Filesystems - Revision history

Prabuanand: restored Filesystem tools and moved zfs to the table content added for xfs

2026-04-14T03:03:11Z

restored Filesystem tools and moved zfs to the table content added for xfs

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:03, 14 April 2026
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	\|{{Pkg\|squashfs-tools}} \|\|[[SquashFS]]\|\|mksquashfs\|\|Compressed read-only file system.		\|{{Pkg\|squashfs-tools}} \|\|[[SquashFS]]\|\|mksquashfs\|\|Compressed read-only file system.
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|xfsprogs}} \|\|XFS\|\|mkfs.xfs\|\|		\|{{Pkg\|xfsprogs}} \|\|XFS\|\|mkfs.xfs\|\| High-performance journaling file system for large storages
			\|-
			\|{{Pkg\|zfs}} \|\|[[ZFS]]\|\|-NA-\|\|Advanced copy-on-write filesystem/volume manager
	\|}</onlyinclude>		\|}</onlyinclude>

	~~Additionally, Alpine has~~ [[~~ZFS~~\|~~excellent support~~]] ~~for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZFS ZFS], a highly robust copy-on-write filesystem / volume manager~~.		== Filesystem tools ==

			Each filesystem require different packages/programs to format the partitioned space and the appropriate packages needs to be installed first. The list of filesystem tools and the associated formatting commands are listed [[#Overview\|above]].

	== Filesystem labels ==		== Filesystem labels ==

Apropos: /* Overview */ Add mention of ZFS

2026-04-12T03:17:46Z

Overview: Add mention of ZFS

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:17, 12 April 2026
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	\|{{Pkg\|xfsprogs}} \|\|XFS\|\|mkfs.xfs\|\|		\|{{Pkg\|xfsprogs}} \|\|XFS\|\|mkfs.xfs\|\|
	\|}</onlyinclude>		\|}</onlyinclude>

			Additionally, Alpine has [[ZFS\|excellent support]] for [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZFS ZFS], a highly robust copy-on-write filesystem / volume manager.

	== Filesystem labels ==		== Filesystem labels ==

Apropos: Remove empty Filesystem tools section and add information to filesystem tools table

2026-04-12T03:08:46Z

Remove empty Filesystem tools section and add information to filesystem tools table

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:08, 12 April 2026
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	== Overview ==		== Overview ==

	The following table lists the packages related to various filesystems available ~~in Alpine Linux~~ along with the '''command''' to format.		The following table lists the packages and tools related to various filesystems available along with the '''command''' to format.
	<onlyinclude>		<onlyinclude>
	{\| class="wikitable" align="center" style="width:100%; border:1px #0771a6 solid; background:#f9f9f9; text-align:left; border-collapse:collapse;"		{\| class="wikitable" align="center" style="width:100%; border:1px #0771a6 solid; background:#f9f9f9; text-align:left; border-collapse:collapse;"
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	\|Brief Notes		\|Brief Notes
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|btrfs-progs}}\|\|[[Btrfs]]\|\|mkfs.btrfs\|\| ~~combines~~ copy-on-write and volume management		\|{{Pkg\|btrfs-progs}}\|\|[[Btrfs]]\|\|mkfs.btrfs\|\|Combines copy-on-write and volume management, similar to ZFS.
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|dosfstools}} \|\|FAT12/FAT16/FAT32\|\|mkfs.vfat\|\|~~also~~ used for [[UEFI\|EFI]] ~~partition~~		\|{{Pkg\|dosfstools}} \|\|FAT12/FAT16/FAT32\|\|mkfs.vfat\|\|Widely-used DOS filesystems. Also used for [[UEFI\|EFI]] partitions.
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|e2fsprogs}} \|\|ext2/ext3/ext4\|\|mkfs.ext4\|\|ext4 is current default in Linux		\|{{Pkg\|e2fsprogs}} \|\|ext2/ext3/ext4\|\|mkfs.ext4\|\|Journaling filesystems. ext4 is the current default on Linux.
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|exfatprogs}} \|\|exfat\|\|mkfs.exfat\|\|Commonly used on USB flash drives and SD cards		\|{{Pkg\|exfatprogs}} \|\|exfat\|\|mkfs.exfat\|\|Commonly used on USB flash drives and SD cards.
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|f2fs-tools}} \|\|[[F2FS]]\|\|mkfs.f2fs\|\|		\|{{Pkg\|f2fs-tools}} \|\|[[F2FS]]\|\|mkfs.f2fs\|\|
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|hfsprogs}} \|\|HFS/HFS+\|\|mkfs.hfsplus\|\|Apple/Mac products		\|{{Pkg\|hfsprogs}} \|\|HFS/HFS+\|\|mkfs.hfsplus\|\|Used in older Apple/Mac products before APFS.
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|jfsutils}} \|\|JFS\|\|mkfs.jfs\|\|		\|{{Pkg\|jfsutils}} \|\|JFS\|\|mkfs.jfs\|\|
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|ntfs-3g-progs}} \|\|NTFS \|\|mkfs.ntfs\|\|Full-featured, Microsoft/Windows FUSE driver		\|{{Pkg\|ntfs-3g-progs}} \|\|NTFS \|\|mkfs.ntfs\|\|Full-featured, Microsoft/Windows FUSE driver.
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|squashfs-tools}} \|\|[[SquashFS]]\|\|mksquashfs\|\|~~compressed~~ read-only file system		\|{{Pkg\|squashfs-tools}} \|\|[[SquashFS]]\|\|mksquashfs\|\|Compressed read-only file system.
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|xfsprogs}} \|\|XFS\|\|mkfs.xfs\|\|		\|{{Pkg\|xfsprogs}} \|\|XFS\|\|mkfs.xfs\|\|
	\|}</onlyinclude>		\|}</onlyinclude>

	~~== Filesystem tools ==~~

	~~Different packages/programs are used to format different types of filesystems. The filesystem tools and the formatting commands are listed [[#Overview\|above]].~~

	== Filesystem labels ==		== Filesystem labels ==
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	Most of the commonly used filesystems store the '''volume label''' or '''filesystem label''' in their metadata/superblock.		Most of the commonly used filesystems store the '''volume label''' or '''filesystem label''' in their metadata/superblock.

	Labels can be set during filesystem creation or at a later time. The below table lists the commands for both. The commands are non-destructive as long as the filesystem is '''Unmounted''' except for btrfs.		Labels can be set during filesystem creation or at a later time. The below table lists the commands for both. The commands are non-destructive as long as the filesystem is '''Unmounted''', except for [[btrfs]].

	{\| class="wikitable" align="center" style="width:100%; border:1px #0771a6 solid; background:#f9f9f9; text-align:left; border-collapse:collapse;"		{\| class="wikitable" align="center" style="width:100%; border:1px #0771a6 solid; background:#f9f9f9; text-align:left; border-collapse:collapse;"
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	\|Mounted/Unmounted		\|Mounted/Unmounted
	\|-		\|-
	\|[[~~Btrfs~~]]\|\|{{Pkg\|btrfs-progs}}\|\|mkfs.btrfs -L "label" /dev/sdXY\|\|btrfs filesystem label /mount/point "newlabel"\|\|Mounted		\|[[btrfs]]\|\|{{Pkg\|btrfs-progs}}\|\|mkfs.btrfs -L "label" /dev/sdXY\|\|btrfs filesystem label /mount/point "newlabel"\|\|Mounted
	\|-		\|-
	\|FAT32\|\|{{Pkg\|dosfstools}} \|\|mkfs.fat -n "LABEL" /dev/sdXY \|\|fatlabel /dev/sdXY "NEWLABEL"\|\|Unmounted		\|FAT32\|\|{{Pkg\|dosfstools}} \|\|mkfs.fat -n "LABEL" /dev/sdXY \|\|fatlabel /dev/sdXY "NEWLABEL"\|\|Unmounted

Prabuanand: added clarification on umounted nature

2025-09-02T11:39:51Z

added clarification on umounted nature

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:39, 2 September 2025
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	Most of the commonly used filesystems store the '''volume label''' or '''filesystem label''' in their metadata/superblock.		Most of the commonly used filesystems store the '''volume label''' or '''filesystem label''' in their metadata/superblock.

			Labels can be set during filesystem creation or at a later time. The below table lists the commands for both. The commands are non-destructive as long as the filesystem is '''Unmounted''' except for btrfs.

	{\| class="wikitable" align="center" style="width:100%; border:1px #0771a6 solid; background:#f9f9f9; text-align:left; border-collapse:collapse;"		{\| class="wikitable" align="center" style="width:100%; border:1px #0771a6 solid; background:#f9f9f9; text-align:left; border-collapse:collapse;"

Prabuanand: added fileystem label table

2025-09-02T10:22:10Z

added fileystem label table

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 |{{Pkg|jfsutils}} ||JFS||mkfs.jfs||
 |-
-|{{Pkg|ntfs-3g}} ||NTFS ||mkfs.ntfs||Full-featured, Microsoft/Windows FUSE driver
+|{{Pkg|ntfs-3g-progs}} ||NTFS ||mkfs.ntfs||Full-featured, Microsoft/Windows FUSE driver
 |-
 |{{Pkg|squashfs-tools}} ||[[SquashFS]]||mksquashfs||compressed read-only file system
@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 Different packages/programs are used to format different types of filesystems. The filesystem tools and the formatting commands are listed [[#Overview|above]].
 == See also ==
 * [[Setting_up_disks_manually#Manual_partitioning|Manual partitioning]]
 * [https://www.nico.schottelius.org/blog/2024-10-10-how-to-enable-encrypted-swap-in-alpine-linux/ How to enable encrypted swap in Alpine Linux]

Prabuanand: moved Swap related content to its own page

2025-04-02T06:28:56Z

moved Swap related content to its own page

@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 Different packages/programs are used to format different types of filesystems. The filesystem tools and the formatting commands are listed [[#Overview|above]].
 == See also ==
 * [[Setting_up_disks_manually#Manual_partitioning|Manual partitioning]]
 * [https://www.nico.schottelius.org/blog/2024-10-10-how-to-enable-encrypted-swap-in-alpine-linux/ How to enable encrypted swap in Alpine Linux]

Prabuanand: updated headings and moved some content

2025-04-02T04:58:15Z

updated headings and moved some content

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:58, 2 April 2025
Line 1:		Line 1:
	Alpine Linux ~~supports all the popular~~ filesystems for various storage media~~. Different packages/programs are used to format different types of filesystems~~.		This page documents the Alpine Linux supported filesystems needed for various storage media.

	== ~~Filesystem tools~~ ==		== Overview ==

	The following table lists the packages related to various filesystems available in Alpine Linux along with the '''command''' to format.		The following table lists the packages related to various filesystems available in Alpine Linux along with the '''command''' to format.
Line 32:		Line 32:
	\|{{Pkg\|xfsprogs}} \|\|XFS\|\|mkfs.xfs\|\|		\|{{Pkg\|xfsprogs}} \|\|XFS\|\|mkfs.xfs\|\|
	\|}</onlyinclude>		\|}</onlyinclude>

			== Filesystem tools ==

			Different packages/programs are used to format different types of filesystems. The filesystem tools and the formatting commands are listed [[#Overview\|above]].

	== Swap partition ==		== Swap partition ==
Line 74:		Line 78:

	== See also ==		== See also ==

	* [[Zram]]		* [[Zram]]
	* [[Setting_up_disks_manually#Manual_partitioning\|Manual partitioning]]		* [[Setting_up_disks_manually#Manual_partitioning\|Manual partitioning]]

Prabuanand: updated table properties, changed btrfs description, added entry for squashfs

2025-04-02T04:49:56Z

updated table properties, changed btrfs description, added entry for squashfs

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:49, 2 April 2025
Line 7:		Line 7:
	{\| class="wikitable" align="center" style="width:100%; border:1px #0771a6 solid; background:#f9f9f9; text-align:left; border-collapse:collapse;"		{\| class="wikitable" align="center" style="width:100%; border:1px #0771a6 solid; background:#f9f9f9; text-align:left; border-collapse:collapse;"
	\|-style="background:#333333; color:#ffffff; font-size: 1.2em; text-align:center;"		\|-style="background:#333333; color:#ffffff; font-size: 1.2em; text-align:center;"
	\|width="15%" \| Tool		\|width="18%" \| Tool
	\|width="15%"\| Filesystem		\|width="18%"\| Filesystem
	~~\|Formatting command~~		\|width="15%"\|Formatting command
	\|width="55%"\| Brief Notes		\|Brief Notes
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|btrfs-progs}}\|\|[[Btrfs]]\|\|mkfs.btrfs\|\|~~supports only RAID 0,1~~ and 10		\|{{Pkg\|btrfs-progs}}\|\|[[Btrfs]]\|\|mkfs.btrfs\|\| combines copy-on-write and volume management
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|dosfstools}} \|\|FAT12/FAT16/FAT32\|\|mkfs.vfat\|\|also used for [[UEFI\|EFI]] partition		\|{{Pkg\|dosfstools}} \|\|FAT12/FAT16/FAT32\|\|mkfs.vfat\|\|also used for [[UEFI\|EFI]] partition
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	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|ntfs-3g}} \|\|NTFS \|\|mkfs.ntfs\|\|Full-featured, Microsoft/Windows FUSE driver		\|{{Pkg\|ntfs-3g}} \|\|NTFS \|\|mkfs.ntfs\|\|Full-featured, Microsoft/Windows FUSE driver
			\|-
			\|{{Pkg\|squashfs-tools}} \|\|[[SquashFS]]\|\|mksquashfs\|\|compressed read-only file system
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|xfsprogs}} \|\|XFS\|\|mkfs.xfs\|\|		\|{{Pkg\|xfsprogs}} \|\|XFS\|\|mkfs.xfs\|\|

Prabuanand: fixed formatting

2025-03-21T04:05:31Z

fixed formatting

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:05, 21 March 2025
Line 39:		Line 39:
	Below Instructions explain how to use a seperate partition for swap:		Below Instructions explain how to use a seperate partition for swap:

	The following commands prepares the unmounted partition (/dev/sda2) for swap space, activates the prepared swap space and starts the swap service to manage swap space immediately:		The following commands prepares the unmounted partition (/dev/sda2) for swap space, activates the prepared swap space and starts the swap service to manage swap space immediately:{{Cmd\|<nowiki># mkswap /dev/sda2
			# swapon /dev/sda2
			# rc-service swap start</nowiki>}}

	~~# mkswap /dev/sda2~~		The command {{ic\|free -m}} will show how much swap space is available (in MB).
	~~# swapon /dev/sda2~~
	~~# rc-service swap start~~

	The command {{~~Codeline~~\|free -m}} will show how much swap space is available (in MB).

	To make the swap persistent across reboots, enable automatic start of swap:{{Cmd\|<nowiki># echo -e "/dev/sda2 none swap defaults 0 0" >> /etc/fstab		To make the swap persistent across reboots, enable automatic start of swap:{{Cmd\|<nowiki># echo -e "/dev/sda2 none swap defaults 0 0" >> /etc/fstab
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	Edit the file {{Path\|/etc/conf.d/dmcrypt}} to enable crypt-swap and ensure that source device name is correct: {{Cat\|/etc/conf.d/dmcrypt\|		Edit the file {{Path\|/etc/conf.d/dmcrypt}} to enable crypt-swap and ensure that source device name is correct: {{Cat\|/etc/conf.d/dmcrypt\|
	swap{{=}}crypt-swap		swap{{=}}crypt-swap
	source{{=}}'/dev/nvme0nXXX'		source{{=}}'/dev/nvme0nXXX'}}
	}}

	To use dmcrypt, start dmcrypt service and enable swap immediately:{{Cmd\|<nowiki> # /etc/init.d/dmcrypt start		To use dmcrypt, start dmcrypt service and enable swap immediately:{{Cmd\|<nowiki># /etc/init.d/dmcrypt start
	# swapon /dev/mapper/crypt-swap </nowiki>}}		# swapon /dev/mapper/crypt-swap </nowiki>}}

	To make the encrypted swap persistent across reboots, enable automatic start of encryption & swap:{{Cmd\|<nowiki> # rc-update add dmcrypt		To make the encrypted swap persistent across reboots, enable automatic start of encryption & swap:{{Cmd\|<nowiki># rc-update add dmcrypt
	# rc-update add swap </nowiki>}}		# rc-update add swap </nowiki>}}

Prabuanand: fixed mountpoint as none in fstab, removed other mistakes, changed table columns, fixed wikitags

2025-03-21T03:56:55Z

fixed mountpoint as none in fstab, removed other mistakes, changed table columns, fixed wikitags

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:56, 21 March 2025
Line 9:		Line 9:
	\|width="15%" \| Tool		\|width="15%" \| Tool
	\|width="15%"\| Filesystem		\|width="15%"\| Filesystem
			\|Formatting command
	\|width="55%"\| Brief Notes		\|width="55%"\| Brief Notes
	~~\|Formatting command~~
	\|-		\|-
	\| {{Pkg\|btrfs-progs}}		\|{{Pkg\|btrfs-progs}}\|\|[[Btrfs]]\|\|mkfs.btrfs\|\|supports only RAID 0,1 and 10
	\|[[Btrfs]]
	\|supports only RAID 0,1 and 10
	~~\|mkfs.btrfs~~
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|dosfstools}}		\|{{Pkg\|dosfstools}} \|\|FAT12/FAT16/FAT32\|\|mkfs.vfat\|\|also used for [[UEFI\|EFI]] partition
	\|FAT12/FAT16/FAT32
	\|used for [[UEFI\|EFI]] partition
	~~\|mkfs.vfat~~
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|e2fsprogs}}		\|{{Pkg\|e2fsprogs}} \|\|ext2/ext3/ext4\|\|mkfs.ext4\|\|ext4 is current default in Linux
	\|ext2/ext3/ext4
	\|ext4 is current default in Linux
	~~\|mkfs.ext4~~
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|exfatprogs}}		\|{{Pkg\|exfatprogs}} \|\|exfat\|\|mkfs.exfat\|\|Commonly used on USB flash drives and SD cards
	\|exfat
	\|Commonly used on USB flash drives and SD cards
	~~\|mkfs.exfat~~
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|f2fs-tools}}		\|{{Pkg\|f2fs-tools}} \|\|[[F2FS]]\|\|mkfs.f2fs\|\|
	\|[[F2FS]]
	\|
	\|mkfs.f2fs
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|hfsprogs}}		\|{{Pkg\|hfsprogs}} \|\|HFS/HFS+\|\|mkfs.hfsplus\|\|Apple/Mac products
	\|HFS/HFS+
	\|Apple/Mac products
	~~\|mkfs.hfsplus~~
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|jfsutils}}		\|{{Pkg\|jfsutils}} \|\|JFS\|\|mkfs.jfs\|\|
	\|JFS
	\|
	\|mkfs.jfs
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|ntfs-3g}}		\|{{Pkg\|ntfs-3g}} \|\|NTFS \|\|mkfs.ntfs\|\|Full-featured, Microsoft/Windows FUSE driver
	\|NTFS
	\|Full-featured, Microsoft/Windows FUSE driver
	~~\|mkfs.ntfs~~
	\|-		\|-
	\|{{Pkg\|xfsprogs}}		\|{{Pkg\|xfsprogs}} \|\|XFS\|\|mkfs.xfs\|\|
	\|XFS		\|}</onlyinclude>
	\|
	\|mkfs.xfs
	\|}
	</onlyinclude>
	== Swap partition ==		== Swap partition ==

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	The command {{Codeline\|free -m}} will show how much swap space is available (in MB).		The command {{Codeline\|free -m}} will show how much swap space is available (in MB).

	To make the swap persistent across reboots, enable automatic start of swap:		To make the swap persistent across reboots, enable automatic start of swap:{{Cmd\|<nowiki># echo -e "/dev/sda2 none swap defaults 0 0" >> /etc/fstab
			# rc-update add swap </nowiki>}}

	~~# echo -e "~~/dev/sda2 ~~none swap sw 0 0"~~ >> /~~mnt/~~etc/fstab		Instead of device name <code>/dev/sda2</code>, the <code>UUID=device_UUID</code> can also be used in {{Path\|etc/fstab}} file, if '''UUID''' is being used for other partitions.
	~~# rc-update add swap~~

	If you prefer maximum speed, you don't need configure any raid devices for swap. Just add 2 swap partitions on different disks and linux will stripe them automatically. The downside is that the moment one disk fails, the system will go down. For better reliability, put swap on RAID1.		If you prefer maximum speed, you don't need configure any raid devices for swap. Just add 2 swap partitions on different disks and linux will stripe them automatically. The downside is that the moment one disk fails, the system will go down. For better reliability, put swap on RAID1.
	{{Tip\|Instead of using a separate partition for swap, [[Zram\|zram]] based swap file can be used.}}		{{Tip\|Instead of using a separate partition for swap, [[Zram\|zram]] based swap file can be used.}}

	== Encrypted swap ==		== Encrypted swap ==

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	}}		}}

	To use dmcrypt, start dmcrypt service and enable swap immediately:		To use dmcrypt, start dmcrypt service and enable swap immediately:{{Cmd\|<nowiki> # /etc/init.d/dmcrypt start
			# swapon /dev/mapper/crypt-swap </nowiki>}}
	# /etc/init.d/dmcrypt start
	# swapon /dev/mapper/crypt-swap

	To make the encrypted swap persistent across reboots, enable automatic start of encryption & swap:		To make the encrypted swap persistent across reboots, enable automatic start of encryption & swap:{{Cmd\|<nowiki> # rc-update add dmcrypt
			# rc-update add swap </nowiki>}}

	~~# rc-update add dmcrypt~~		To enable automatic swapon, add the relevant entry to {{Path\|/etc/fstab}}: {{Cmd\|# echo /dev/mapper/crypt-swap none swap defaults 0 0 >> /etc/fstab}}
	~~# rc-update add swap~~

	To enable automatic swapon, add the relevant entry to {{Path\|/etc/fstab}}

	{{Cmd\|# echo /dev/mapper/crypt-swap ~~swap~~ swap defaults 0 0 >> /etc/fstab}}

	{{Note\|The above instructions will reset/re-encrypt swap on every boot and thus no suspend to disk works with it.}}		{{Note\|The above instructions will reset/re-encrypt swap on every boot and thus no suspend to disk works with it.}}

	== See also ==		== See also ==
			* [[Zram]]
			* [[Setting_up_disks_manually#Manual_partitioning\|Manual partitioning]]
	* [https://www.nico.schottelius.org/blog/2024-10-10-how-to-enable-encrypted-swap-in-alpine-linux/ How to enable encrypted swap in Alpine Linux]		* [https://www.nico.schottelius.org/blog/2024-10-10-how-to-enable-encrypted-swap-in-alpine-linux/ How to enable encrypted swap in Alpine Linux]