How to get regular stuff working: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 15:42, 15 February 2025

Alpine Linux is built around Musl libc and BusyBox. This makes it small and very resource efficient. The utilities in BusyBox generally have fewer options and hence missing some functionality when used to daily drive. This page explains how to get the regular utilities working as found in other Linux distributions.

Core utilities

Most of the basic file, shell and text manipulation utilities commonly grouped under Core Utilities are provided by BusyBox. To replace it with original coreutils package:

# apk add coreutils

Util-linux

A set of approximately 100 basic Linux system utilities not included in GNU Core Utilities, such as mount, cfdisk, more, lsblk and kill are maintained under Util-linux. To have the complete util-linux package:

# apk add util-linux

The full featured file pager utility less can be installed from the less package.

Search utilities

Standard search tools grep and find can be installed by installing the packages grep and findutils as follows:

# apk add grep findutils

Bash shell

The default shell used by Alpine Linux is the busybox variant of the ash shell. To install bash shell:

# apk add bash bash-completion

Hardware Management

Install pciutils and usbutils for identifying and configuring PCI and USB hardware using the full featured version of lspci and lsusb commands respectively.

# apk add pciutils usbutils

The packages hwdata-pci and hwdata-usb are dependencies for the above utilities and they are installed automatically. These packages can be removed once the hardware configuration has been completed.

Disk Management

Managing (removable) disks is much easier with udisks.

# apk add udisks2

To see the mounted disks:

# udisksctl status

Network Management

For network, you may want to install iproute2.

# apk add iproute2

Subpackages and missing functionality

In Alpine Linux, binary packages are thinned out and split into subpackages to give more control over what features are installed and keeps the installation as small and efficient as possible. When a package is installed in Alpine Linux, no assumption is made on what features the user wants, so the user might get a false impression of missing functionality.

For eg: NetworkManager, a popular network configuration tool is split into 20+ subpackages based on features. If the user installs networkmanager package or network-manager-applet only the NetworkManager utility and the applet will get installed. To manage Wifi networks or to use commands like nmcli and nmtui the user is expected to add the required subpackages networkmanager-wifi, networkmanager-cli and networkmanager-tui respectively. In other Linux distributions when NetworkManager is installed, all the above features plus bluetooth, adsl, wwan, vpn, l2tp, ppp etc are automatically installed along with their dependencies.

Use package database or apk search <pkgname> to find subpackages related to a package.

Development environment

Compiling in Alpine Linux may be more challenging because it uses musl-libc instead of glibc. The build-base meta package provides regular compiler stuff such as binutils, gcc, g++, make etc..

# apk add build-base

The alpine-sdk meta package is provided to build packages for Alpine Linux. It includes abuild, build-base, and git.

# apk add alpine-sdk

To install CMake:

# apk add cmake extra-cmake-modules

ccache and a lot other tools are also available in Alpine Linux.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-== Man pages ==
+Alpine Linux is built around [[Musl]] libc and [[BusyBox]]. This makes it small and very resource efficient. The utilities in BusyBox generally have fewer options and hence missing some functionality when used to [[Daily driver guide|daily drive]]. This page explains how to get the regular utilities working as found in other Linux distributions.
-A "man" command and basic manual pages can be installed with:
+== Core utilities ==
+{{Main|GNU core utilities}}
-    '''apk add mandoc man-pages'''
+Most of the basic file, shell and text manipulation utilities commonly grouped under [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_GNU_Core_Utilities_commands Core Utilities] are provided by [[BusyBox]]. To replace it with original {{pkg|coreutils}} package:{{Cmd|# apk add {{pkg|coreutils}}}}
-The appropos command may be installed with:
+== Util-linux  ==
-    '''apk add mandoc-apropos '''
-The '''man-pages''' package only provides the system's ''core'' manual pages. Other packages come with their separate '''*-doc''' sub-packages that ship their documentation (which may include man pages). This is the ''Alpine Way'' to allow for the small default footprint. For example:
+A set of approximately 100 basic Linux system utilities not included in GNU Core Utilities, such as <code>mount</code>, <code>cfdisk</code>, <code>more</code>, <code>lsblk</code> and <code>kill</code> are maintained under [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Util-linux Util-linux]. To have the complete {{pkg|util-linux}} package:{{Cmd|# apk add {{pkg|util-linux}}}}
-    $ '''apk add curl'''
+The full featured file pager utility <code>less</code> can be installed from the {{pkg|less}} package.
-    $ '''man curl'''
-    man: No entry for curl in the manual.
-    $ '''apropos curl | wc -l'''
-    <span style="color: green;">''After adding curl, there are no man pages''</span>
-    $ '''apk add curl-doc'''
-    (1/1) Installing curl-doc (7.52.1-r2)
-    Executing mandoc-apropos-1.13.3-r6.trigger
-    OK: 60 MiB in 31 packages
-    $ '''apropos curl | wc -l'''
-  <span style="color: green;">''Now, with curl-doc installed, there's a boatload of pages!''</span>
+== Search utilities  ==
-If you would like all the documentation packages pertaining to your installed packages to be pulled in automatically, you may install the  <code>docs</code> meta package.
+Standard search tools <code>grep</code> and <code>find</code> can be installed by installing the packages {{pkg|grep}} and {{pkg|findutils}} as follows:{{Cmd|# apk add  {{pkg|grep}} {{pkg|findutils}} }}
-    '''apk add docs'''
+== Bash shell ==
+{{Main|Change default shell}}
+The default shell used by Alpine Linux is the busybox variant of the [[BusyBox#Ash_shell|ash shell]]. To install {{pkg|bash}} shell: {{Cmd|# apk add {{pkg|bash}} {{pkg|bash-completion}}}}
-== Operational hints ==
+== Hardware Management ==
-==== Shell @ commandline ====
+Install {{pkg|pciutils}} and {{pkg|usbutils}} for identifying and configuring PCI and USB hardware using the full featured version of <code>lspci</code> and <code>lsusb</code> commands respectively. {{Cmd|# apk add {{pkg|pciutils}} {{pkg|usbutils}}}}
-Alpine comes with busybox by default. And busybox is an endpoint for numerous symlinks that substitute various utilities. Though busybox is not that bad, the busybox replacement commands may be missing some functionality.
+The packages {{pkg|hwdata-pci}} and {{pkg|hwdata-usb}} are dependencies for the above utilities and they are installed automatically. These packages can be removed once the hardware configuration has been completed.
-To replace the symlinks to busybox, install...
+== Disk Management ==
-* Shell utilities (things like grep, [[awk]], ls are all busybox symlinks)
+Managing (removable) disks is much easier with udisks. {{Cmd|# apk add {{pkg|udisks2}}}}
-   apk add util-linux pciutils usbutils coreutils binutils findutils grep
-* Bash
+To see the mounted disks:{{Cmd|# udisksctl status}}
-It's also easy enough to have bash itself installed:
-   apk add bash bash-doc bash-completion
-and to possibly change the login shell with '''chsh'''.
-* Funny characters at the console
+== Network Management ==
-Edit the file at {{Path|/etc/rc.conf}} and change line 92 to:
-  unicode="YES"
+For network, you may want to install {{pkg|iproute2}}. {{Cmd|# apk add {{pkg|iproute2}}}}
+== Subpackages and missing functionality  ==
-==== Disk Management ====
+In Alpine Linux, binary packages are thinned out and split into subpackages to give more control over what features are installed and keeps the installation as small and efficient as possible. When a package is installed in Alpine Linux, no assumption is made on what features the user wants, so the user might get a false impression of missing functionality.
-Disk management is so much easier with udisks or udisks2
+For eg: [https://networkmanager.dev/ NetworkManager], a popular network configuration tool is split into 20+ subpackages based on features. If the user installs {{pkg|networkmanager}} package or {{pkg|network-manager-applet}} only the NetworkManager utility and the applet will get installed. To manage Wifi networks or to use commands like <Code>nmcli</Code> and <Code>nmtui</Code> the user is expected to add the required subpackages {{pkg|networkmanager-wifi}}, {{pkg|networkmanager-cli}} and {{pkg|networkmanager-tui}} respectively. In other Linux distributions when NetworkManager is installed, all the above features plus bluetooth, adsl, wwan, vpn, l2tp, ppp etc are automatically installed along with their dependencies.
-Installation
+Use [https://pkgs.alpinelinux.org/packages package database] or {{Codeline|<Code>apk search <pkgname></Code>}} to find subpackages related to a package.
-   apk add udisks2 udisks2-doc
+== Development environment ==
-See the mounted disks
+Compiling in Alpine Linux may be more challenging because it uses [https://musl.libc.org/ musl-libc] instead of glibc. The {{pkg|build-base}} meta package provides regular compiler stuff such as {{pkg|binutils}}, {{pkg|gcc}}, {{pkg|g++}}, {{pkg|make}} etc..
-   udisksctl status
+{{Cmd|# apk add {{pkg|build-base}}}}
-== Compiling : a few notes and a reminder  ==
+The {{pkg|alpine-sdk}} meta package is provided to build packages for Alpine Linux.  It includes {{pkg|abuild}}, {{pkg|build-base}}, and {{pkg|git}}.
-Compiling in Alpine may be more challenging because it uses [http://www.musl-libc.org/ musl-libc] instead of glibc. Please review [http://wiki.musl-libc.org/wiki/Functional_differences_from_glibc 'The functional differences with glibc' ] if you think of porting packages or just for the sake of knowing, of course.
+{{Cmd|# apk add {{pkg|alpine-sdk}}}}
-Alpine offers the regular compiler stuff like gcc and cmake ... possible others
+To install CMake:
-==== (unvalidated) apk packages to install so one can start building software ====
+{{Cmd|# apk add {{pkg|cmake}} {{pkg|extra-cmake-modules}}}}
-   apk add build-base gcc abuild binutils binutils-doc gcc-doc
-==== a complete install for cmake looks like ====
+{{pkg|ccache}} and a lot other tools are also available in Alpine Linux.
-   apk add cmake cmake-doc extra-cmake-modules extra-cmake-modules-doc
-==== ccache is also available ====
-   apk add ccache ccache-doc
 [[Category:Installation]]
+[[category: System Administration]]