Search notes:

Docker on Windows: presence of cexecsvc service indicates being inside a container

When using Docker on Windows, it is possible to check if an environment is running inside a container by testing for the presence of the Windows service cexecsvc. If such a service is present, it indicates that the environment is indeed running inside a container.
The following example starts in a non-container environment where no cexecsvc service is running. Then, a new container is created (docker run …) and inside the container, using sc.exe, we find that this service is available (and running): 
C:\> sc query cexecsvc
[SC] EnumQueryServicesStatus:OpenService FAILED 1060:

The specified service does not exist as an installed service.

C:\> docker run -it mcr.microsoft.com/windows/nanoserver:1809 cmd.exe
C:\> sc query cexecsvc

SERVICE_NAME: cexecsvc
        TYPE               : 10  WIN32_OWN_PROCESS
        STATE              : 4  RUNNING
                                (STOPPABLE, NOT_PAUSABLE, IGNORES_SHUTDOWN)
        WIN32_EXIT_CODE    : 0  (0x0)
        SERVICE_EXIT_CODE  : 0  (0x0)
        CHECKPOINT         : 0x0
        WAIT_HINT          : 0x0
Alternatively, we can also look up the service in the registry: 
C:\> reg query HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\cexecsvc
    DependOnService    REG_MULTI_SZ    condrv\0ProfSvc\0nsi
    Description    REG_SZ    @%systemroot%\system32\cexecsvc.exe,-101
    DisplayName    REG_SZ    @%systemroot%\system32\cexecsvc.exe,-100
    ErrorControl    REG_DWORD    0x1
    ImagePath    REG_EXPAND_SZ    %systemroot%\system32\cexecsvc.exe
    ObjectName    REG_SZ    LocalSystem
    ServiceSidType    REG_DWORD    0x1
    Start    REG_DWORD    0x2
    Type    REG_DWORD    0x10

Index

Fatal error: Uncaught PDOException: SQLSTATE[HY000]: General error: 8 attempt to write a readonly database in /home/httpd/vhosts/renenyffenegger.ch/php/web-request-database.php:78 Stack trace: #0 /home/httpd/vhosts/renenyffenegger.ch/php/web-request-database.php(78): PDOStatement->execute(Array) #1 /home/httpd/vhosts/renenyffenegger.ch/php/web-request-database.php(30): insert_webrequest_('/notes/developm...', 1758201001, '216.73.216.150', 'Mozilla/5.0 App...', NULL) #2 /home/httpd/vhosts/renenyffenegger.ch/httpsdocs/notes/development/tools/Docker/Windows/cexecsvc(63): insert_webrequest() #3 {main} thrown in /home/httpd/vhosts/renenyffenegger.ch/php/web-request-database.php on line 78