Installation: Difference between revisions

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The following information will assist you with the installation of [http://alpinelinux.org/about Alpine Linux].
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== Installation Quick-Start in 3 Easy Steps ==
This page exists to provide a basic overview to get started. Before actually installing, it can help to skim through the [[Alpine_Linux:FAQ| Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)]], as well as to refer to the official installation guide at [https://docs.alpinelinux.org/ docs.alpinelinux.org].
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[http://alpinelinux.org/downloads Download] the latest stable-release ISO.
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{{Tip|This is a wiki!
If something isn't correct, or is incomplete, you will have to figure it out, or ask for the correct solution in the [https://alpinelinux.org/community/ community].


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And then carefully [[Help:Editing|edit]] the wiki page.
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If you have a CD drive from which you can boot, then [[Burning ISOs|burn the ISO onto a blank CD]] using your favorite CD burning software. Else [[Create a Bootable USB|create a bootable USB drive]].
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Just as those before who did it for you.}}


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== Minimal Hardware Requirements ==
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{{Main|Requirements}}
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* At least 128 MB of RAM. [A graphical desktop system may require up to 512 minimum.]. Note that an installation itself (from ISO) generally requires at least 320 MB during installation.
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* At least 0-700 MB space on a writable storage device. [Only required in [[#System Disk Mode|"sys"]] or [[#Data Disk Mode|"data"]] mode installations. It is optional in [[#Diskless Mode|"diskless"]] mode, where it may be used to save newer data and configurations states of a running system.]
Boot from the CD or USB drive, login as root with no password, and voilà! Enjoy Alpine Linux!
* A working internet connection is required to complete [[#System Disk Mode|"sys"]] mode installation or use '''Extended image''' if available for your architecture.
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{{Clear}}
{{Note|Refer [[#Custom Installation Instructions|custom installation instructions]] for headless system, virtualization etc. Most of the steps outlined on this page applies to all [[Architecture#Architectures_supported|Architectures]] supported by Alpine Linux. For more specific installation instructions, refer to their respective pages.}}
One of the [[Installation#Post-Install|first commands you might want to use]] is <code>[[setup-alpine]]</code>.


== Installation Handbook ==
== Installation Overview ==
=== Basics ===
Alpine can be used in any of three modes:
<dl>
<dt>diskless mode
<dd>You'll boot from read-only medium such as the installation CD, a [[Create a Bootable USB|USB drive]], or a [[Create a Bootable Compact Flash|Compact Flash card]]. {{Tip| To prepare either a USB or Compact Flash card, you can use the <code>[[setup-bootable]]</code> script; see the pages linked above for details.}} When you use Alpine in this mode, you need to use [[Alpine local backup|Alpine Local Backup (lbu)]] to save your modifications between reboots. That requires some writable medium, usually removable. (If your boot medium is, for example, a USB drive, you can save modifications there; you don't need a separate partition or drive.) See also [[Local APK cache]].
{{Note| When the <code>[[setup-alpine]]</code> script asks for a disk, say "none". It will then prompt whether you'd like to preserve modifications on any writable medium.}}
<dt>data mode
<dd>As in diskless mode, your OS is run from a read-only medium. However, here a writable partition (usually on a hard disk) is used to store the data in {{Path|/var}}. That partition is accessed directly, rather than copied into a tmpfs; so this is better-suited to uses where large amounts of data need to be preserved between reboots. {{Note| The <code>[[setup-alpine]]</code> script handles installing Alpine in this mode, too, when you supply a writable partition instead of "none", and request mode "data".}} This mode may be used for mailspools, database and log servers, and so on.
<dt>sys mode
<dd>This is a [[Install to disk|traditional hard-disk install]] (see link for details). <!-- includes [[Installing Alpine on HDD overwriting everything]] --> Both the boot system and your modifications are written to the hard disk, in a standard Linux hierarchy. {{Note| The <code>[[setup-alpine]]</code> script handles installing Alpine in this mode, too, when you supply a writable partition instead of "none", and request mode "sys". By default, it will create three partions on your disk, for {{Path|/boot}}, {{Path|/}}, and {{Path|swap}}; however you can also [[Setting up disks manually|partition your disk manually]].
}} This mode may be used for desktops, development boxes, and virtual servers.
    <!-- [[Native Harddisk Install 1.6]] Obsolete -->
</dl>


=== Advanced ===
Alpine Linux can be installed and run in [[Setting_up_disks_manually#Alpine_Linux_modes|three modes]] i.e [[#Diskless_Mode|Diskless Mode]], [[#Data_Disk_Mode|Data Disk Mode]] and [[#System_Disk_Mode|System Disk Mode]]. The installation procedure for Alpine Linux '''requires basic understanding of the three modes''' explained in brief below:
* [[Create UEFI boot USB]]
* [[Tutorials_and_Howtos#Storage|Setting up storage with RAID, LVM, LUKS encryption, iSCSI, or suchlike]]
* [[Setting up disks manually]]
* [[Partitioning and Bootmanagers]]
* [[Migrating data]]
* Details about [[Alpine setup scripts]]


* [[Installing Alpine on HDD dualbooting|Install to HDD with dual-boot]]
==== Diskless Mode ====
* [[Replacing non-Alpine Linux with Alpine remotely]]
{{Main|Diskless Mode}}
<!-- [[Installing Xubuntu using Alpine boot floppy]] Obsolete -->
In Diskless mode the entire operating system with all applications are first loaded into RAM and then only run from there. This mode is extremely fast and can save on unnecessary disk spin-ups, power, and wear.  Alpine Linux uses this method to boot the .iso installation images. The [[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|<code>setup-alpine</code>]] script configures the installed system to continue to boot like this if "disk=none" is specified.
<!-- [[Installing Alpine Linux on USB Automated]] Obsolete -->


* [[Bootstrapping Alpine Linux]]
==== Data Disk Mode ====
{{Main|Data Disk Mode}}
In Data Disk mode also the operating system  runs from system RAM, thus it enjoys the same accelerated operation speed as "diskless" mode. However, swap storage and the entire {{Path|/var}} directory tree get mounted from a persistent storage device. This mode is useful for having RAM accelerated servers with variable amounts of user-data that exceed the available RAM size.


<!-- If you edit the following, please coordinate with Developer_Documentation#Configuring_your_system.  Note that these two sections are not exact duplicates. -->
==== System Disk Mode ====
* [[Installing Alpine Linux in a chroot]]
* [[Install Alpine on LXC]]
* [[Install Alpine on LXD|Install Alpine on Ubuntu with LXD]]
* Install Alpine on [[Install Alpine on VirtualBox|VirtualBox]], [[Install Alpine on VMware|VMware]], [[Install Alpine on coLinux|coLinux]], [[Qemu]], <!-- includes [[Install Alpine in Qemu]], [[Running Alpine in Qemu Live mode]], [[Running Alpine Linux As a QEMU networked Guest]] -->, [[Install Alpine on Amazon EC2|Amazon EC2]], or [[Install Alpine on Rackspace|RackSpace]]


* [[Xen Dom0]] ''(Setting up Alpine as a dom0 for Xen hypervisor)''
System or '''sys''' Disk Mode is the traditional hard-disk install. Alpine Linux can be installed to an entire [[#setup-alpine based System Disk Install|'''hard disk''']] using <code>setup-alpine</code> script or to custom partitions using [[Setting_up_disks_manually|<code>setup-disk</code>]]. For further info, refer [[Setting_up_disks_manually|System Disk Mode]].
* [[Xen Dom0 on USB or SD]]
* [[Create Alpine Linux PV DomU]]
* [[Xen LiveCD]]


* [[Setting up a basic vserver]]
=== General course of action ===
* [[Setting up the build environment on HDD]]
* [[Setting up a compile vserver]] for official or for [[Setting up a compile vserver for third party packages|third party]] packages
<!-- [[Create an Alpine 1.9 vserver template]] -->


=== Post-Install ===
It is really helpful for many use cases to [[#Preparing for the installation|prepare]] and complete the [[#Installation Step Details|installation]] until the [[#Base configuration|base configuration]] step, then proceed with installation of the target system with any one of the various [[#Alternative courses of action|alternative]] courses of action.
<!-- If you edit this, please coordinate with and Tutorials_and_Howtos#Post-Install and Developer_Documentation#Package_management. Note that these three sections are not exact duplicates. -->


<!-- [[Configure Networking]] -->
=== Alternative courses of action ===
* [[Tutorials_and_Howtos#Networking|Setting up Networking]]
* [[Alpine Linux package management|Package Management (apk)]] ''(How to add/remove packages on your Alpine)''
  <!-- [[Alpine Linux package management#Local_Cache|How to enable APK caching]] -->
* [[Alpine local backup|Alpine local backup (lbu)]] ''(Permanently store your modifications in case your box needs reboot)''
** [[Back Up a Flash Memory Installation|Back Up a Flash Memory ("diskless mode") Installation]]
** [[Manually editing a existing apkovl]]
* [[Alpine Linux Init System|Init System (OpenRC)]] ''(Configure a service to automatically boot at next reboot)''
** [[Multiple Instances of Services]]
  <!-- [[Writing Init Scripts]] -->
* [[Alpine setup scripts#setup-xorg-base|Setting up Xorg]]


* [[Upgrading Alpine]]
Examples of preparation options:
<!-- Obsolete
 
  [[Upgrading Alpine - v1.9.x]]
* Download some specific driver to configure the hardware, and/or install some software tool that may be missing in the live system by using the Alpine package manager <code>[[Alpine Package Keeper|apk]]</code>. 
  [[Upgrading Alpine - CD v1.8.x]]
* Do a [[Setting up disks manually#Manual partitioning|manual partitioning]] of the hard disk that avoids overwrite of an entire disk.
  [[Upgrading Alpine - HD v1.8.x]]
 
  [[Upgrade to repository main|Upgrading to signed repositories]]
Examples of such options:
 
* To install Alpine Linux on an '''entire hard disk''' with optional [[Alpine setup scripts#Environment Variables|environment variables]], proceed to [[#setup-alpine based System Disk Install|setup-alpine based System Disk Install]].
* Use {{ic|setup-disk}} script to complete a [[Setting up disks manually|traditional hard disk installation]] on a partition or to [[Dualbooting|dualboot]] or to configure [[Setting up disks manually#RAID|RAID]], [[Setting up disks manually#Encryption|encryption]] or [[Setting up disks manually#LVM|LVM]] for [[#System Disk Mode|"system"]] disk mode or to add a [[#Data Disk Mode|"data"]] mode partition.
* Create a [[Create a Bootable Device#Using setup-bootable|customizable boot media]] i.e a boot device with a writable filesystem for '''[[#Diskless Mode|diskless]]''' or '''[[#Data Disk Mode|data]]''' disk-mode.
* Configure a [[Diskless Mode#Using an internal disk for persistent storage|internal disk for persistent storage]] to save the local configuration state and local package cache for the [[#Diskless Mode|diskless]] system or '''[[#Data Disk Mode|data]]''' disk-mode.
 
There are many more [[Alpine setup scripts|setup-scripts]] available. All these tools may also be run later to adjust specific configurations. For example, to set up a graphical environment as covered under [[#Post-Installation|Post-Installation]] below.
 
== Preparing for the installation ==
 
=== Downloading installation image ===
 
Installation image files are available in the '''iso''', '''tar.gz''', and '''img.gz''' formats. Download the [https://alpinelinux.org/downloads/ stable release installation image file] for the target computer's architecture with the corresponding <code>sha256</code> checksum and <code>GPG</code> signature files.
{{Tip|Only download the <code>sha256</code> checksum and <code>GPG</code> signature files from the [https://alpinelinux.org/downloads/ official site] and not from mirrors.}}
 
Now you have three files in the following format:
<pre>
alpine-standard-*.iso
alpine-standard-*.iso.sha256
alpine-standard-*.iso.asc
</pre>
 
<code>alpine-standard-{{AlpineLatest}}-x86_64.iso</code> is the '''standard''' image file for version '''{{AlpineLatest}}''' and the '''x86_64''' architecture in the '''iso''' format.
 
=== Verifying downloaded image ===
 
From Security point of view, verify the downloaded image file for both checksum and GPG signature before proceeding further. The three required utilities i.e <code>sha256</code>, <code>curl</code> and <code>gpg</code> or their equivalents are available in every operating system including Linux, windows, Mac and BSD derivaties.
 
{{Tip|Ensure that all the three downloaded files remain in the same folder. If not, adjust the commands accordingly.}}
 
The <code>sha256</code> checksum verifies the integrity of the downloaded image i.e no modifications occurred during download.
{{Cmd|sha256sum -c alpine-*.iso.'''sha256'''}}
 
The <code>GPG</code> signature verifies the link between the downloaded image to the individual who signed it. Signature verification involves two steps:
 
Step 1. Download and import the gpg signature from official website
{{Cmd|curl https://alpinelinux.org/keys/ncopa.asc &#124; gpg --import ;}}
 
Step 2. Verify that the image signature matches with the one downloaded in Step 1.
{{Cmd|gpg --verify alpine-*.iso.'''asc''' alpine-*.'''iso'''}}
 
=== Preparing installation media ===
{{Seealso|Burning ISOs}}
 
{{Warning|All data currently on the installation media will be '''erased''', when Alpine Linux installation image is written on it. Correctly identify the device name for the installation media using commands <code>lsblk</code> and <code>blkid</code>.}}
If downloaded image file is in '''img.gz''' format, unzip it using the command {{ic|gunzip alpine-rpi-{{AlpineLatest}}-aarch64.img.gz}} to {{ic|alpine-rpi-{{AlpineLatest}}-aarch64.img}} first before using with {{ic|dd}} command. In Linux {{ic|dd}} command can be used to write image files in both '''iso''' and '''img''' format to the installation media.
 
If '''tar.gz''' format image file is downloaded, follow the [[Create a Bootable Device#Manually copying Alpine files|instructions]] to create the installation media.
 
Modify the input file('''if''')  of the {{ic|dd}} command according to the name and path to your image file and and the target device i.e output file('''of''') should be a device name '''/dev/sdX''' instead of partition like '''/dev/sdbXY''':{{Cmd|# dd if{{=}}alpine-standard-{{AlpineLatest}}-x86_64.iso of{{=}}/dev/sdX bs{{=}}4M status{{=}}progress; eject /dev/sdX}}
 
If your version of <code>dd</code> does not support the option "status=progress", remove it. The <code>eject</code> command removes the target device from the system and ensures the write cache is completely flushed.
 
In Windows and Mac OS, [https://www.balena.io/etcher/  Etcher] can be used to create an installation media.
 
===  Verifying Installation media ===
 
After detaching and re-attaching the device, a bit-wise comparison can verify the data written to the device (instead of just data buffered in RAM). If the comparison terminates with an end-of-file error on the .iso file side, all the contents from the image have been written (and re-read) successfully:
 
{{Cmd|# cmp ~/Downloads/alpine-standard-{{AlpineLatest}}-x86_64.iso /dev/sdX
cmp: EOF on alpine-standard-{{AlpineLatest}}-x86_64.iso</Code>}}
 
=== Booting Installation Media ===
 
Insert the [[#Preparing_installation_media|Installation media]] to a proper drive or port of the computer and turn the machine on, or restart it, if already running.
{{Note| To successfully boot and install Alpine Linux, disable [[UEFI#Secure boot|secure boot]] in the BIOS. Once Alpine Linux is installed, this can be [[UEFI_Secure_Boot|enabled]].}}
If the computer does not automatically boot from the desired device, one needs to bring up the boot menu and choose the media to boot from. Depending on the computer, the menu may be accessed by repeatedly pressing a key quickly when booting starts. Some computers require that you press the button ''before'' starting the computer and hold it down while the computer boots. Typical keys are: {{key|F9}}-{{key|F12}}, sometimes {{key|F7}} or {{key|F8}}. If these don't bring up the boot menu, it may be necessary to enter the BIOS configuration and adjust the boot settings, for which typical keys are: {{key|Del}} {{key|F1}} {{key|F2}} {{key|F6}} or {{key|Esc}}.
 
== Installation Step Details ==
 
=== Boot Process ===
 
The boot process of the alpine installation image first copies the entire operating system into the RAM memory, and then starts a complete Alpine Linux system from there. It will initially only provide a basic command line environment that does not depend on reading from any (possibly slow) initial boot media, anymore.
 
Local log-in is possible as the user <code>root</code>. Initially, the '''root''' user has no password.
 
At the command prompt, an interactive script named [[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|<code>setup-alpine</code>]] is available to configure and install Alpine Linux. The script can be customized by the optional [[Alpine_setup_scripts#Environment_Variables|environment variables]], in case of [[Installation#Data_Disk_Mode|'''"data"''']] or [[Installation#System_Disk_Mode|'''"sys"''']] mode. For e.g {{Codeline|<code>USE_EFI{{=}}1 BOOT_SIZE{{=}}512 setup-alpine</code>}}, sets the disklabel type to gpt, creates 512MB '''/boot''' partition with '''vfat''' filesystem and uses <code>grub</code> as bootloader.
 
=== Base configuration ===
 
Launch the Alpine Linux Installation by running the [[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|<code>setup-alpine</code>]] script :
 
{{Cmd|# setup-alpine}}
 
The question-and-answer dialog of <code>setup-alpine</code> takes care of the base configuration. It sets up a network connection to access Internet to configure the system to boot into one of three different Alpine Linux "disk" modes:  [[Installation#Diskless_Mode|'''"diskless"'''(none)]],  [[Installation#Data_Disk_Mode|'''"data"''']]  or [[Installation#System_Disk_Mode|'''"sys"''']]. If you choose to edit any option, the relevant file is opened in [[BusyBox#vi| '''vi''' editor]] for editing.
 
{{Tip| If you have access to a wired network, consider using [https://docs.alpinelinux.org/user-handbook/0.1a/Installing/setup_alpine.html#_setup_alpine_q Quick Mode], to complete the base configuration quickly.}}
 
[[File:Installation-alpine-alpine-setup-3-setup-scripts.png|350px|thumb|right|Example <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|setup-alpine]]</code> session]]
The <code>[[Alpine_setup_scripts#setup-alpine|setup-alpine]]</code> script offers the following configuration options:
 
# '''Keyboard Layout''' (Local keyboard language and usage mode, e.g. ''us'' and variant of ''us-nodeadkeys''.)
# '''Hostname''' (The name for the computer.)
# '''Network ''' (Set up network connection to access Internet.)
#* Available interfaces are: '''eth0''' '''wlan0'''.(List depends on your hardware.)
#* Which one do you want to initialize? (or '?' or 'done') [eth0] (Enter 'done' after configuring '''atleast''' one interface for Internet access.)
#* Do you want to do any manual network configuration? (y/n) [n] (Default uses "DHCP".) 
# '''DNS Servers''' (If none of the interfaces configured in previous step uses dhcp, set DNS server. If unsure, leave DNS domain name blank and using <code>[https://quad9.net/ 9.9.9.9 2620:fe::fe]</code> for DNS is typically adequate.)
# '''Root password''' (the password used to login to the root account)
# '''Timezone''' (Optionally display times/dates in your local time zone)
# '''HTTP/FTP Proxy''' (Proxy server to use for accessing the web/ftp. Use "none" for direct connections to websites and FTP servers.)
# '''Mirror''' (From where to download packages. Choose the organization you trust giving your usage patterns to.)
# '''Set up a user''' (Setting up a regular user account)
# '''NTP''' (Network Time Protocol client used for keeping the system clock in sync with a time server. Default is "busybox".)
# '''SSH''' (Secure SHell remote access server. "OpenSSH" is part of the default install image. Use "none" to disable remote login, e.g. on laptops.)
# In most cases, either one of following line(s) is displayed as follows:
#: '''No disks found.''' or ''' Available disks are: sda (128.0 GB JMicron  Tech )'''
# '''Disk Mode''' ( A pre-setup of the "diskless" system or base configuration is completed by answering "none" when asked for the following questions.)
#* Which disk(s) would you like to use? (or '?' for help or 'none') '''none'''
#* Enter where to store configs (/media/ or 'none') '''none'''
#* The location of the package cache '''none'''
 
Base configuration is complete with the above step. Refer to the [[#Alternative courses of action|alternative courses of action]] to proceed further.
 
=== setup-alpine based System Disk Install === 
 
<code>setup-alpine</code> script based system disk installation, needs an ''' entire hard disk(s)''' for Alpine Linux and uses a partitioning layout with (/)root partition, /boot partition and a swap partition, where [[Alpine_setup_scripts#Environment_Variables|environment variables]] determine filesystem, size of the boot partition and the bootloader used. If your use case matches the above, at the final step of [[#Base configuration|base configuration]], type the appropriate hard disk '''device name''' instead of '''none'''. If multiple disks are chosen, [[Alpine_setup_scripts#RAID|RAID]] is used.
   
* At the '''Disk Mode''' stage, '''sda''' or relevant disk(s) must be chosen in the below screen:
** Which disk(s) would you like to use? (or '?' for help or 'none') '''sda'''
** Confirmation for the chosen disk(s) appears. ''The following disk is selected:'' '''sda    (128.0 GB JMicron  Tech ).'''
{{Warning|Pay close attention to the disk name and size. If you enter '''sys''' in the next step, no further questions will be asked and data on the chosen disk(s) will be overwritten!. Enter {{key|Ctrl}}+{{key|c}} to abort the installation process. Proceed only if you are 100% sure.}}
* How would you like to use it? ('sys', 'data', 'lvm' or '?' for help) '''sys'''
 
If '''sys''' is chosen, the <code>setup-alpine</code> script will complete the traditional hard-disk installation of Alpine Linux on the chosen disk(s) without further questions.  Once the installation is complete, you can skip the next steps and proceed to [[#Reboot|reboot]] the system to boot into the newly installed Alpine Linux and [[Installation#Post-Installation|configure]] further.
 
=== Custom partitioning  ===
 
[[Setting_up_disks_manually#Manual_partitioning|Manual partitioning]] of the harddisk may be needed to prepare the harddisk for "sys" mode install using [[Setting_up_disks_manually|<code>setup-disk</code>]] and for storing the config file using [[Alpine_local_backup|<code>lbu commit</code>]] and package cache for [[Diskless Mode|Diskless]] and for /var mount for [[Data Disk Mode|Data disk]] mode installs. Refer [[Setting up disks manually|Setting up disks manually]] page for specific configurations related to [[Setting_up_disks_manually#RAID|RAID]], [[Setting_up_disks_manually#Encryption|encryption]], [[Setting_up_disks_manually#LVM|LVM]], etc...
 
=== Preparing for the first boot ===
If [[#System_Disk_Mode|System Disk Mode]] of installation was performed, ignore this section and proceed to [[#Reboot|reboot]].
 
If the new local system was configured to run in "diskless" or "data" mode, and you do not want keep booting from the initial (and possibly read-only) [[Installation#Preparing_installation_media|installation media]], create a [[Create_a_Bootable_Device|customizable boot device]]. Once everything is in place, save your customized configuration with {{ic|lbu commit}} before rebooting.
 
=== Reboot ===
 
First, remove the initial installation media from the boot drive, or detach it from the port it's connected to. The system may now be power-cycled or rebooted to confirm everything is working correctly. The relevant commands for this are {{ic|poweroff}} or {{ic|reboot}}. Login into the new system with the root account.
 
=== Completing the installation ===
 
The installation script installs only the base operating system. '''No''' applications e.g. web server, mail server, desktop environment, or web browsers are installed.
 
Please look at [[Installation#Post-Installation|Post-Installation]], for some common things to do after installation.
 
== Custom Installation Instructions ==
 
<!-- COMMENT FOR EDITORS
Specific topics should be kept on separate pages and manageable category-pages only must get listed with direct reference on this general page.
-->
-->
* [[Installation on a headless host]]
* [[Kernels]] ''(kernel selection, e.g. for VMs or RPi)''
* [[How to make a custom ISO image with mkimage]] ''(installation media with its own configuration)''
* [[Directly booting an ISO file]] ''(without flashing it to a disk or device)''
* [[Alpine Linux in a chroot]]
* [[Netboot Alpine Linux using iPXE]]
* [[:Category:Virtualization|Virtualization]]
* [[Using an answerfile with setup-alpine]]
Also see other [[:Category:Installation|Installation category]] pages.


* [[Setting up a ssh-server]] ''(Using ssh is a good way to administer your box remotely)''
== Post-Installation ==
* [[setup-acf]] ''(Configures ACF (webconfiguration) so you can manage your box through https)''
 
* [[Hosting services on Alpine]]''(Links to several mail/web/ssh server setup pages)''
{{Tip|Alpine Linux packages stay close to the upstream design. Therefore, all upstream documentation about configuring a software package, as well as good configuration guides from other distributions that stay close to upstream, e.g. those in the [https://wiki.archlinux.org/ ArchWiki], or [https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/ Gentoo wiki] are to a large degree, also applicable to configuring the software on Alpine Linux, thus can be very useful.}}
* [[Changing passwords for ACF|Changing passwords]]
 
<!-- COMMENT FOR EDITORS
If you edit Post-Install,
 
  * Consider that there are already [[Tutorials_and_Howtos#Post-Install]], [[Developer_Documentation#Package_management]] [[Daily driver guide]] and the Handbook, please work towards reducing duplication and providing an overview, and maintaining topic details of considerable size on their own pages.
  * Here, only the most relevant jumping off points are listed, not exact list duplicates!!!
  * Keep short-list of links here, as overview to more detailed topic specific pages.
  * Don't aggregate different topics at yet another place.
Any topic related to configuring Alpine as Desktop workstation i.e as a daily driver must go to the [[Daily driver guide]] or [[Tutorials_and_Howtos#Desktop|Desktop]]section. Links to Tutorial and How To's should be added to [[Tutorials_and_Howtos]] and not added here.
-->
* [[Tutorials_and_Howtos#Desktop|Guide to daily drive]] Alpine Linux as a desktop OS
* [[Tutorials_and_Howtos#Services|Hosting services]] like mail/web/ssh/Firewall/VPN servers
* [[Tutorials_and_Howtos#Virtualization|Virtualization]] guide for using Alpine Linux as both guest and host
* Guide to [[OpenRC|OpenRC]] - Init system used to configure services


<!-- [[Running glibc programs]] Installation and Dev -->
== See also ==
* [[Setting the timezone]] ''(Not needed for the default musl- or uClibc-based installs)''


=== Further Help and Information ===
* [[FAQ|FAQs]]
* [[Tutorials and Howtos]]
* [[Tutorials and Howtos]]
* [[Contribute|How to Contribute]]
* [[Comparison with other distros]] ''(how common things are done on Alpine)''
* [[Developer Documentation]]


[[Category:Installation]]
[[Category:Installation]]

Latest revision as of 21:00, 28 August 2025


This page exists to provide a basic overview to get started. Before actually installing, it can help to skim through the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), as well as to refer to the official installation guide at docs.alpinelinux.org.

Tip: This is a wiki!

If something isn't correct, or is incomplete, you will have to figure it out, or ask for the correct solution in the community.

And then carefully edit the wiki page.

Just as those before who did it for you.

Minimal Hardware Requirements

Main article: Requirements
  • At least 128 MB of RAM. [A graphical desktop system may require up to 512 minimum.]. Note that an installation itself (from ISO) generally requires at least 320 MB during installation.
  • At least 0-700 MB space on a writable storage device. [Only required in "sys" or "data" mode installations. It is optional in "diskless" mode, where it may be used to save newer data and configurations states of a running system.]
  • A working internet connection is required to complete "sys" mode installation or use Extended image if available for your architecture.
Note: Refer custom installation instructions for headless system, virtualization etc. Most of the steps outlined on this page applies to all Architectures supported by Alpine Linux. For more specific installation instructions, refer to their respective pages.

Installation Overview

Alpine Linux can be installed and run in three modes i.e Diskless Mode, Data Disk Mode and System Disk Mode. The installation procedure for Alpine Linux requires basic understanding of the three modes explained in brief below:

Diskless Mode

Main article: Diskless Mode

In Diskless mode the entire operating system with all applications are first loaded into RAM and then only run from there. This mode is extremely fast and can save on unnecessary disk spin-ups, power, and wear. Alpine Linux uses this method to boot the .iso installation images. The setup-alpine script configures the installed system to continue to boot like this if "disk=none" is specified.

Data Disk Mode

Main article: Data Disk Mode

In Data Disk mode also the operating system runs from system RAM, thus it enjoys the same accelerated operation speed as "diskless" mode. However, swap storage and the entire /var directory tree get mounted from a persistent storage device. This mode is useful for having RAM accelerated servers with variable amounts of user-data that exceed the available RAM size.

System Disk Mode

System or sys Disk Mode is the traditional hard-disk install. Alpine Linux can be installed to an entire hard disk using setup-alpine script or to custom partitions using setup-disk. For further info, refer System Disk Mode.

General course of action

It is really helpful for many use cases to prepare and complete the installation until the base configuration step, then proceed with installation of the target system with any one of the various alternative courses of action.

Alternative courses of action

Examples of preparation options:

  • Download some specific driver to configure the hardware, and/or install some software tool that may be missing in the live system by using the Alpine package manager apk.
  • Do a manual partitioning of the hard disk that avoids overwrite of an entire disk.

Examples of such options:

There are many more setup-scripts available. All these tools may also be run later to adjust specific configurations. For example, to set up a graphical environment as covered under Post-Installation below.

Preparing for the installation

Downloading installation image

Installation image files are available in the iso, tar.gz, and img.gz formats. Download the stable release installation image file for the target computer's architecture with the corresponding sha256 checksum and GPG signature files.

Tip: Only download the sha256 checksum and GPG signature files from the official site and not from mirrors.

Now you have three files in the following format: 

alpine-standard-*.iso
alpine-standard-*.iso.sha256
alpine-standard-*.iso.asc

alpine-standard-3.22.1-x86_64.iso is the standard image file for version 3.22.1 and the x86_64 architecture in the iso format.

Verifying downloaded image

From Security point of view, verify the downloaded image file for both checksum and GPG signature before proceeding further. The three required utilities i.e sha256, curl and gpg or their equivalents are available in every operating system including Linux, windows, Mac and BSD derivaties.

Tip: Ensure that all the three downloaded files remain in the same folder. If not, adjust the commands accordingly.

The sha256 checksum verifies the integrity of the downloaded image i.e no modifications occurred during download.

sha256sum -c alpine-*.iso.sha256

The GPG signature verifies the link between the downloaded image to the individual who signed it. Signature verification involves two steps:

Step 1. Download and import the gpg signature from official website

curl https://alpinelinux.org/keys/ncopa.asc | gpg --import ;

Step 2. Verify that the image signature matches with the one downloaded in Step 1.

gpg --verify alpine-*.iso.asc alpine-*.iso

Preparing installation media

See also: Burning ISOs
Warning: All data currently on the installation media will be erased, when Alpine Linux installation image is written on it. Correctly identify the device name for the installation media using commands lsblk and blkid.


If downloaded image file is in img.gz format, unzip it using the command gunzip alpine-rpi-3.22.1-aarch64.img.gz to alpine-rpi-3.22.1-aarch64.img first before using with dd command. In Linux dd command can be used to write image files in both iso and img format to the installation media.

If tar.gz format image file is downloaded, follow the instructions to create the installation media.

Modify the input file(if) of the dd command according to the name and path to your image file and and the target device i.e output file(of) should be a device name /dev/sdX instead of partition like /dev/sdbXY:

# dd if=alpine-standard-3.22.1-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress; eject /dev/sdX

If your version of dd does not support the option "status=progress", remove it. The eject command removes the target device from the system and ensures the write cache is completely flushed.

In Windows and Mac OS, Etcher can be used to create an installation media.

Verifying Installation media

After detaching and re-attaching the device, a bit-wise comparison can verify the data written to the device (instead of just data buffered in RAM). If the comparison terminates with an end-of-file error on the .iso file side, all the contents from the image have been written (and re-read) successfully:

# cmp ~/Downloads/alpine-standard-3.22.1-x86_64.iso /dev/sdX cmp: EOF on alpine-standard-3.22.1-x86_64.iso

Booting Installation Media

Insert the Installation media to a proper drive or port of the computer and turn the machine on, or restart it, if already running.

Note: To successfully boot and install Alpine Linux, disable secure boot in the BIOS. Once Alpine Linux is installed, this can be enabled.

If the computer does not automatically boot from the desired device, one needs to bring up the boot menu and choose the media to boot from. Depending on the computer, the menu may be accessed by repeatedly pressing a key quickly when booting starts. Some computers require that you press the button before starting the computer and hold it down while the computer boots. Typical keys are: F9-F12, sometimes F7 or F8. If these don't bring up the boot menu, it may be necessary to enter the BIOS configuration and adjust the boot settings, for which typical keys are: Del F1 F2 F6 or Esc.

Installation Step Details

Boot Process

The boot process of the alpine installation image first copies the entire operating system into the RAM memory, and then starts a complete Alpine Linux system from there. It will initially only provide a basic command line environment that does not depend on reading from any (possibly slow) initial boot media, anymore.

Local log-in is possible as the user root. Initially, the root user has no password.

At the command prompt, an interactive script named setup-alpine is available to configure and install Alpine Linux. The script can be customized by the optional environment variables, in case of "data" or "sys" mode. For e.g USE_EFI=1 BOOT_SIZE=512 setup-alpine, sets the disklabel type to gpt, creates 512MB /boot partition with vfat filesystem and uses grub as bootloader.

Base configuration

Launch the Alpine Linux Installation by running the setup-alpine script :

# setup-alpine

The question-and-answer dialog of setup-alpine takes care of the base configuration. It sets up a network connection to access Internet to configure the system to boot into one of three different Alpine Linux "disk" modes: "diskless"(none), "data" or "sys". If you choose to edit any option, the relevant file is opened in vi editor for editing.

Tip: If you have access to a wired network, consider using Quick Mode, to complete the base configuration quickly.
Example setup-alpine session

The setup-alpine script offers the following configuration options:

  1. Keyboard Layout (Local keyboard language and usage mode, e.g. us and variant of us-nodeadkeys.)
  2. Hostname (The name for the computer.)
  3. Network (Set up network connection to access Internet.)
    • Available interfaces are: eth0 wlan0.(List depends on your hardware.)
    • Which one do you want to initialize? (or '?' or 'done') [eth0] (Enter 'done' after configuring atleast one interface for Internet access.)
    • Do you want to do any manual network configuration? (y/n) [n] (Default uses "DHCP".)
  4. DNS Servers (If none of the interfaces configured in previous step uses dhcp, set DNS server. If unsure, leave DNS domain name blank and using 9.9.9.9 2620:fe::fe for DNS is typically adequate.)
  5. Root password (the password used to login to the root account)
  6. Timezone (Optionally display times/dates in your local time zone)
  7. HTTP/FTP Proxy (Proxy server to use for accessing the web/ftp. Use "none" for direct connections to websites and FTP servers.)
  8. Mirror (From where to download packages. Choose the organization you trust giving your usage patterns to.)
  9. Set up a user (Setting up a regular user account)
  10. NTP (Network Time Protocol client used for keeping the system clock in sync with a time server. Default is "busybox".)
  11. SSH (Secure SHell remote access server. "OpenSSH" is part of the default install image. Use "none" to disable remote login, e.g. on laptops.)
  12. In most cases, either one of following line(s) is displayed as follows:
    No disks found. or Available disks are: sda (128.0 GB JMicron Tech )
  13. Disk Mode ( A pre-setup of the "diskless" system or base configuration is completed by answering "none" when asked for the following questions.)
    • Which disk(s) would you like to use? (or '?' for help or 'none') none
    • Enter where to store configs (/media/ or 'none') none
    • The location of the package cache none

Base configuration is complete with the above step. Refer to the alternative courses of action to proceed further.

setup-alpine based System Disk Install

setup-alpine script based system disk installation, needs an entire hard disk(s) for Alpine Linux and uses a partitioning layout with (/)root partition, /boot partition and a swap partition, where environment variables determine filesystem, size of the boot partition and the bootloader used. If your use case matches the above, at the final step of base configuration, type the appropriate hard disk device name instead of none. If multiple disks are chosen, RAID is used.

  • At the Disk Mode stage, sda or relevant disk(s) must be chosen in the below screen:
    • Which disk(s) would you like to use? (or '?' for help or 'none') sda
    • Confirmation for the chosen disk(s) appears. The following disk is selected: sda (128.0 GB JMicron Tech ).
Warning: Pay close attention to the disk name and size. If you enter sys in the next step, no further questions will be asked and data on the chosen disk(s) will be overwritten!. Enter Ctrl+c to abort the installation process. Proceed only if you are 100% sure.


  • How would you like to use it? ('sys', 'data', 'lvm' or '?' for help) sys

If sys is chosen, the setup-alpine script will complete the traditional hard-disk installation of Alpine Linux on the chosen disk(s) without further questions. Once the installation is complete, you can skip the next steps and proceed to reboot the system to boot into the newly installed Alpine Linux and configure further.

Custom partitioning

Manual partitioning of the harddisk may be needed to prepare the harddisk for "sys" mode install using setup-disk and for storing the config file using lbu commit and package cache for Diskless and for /var mount for Data disk mode installs. Refer Setting up disks manually page for specific configurations related to RAID, encryption, LVM, etc...

Preparing for the first boot

If System Disk Mode of installation was performed, ignore this section and proceed to reboot.

If the new local system was configured to run in "diskless" or "data" mode, and you do not want keep booting from the initial (and possibly read-only) installation media, create a customizable boot device. Once everything is in place, save your customized configuration with lbu commit before rebooting.

Reboot

First, remove the initial installation media from the boot drive, or detach it from the port it's connected to. The system may now be power-cycled or rebooted to confirm everything is working correctly. The relevant commands for this are poweroff or reboot. Login into the new system with the root account.

Completing the installation

The installation script installs only the base operating system. No applications e.g. web server, mail server, desktop environment, or web browsers are installed.

Please look at Post-Installation, for some common things to do after installation.

Custom Installation Instructions

Also see other Installation category pages.

Post-Installation

Tip: Alpine Linux packages stay close to the upstream design. Therefore, all upstream documentation about configuring a software package, as well as good configuration guides from other distributions that stay close to upstream, e.g. those in the ArchWiki, or Gentoo wiki are to a large degree, also applicable to configuring the software on Alpine Linux, thus can be very useful.

See also

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