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Alpine Linux

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Alpine Linux
DeveloperAlpine Linux development team
OS familyLinux (Unix-like)
Working stateActive
Source modelOpen source
Initial releaseAugust 2005; 20 years ago (2005-08)[1]
Latest release3.23.2[2] / 17 December 2025; 15 days ago (17 December 2025)
Repository
Marketing targetGeneral-purpose. Security, embedded systems and other resource-constrained systems, such as containers.[3]
Available inMultilingual
Package managerAPK (Alpine Package Keeper)[4]
Supported platforms
Kernel typeMonolithic (Linux)
UserlandBusyBox
Default
user interface		Ash
Official websitealpinelinux.org

Alpine Linux is a Linux distribution that uses musl, BusyBox, and OpenRC instead of glibc, GNU Core Utilities, and systemd.[5][6][7][8][9] This makes Alpine one of few Linux distributions not to be based on the latter.[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 as well as on real hardware in embedded devices, such as routers, servers and NAS.[citation needed]

History

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Originally, Alpine Linux began as an embedded-first distribution for devices such as wireless routers, based on Gentoo Linux,[13] inspired by GNAP 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.[14]

Alpine's package management system, the Alpine Package Keeper (apk),[a][4] was originally a collection of shell scripts[15] but was later rewritten in C.[16]

In 2014, Alpine Linux switched from uClibc to musl as its C standard library.[17]

Derivatives

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postmarketOS, a Linux distribution for mobile devices, is based on Alpine Linux.[18]

References and notes

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  1. ^ a b "Re: [leaf-devel] 2.6.x kernel support?". SourceForge. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Alpine 3.23.2 released". 17 December 2025. Retrieved 27 December 2025.
  3. ^ a b "about". Alpine Linux. Archived from the original on 8 May 2011. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Alpine Package Keeper". wiki.alpinelinux.org. Archived from the original on 30 September 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  5. ^ "Alpine Linux 2 review". LinuxBSDos.com. 24 August 2010. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "OpenRC". wiki.alpinelinux.org. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  10. ^ Wallen, Jack (30 June 2023). "What is Alpine Linux?". Tech Target. Archived from the original on 22 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "apk-tools". SourceForge. Archived from the original on 17 December 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  16. ^ "apk-tools – Alpine package manager". git.alpinelinux.org. Archived from the original on 7 March 2025. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  17. ^ "Alpine 3.0.0 released". Alpine Linux. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  18. ^ "postmarketOS // real Linux distribution for phones". postmarketOS. Archived from the original on 10 July 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
  1. ^ Not to be confused with the apk file format used by Android
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