data
# Shows driver, mount point, created date, labels

Delete volume:

thresh volume delete old-data
# Permanent deletion (cannot be undone)

Volume Workflows

Backup and restore:

# Backup (Windows)
$volume = "$env:USERPROFILE\.thresh\volumes\postgres-data"
Compress-Archive -Path $volume -DestinationPath backup.zip

# Restore
Expand-Archive -Path backup.zip -DestinationPath $volume

Share between environments:

// Environment 1
{
  "name": "postgres-server",
  "volumes": [{"name": "shared-data", "mount": "/data"}]
}

// Environment 2
{
  "name": "backup-service",
  "volumes": [{"name": "shared-data", "mount": "/backup-source"}]
}

Learn More: volume command

📊 Metadata & Configuration

Persistent environment tracking.

Metadata Files

thresh now stores complete environment configuration:

Location: ~/.thresh/metadata/{environment-name}.json

Contents:

Blueprint configuration
Port mappings
Volume mounts
WSL configuration
Creation timestamp
Last started/stopped

Example:

{
  "name": "webserver",
  "blueprint": "webserver",
  "created": "2026-02-27T10:30:00Z",
  "lastStarted": "2026-02-27T14:15:00Z",
  "ports": ["8080:80", "8443:443"],
  "volumes": ["web-content"],
  "wslConfig": "web-server"
}

Benefits:

Restore configuration on restart
Track environment history
Enable start/stop commands
Audit environment changes

🔧 Platform Support

Windows 11 (WSL2)

Full feature support:

✅ Port mapping (automatic WSL2 forwarding)
✅ Named volumes (directory-based)
✅ Bind mounts
✅ Tmpfs mounts
✅ WSL configuration profiles
✅ Start/stop commands
✅ Volume management

Linux (containerd/nerdctl)

Container-native features:

✅ Port mapping (explicit -p flags)
✅ Named volumes (containerd-managed)
✅ Bind mounts
✅ Tmpfs mounts
✅ Network modes
✅ Exposed ports
✅ Start/stop commands
✅ Volume management
❌ WSL configuration (Windows-only)

macOS (Apple Silicon)

Beta support:

✅ Port mapping (containerd)
✅ Named volumes
✅ Bind mounts (with path restrictions)
✅ Tmpfs mounts
✅ Network modes
✅ Start/stop commands
✅ Volume management
❌ WSL configuration (Windows-only)

📚 Complete Example: Production-Ready PostgreSQL

Blueprint: postgres-production.json

{
  "name": "postgres-prod",
  "description": "Production PostgreSQL with persistence and optimization",
  "base": "ubuntu-22.04",
  "packages": [
    "postgresql-14",
    "postgresql-contrib",
    "postgresql-client"
  ],
  "ports": ["5432:5432"],
  "volumes": [
    {
      "name": "postgres-data",
      "mount": "/var/lib/postgresql/data"
    },
    {
      "name": "postgres-logs",
      "mount": "/var/log/postgresql"
    }
  ],
  "bind_mounts": [
    {
      "host": "C:/backups/postgres",
      "container": "/backups",
      "readonly": false
    }
  ],
  "tmpfs": ["/tmp", "/run/postgresql"],
  "network": "bridge",
  "hostname": "postgres.local",
  "wslConfig": "database",
  "environment": {
    "POSTGRES_PASSWORD": "secure_password",
    "POSTGRES_DB": "production"
  },
  "scripts": {
    "postInstall": "sudo systemctl enable postgresql && sudo systemctl start postgresql"
  }
}

Provision:

# Create environment
PS C:\> thresh up postgres-production.json
✓ Environment provisioned
✓ Volumes created and mounted
✓ WSL configuration applied
✓ PostgreSQL started successfully

# Connect from Windows
PS C:\> psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U postgres -d production
production=#

# Backup to bind mount
production=# \! pg_dump production > /backups/backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

# Stop to save resources
PS C:\> thresh stop postgres-prod
✓ Environment stopped (data preserved)

# Start anytime
PS C:\> thresh start postgres-prod
✓ Environment started
# All data intact, same connection string

🎯 Migration from 1.4.0

New Blueprint Properties

Add to existing blueprints:

{
  "name": "existing-environment",
  
  // Add networking (1.5.0)
  "ports": ["8080:80"],
  "expose": ["9090"],
  "network": "bridge",
  "hostname": "myapp.local",
  
  // Add storage (1.5.0)
  "volumes": [
    {"name": "app-data", "mount": "/data"}
  ],
  "bind_mounts": [
    {"host": "C:/projects", "container": "/app"}
  ],
  "tmpfs": ["/tmp"],
  
  // Add WSL config (1.5.0, Windows only)
  "wslConfig": "database"
}

New Commands

# Lifecycle (1.5.0)
thresh start <name>
thresh stop <name>

# Volumes (1.5.0)
thresh volume list
thresh volume create <name>
thresh volume inspect <name>
thresh volume delete <name>

# WSL Config (1.5.0, Windows only)
thresh wslconf list
thresh wslconf show <profile>
thresh wslconf options
thresh wslconf validate <file>

Backward Compatibility

All 1.4.0 blueprints work unchanged:

Old blueprints run without modification
New properties are optional
Existing environments unaffected
Gradual migration supported

📖 Documentation

New Guides:

🌐 Networking Tutorial - Complete port mapping and network configuration
📦 Volumes Tutorial - Persistent storage patterns and workflows
⚙️ WSL Configuration Guide - Profiles and optimization

New CLI Reference:

thresh start - Start stopped environments
thresh stop - Stop running environments
thresh volume - Volume management commands
thresh wslconf - WSL configuration commands

Updated Guides:

thresh up - Added networking and storage examples
CLI Reference - Reorganized with new Storage category

🐛 Bug Fixes & Improvements

Fixed: Database permission issues on WSL2 with proper mount options
Fixed: Volume persistence across environment recreation
Improved: Environment metadata tracking and restoration
Improved: Platform detection and runtime selection
Improved: Error messages for networking and storage failures
Improved: Blueprint validation for new properties

🔮 What's Next

Planned for 1.6.0:

Docker Compose support for multi-container applications
Network bridge creation and management
Volume backup and restore commands
Environment snapshots and cloning
SSH access and remote development
Custom distro builder

📥 Download & Install

Windows 11

# Download
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://github.com/dealer426/thresh/releases/download/v1.5.0/thresh.exe" -OutFile "C:\thresh\thresh.exe"

# Add to PATH
$env:Path += ";C:\thresh"

# Verify
thresh --version

Linux

# Download
curl -L "https://github.com/dealer426/thresh/releases/download/v1.5.0/thresh-linux-x64" -o thresh
chmod +x thresh
sudo mv thresh /usr/local/bin/

# Verify
thresh --version

macOS (Apple Silicon)

# Download
curl -L "https://github.com/dealer426/thresh/releases/download/v1.5.0/thresh-macos-arm64" -o thresh
chmod +x thresh
sudo mv thresh /usr/local/bin/

# Verify
thresh --version

Full installation guides: Windows | Linux | macOS

🙏 Credits

Special thanks to the community for feedback and testing:

Database permission fix inspired by countless WSL issues
Volume persistence requested by production users
Networking features requested by full-stack developers

📄 Changelog

Full changelog: GitHub Releases

Questions? Issues? Ideas?

Happy provisioning! 🚀

🚀 Release Highlights​

What's New in 1.5.0​

🌐 Networking & Port Mapping​

Port Mapping​

Advanced Networking Options​

Complete Example: Full-Stack Application​

📦 Persistent Storage​

1. Named Volumes​

2. Bind Mounts​

3. Tmpfs Mounts​

Volume Persistence Example​

🔄 Lifecycle Management​

thresh start​

thresh stop​

⚙️ WSL Configuration Profiles​

The Problem​

The Solution​

Built-in Profiles​

Custom Profiles​

CLI Management​

💾 Volume Management​

Volume Commands​

Volume Workflows​

📊 Metadata & Configuration​

Metadata Files​

🔧 Platform Support​

Windows 11 (WSL2)​

Linux (containerd/nerdctl)​

macOS (Apple Silicon)​

📚 Complete Example: Production-Ready PostgreSQL​

🎯 Migration from 1.4.0​

New Blueprint Properties​

New Commands​

Backward Compatibility​

📖 Documentation​

🐛 Bug Fixes & Improvements​

🔮 What's Next​

📥 Download & Install​

Windows 11​

Linux​

macOS (Apple Silicon)​

🙏 Credits​

📄 Changelog​

🚀 Release Highlights

What's New in 1.5.0

🌐 Networking & Port Mapping

Port Mapping

Advanced Networking Options

Complete Example: Full-Stack Application

📦 Persistent Storage

1. Named Volumes

2. Bind Mounts

3. Tmpfs Mounts

Volume Persistence Example

🔄 Lifecycle Management

`thresh start`

`thresh stop`

⚙️ WSL Configuration Profiles

The Problem

The Solution

Built-in Profiles

Custom Profiles

CLI Management

💾 Volume Management

Volume Commands

Volume Workflows

📊 Metadata & Configuration

Metadata Files

🔧 Platform Support

Windows 11 (WSL2)

Linux (containerd/nerdctl)

macOS (Apple Silicon)

📚 Complete Example: Production-Ready PostgreSQL

🎯 Migration from 1.4.0

New Blueprint Properties

New Commands

Backward Compatibility

📖 Documentation

🐛 Bug Fixes & Improvements

🔮 What's Next

📥 Download & Install

Windows 11

Linux

macOS (Apple Silicon)

🙏 Credits

📄 Changelog