![]() ![]() ![]() The main advantage of Alpine Linux is its minuscule size. Benefits for Docker containers Small images The apk-tools package is smaller than yum/rpm or deb/apt, and although it has drawbacks, it adds to Alpine size optimization. One of them is OpenRC, an init system which, in contrast to systemd utilized by most Linux distributions, is small, modular, more efficient on system resources, and isn’t bloated, i.e., doesn’t contain unnecessary features.Īlpine also uses apk (Alpine Package Keeper) as a package manager. OpenRC and apk toolĪpart from musl and BusyBox, Alpine Linux uses other alternative tools. ![]() The size of BusyBox is about 1 MB, so distributions based on this set of command line tools consume significantly less memory. Some command-line options you require may be absent, but it is possible to install coreutils that includes numerous core utilities. It is also customizable - commands and features can be added or removed. It contains smaller simplified versions of 400 common Unix utilities, thus providing a compact but complete environment for system maintenance. It comes as a single executable file, which means less overhead because of only one set of ELF headers. BusyBoxīusyBox, a set of command-line Unix utilities, was originally created for embedded operating systems, i.e., for devices with scarce resources. Note that musl is compatible with most applications, but some of them require portability fixes and patch sets, which are referenced on musl’s compatibility page. Instead, it provides some enhanced features, for example, lightweight headers, native UTF-8 multibyte, or correct behavior on end of file as per ISO C/POSIX requirements.Īs a result, musl is more secure due to a smaller attack surface and requires less space, but in retort, demonstrates inferior performance to glibc. It doesn’t support certain features such as legacy BSD behavior for setjmp/ longjmp, legacy incorrect format specifiers, symbol versioning, lazy binding, etc. Musl, in turn, has the smallest static and dynamic overhead. For instance, locales supported by glibc are not a must-have for all applications and developers prefer using other, more performant libraries even when they are. You will notice that glibc is associated with much bigger overhead and requires much more space because it supports legacy code and contains features not required by all software. Study the bloat comparison table for musl and glibc. Contrary to glibc, which has 35 years of history and a reputation for being bloated, musl code is much cleaner. Project members say it will be finished when there’s nothing else to remove. musl is a C library implementation developed with minimalistic design in mind. muslĪlpine Linux is built around musl as opposed to other popular distributions based on glibc. At the same time, Alpine is not only about cleaning up the clutter, as several distinguishing features contribute to its small size. Developers can add packages they require leaving unnecessary dependencies out and keeping their distro clean and concise.
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