Background Information
"Alpine Linux is an independent, non-commercial, general purpose Linux distribution designed for power users who appreciate security, simplicity and resource efficiency."
- Official Alpine Linux About Page
Initially released in August 2005, Alpine Linux is a lightweight, security-focused Linux distribution designed for minimalism and efficiency.
Originally based on Gentoo Linux, and built as an embedded-first distribution for routers and firewalls. The distribution has since evolved into a popular general-purpose distribution, especially for containerized applications, such as Docker. Its size and security features make it ideal for deployment in resource-constrained environments and cloud-based systems. Alpine Linux uses musl, busybox, and OpenRC, offering a fast and secure operating system with a small footprint.
While presenting at Docker Con 2017, Alpine founder Nathanel Copa revealed that the name Alpine was a backronym for "A Linux-Powered Network Engine", but that the exact phrasing behind Alpine Linux has been forgotten since the founding of the distribution in 2005.
Technical Specifications
General Information
- Developer: Alpine Linux Development Team
- Licensing: GPL license
- OS Family: Linux (Unix-like)
- Initial Release Date: August 2005
- Latest Release Date: September 6, 2024
Availability Information
- Languages: Multilingual
- Platforms:
- x86
- x86-64
- ARMhf
- ARMv7
- AArch64
- ppc64le
- s390x
System Information
- Working State: Active
- Source Model: Open Source
- Package manager: apk-tools
- Userland: BusyBox
- Default User Interface: Ash