| Alpine Linux | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Alpine Linux Development Team |
| OS family | Linux (Unix-like) |
| Working state | Active |
| Source model | Open source |
| Initial release | August 2005[1] |
| Latest release | 3.24.1[2]  / 13 June 2026 |
| Repository | |
| Marketing target | General-purpose. Security, embedded systems and other resource-constrained systems, such as containers.[3] |
| Available in | Multilingual |
| Package manager | APK (Alpine Package Keeper) |
| Supported platforms | |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux) |
| Userland | BusyBox |
| Influenced | postmarketOS |
| Default user interface | Ash |
| Official website | www |
Alpine Linux is a Linux distribution "designed for power users who appreciate security, simplicity and resource efficiency".[4] It uses musl, BusyBox, and OpenRC instead of glibc, GNU Core Utilities, and systemd, respectively.[5][6][7][8][9] This makes Alpine one of the few Linux distributions not to be based on systemd.[10] For security, Alpine compiles all user-space binaries as position-independent executables with stack-smashing protection.[3] Because of its small size and rapid startup, it is commonly used in containers providing quick boot-up times,[11][12] on virtual machines (e.g., OS-level virtualization) as well as on real hardware in embedded devices, such as routers, servers and NAS.[citation needed]
History
Originally, Alpine Linux began as an embedded-first distribution for devices such as wireless routers, based on Gentoo Linux,[13] inspired by GNAP[a] and the Bering-uClibc branch of the LEAF Project.[1] Founder Natanael Copa has said that the name was chosen as a backronym for "A Linux-Powered Network Engine" or some such similar phrase, but that the exact phrase has since been forgotten.[15]
Alpine's package management system, the Alpine Package Keeper (apk),[b][16] was originally a collection of shell scripts[17] but was later rewritten in C.[18]. APKv3 began being shipped by default in Alpine Linux v3.23 in December 2025[19].
In 2014, Alpine Linux switched from uClibc to musl as its C standard library.[20]
Derivatives
postmarketOS, a Linux distribution for mobile devices, is based on Alpine Linux.[21]
Although not based on Alpine Linux, OpenWrt, a Linux distribution for wireless routers and embedded systems, uses the Alpine Package Keeper (apk) as its package manager since its 25.12 release[22].
Notes
- ↑ Gentoo Network Appliance,[14] a discontinued derivative of Gentoo Linux
- ↑ Not to be confused with the apk file format used by Android
References
- 1 2 "Re: [leaf-devel] 2.6.x kernel support?". SourceForge. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ↑ "Alpine 3.24.1 released". Retrieved 20 June 2026.
- 1 2 "about". Alpine Linux. Archived from the original on 8 May 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ↑ "About". Alpine Linux.
- ↑ "Alpine Linux 2 review". LinuxBSDos.com. 24 August 2010. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
- ↑ Nestor, Marius (4 December 2017). "Security-Oriented Alpine Linux 3.7 Has UEFI Support, GRUB Support in Installer". Softpedia News. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ↑ Verma, Adarsh (8 November 2017). "10 Most Secure Linux Distros For Complete Privacy & Anonymity | 2017 Edition". Fossbytes. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ↑ Noyes, Katherine (9 February 2016). "Is Docker ditching Ubuntu Linux? Confusion reigns". Network World. Archived from the original on 16 June 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ↑ "OpenRC". wiki.alpinelinux.org. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ↑ Wallen, Jack (30 June 2023). "What is Alpine Linux?". Tech Target. Archived from the original on 22 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ↑ Bhartiya, Swapnil (28 March 2017). "Meet Alpine Linux, Docker's Distribution of Choice for Containers". The New Stack. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ↑ Steven Nuu00f1ez (10 July 2017). "Review: Alpine Linux is made for Docker". InfoWorld. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ↑ Copa, Natanael (22 August 2005). "Re: [leaf-devel] 2.6.x kernel support?". SourceForge. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
- ↑ "Gentoo Network Appliance (GNAP)". Gentoo Linux Documentation. 20 April 2006. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2026.
- ↑ Copa, Natanael (3 November 2017). "Small, Simple, and Secure: Alpine Linux under the Microscope" (video). youtube.com. Docker. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ↑ "Alpine Package Keeper". wiki.alpinelinux.org. Archived from the original on 30 September 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ↑ "apk-tools". SourceForge. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ↑ "apk-tools – Alpine package manager". git.alpinelinux.org. Archived from the original on 7 March 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ↑ "Release Notes for Alpine 3.23.0 - Alpine Linux". wiki.alpinelinux.org. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
- ↑ "Alpine 3.0.0 released". Alpine Linux. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ "postmarketOS // real Linux distribution for phones". postmarketOS. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
- ↑ "The future is now: opkg vs apk". OpenWrt Forum. 15 June 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
External links
- Official website
- Alpine Linux at DistroWatch
- Alpine Linux on Docker Hub:
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