Kernels: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 19:40, 3 December 2025

Alpine Linux has several kernels (see linux-*) designed to suit different situations.

linux-lts — Long-term support kernel, configured for a generous selection of hardware
- linux-virt — Long-term support kernel, configured for VM guests (disables most hardware in favor of a commonly-virtualized subset of drivers)
linux-stable — Stable kernel, configured for a generous selection of hardware Only supported in community. For Alpine 3.22 and older there was linux-edge, see Release_Notes_for_Alpine_3.23.0#linux-stable_replaces_linux-edge

linux-rpi — Raspberry Pi's kernel, configured for the Raspberry Pi. For Alpine 3.18 and older there is also linux-rpi2 and linux-rpi4 optimized for the Raspberry Pi 2 and 4 respectively.
linux-openpax — Kernel with OpenPAX patches which provide a layer of defense against memory safety-related vulnerabilities. Only supported in community

For installing a custom kernel, see Custom Kernel. To select a specific kernel or firmware packages during installation from the Alpine ISO, simply install the desired kernel flavor and firmware packages with apk add before running setup-alpine.
Firmware
The linux-firmware meta-package is included in the default installation, and depends on all firmware. It is a large download. You may be better served by installing only the firmware you need (see linux-firmware-*), or linux-firmware-none if you do not require any firmware. If you're unsure which firmware you need, boot with no firmware installed and run dmesg | grep firmware to get an idea. Be aware that most firmware is non-free.
Experimental Kernels
Some kernels are not well tested and are therefor only available in the testing repository. Use at your own risk.
linux-asahi — Apple Silicon devices, see https://asahilinux.org/

linux-elm — Elm chromebooks

linux-gru — Gru chromebooks

linux-eswin — Linux lts kernel - RISC-V

linux-sophgo — Sophgo RISC-V SoC's

linux-p550 — SiFive P550 RISC-V SoC's

linux-starfive — Starfive RISC-V SoC's

linux-jh7100 — Starfive JH7100 SoC

linux-spacemit — SpacemiT RISC-V SoC's
See also
Custom Kernel

How to build the Alpine Linux kernel

Kernel - Archwiki

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 * {{Pkg|linux-lts}} &mdash; Long-term support kernel, configured for a generous selection of hardware
 ** {{Pkg|linux-virt}} &mdash; Long-term support kernel, configured for VM guests (disables most hardware in favor of a commonly-virtualized subset of drivers)
-* {{Pkg|linux-stable}} &mdash; Stable kernel, configured for a generous selection of hardware <i>Only supported in <code>community</code>. For Alpine 3.21 and older there was {{pkg|linux-edge|branch=v3.21|arch=}}, see [[Release_Notes_for_Alpine_3.23.0#linux-stable_replaces_linux-edge]]</i>
+* {{Pkg|linux-stable}} &mdash; Stable kernel, configured for a generous selection of hardware <i>Only supported in <code>community</code>. For Alpine 3.22 and older there was {{pkg|linux-edge|branch=v3.21|arch=}}, see [[Release_Notes_for_Alpine_3.23.0#linux-stable_replaces_linux-edge]]</i>
 * {{pkg|linux-rpi|arch=}} &mdash; Raspberry Pi's kernel, configured for the Raspberry Pi. <i>For Alpine 3.18 and older there is also {{pkg|linux-rpi2|branch=v3.18|arch=}} and {{pkg|linux-rpi4|branch=v3.18|arch=}} optimized for the Raspberry Pi 2 and 4 respectively.</i>
-* {{Pkg|linux-openpax}} &mdash; Kernel with OpenPAX patches which provide a layer of defense against memory safety-related vulnerabilities.
+* {{Pkg|linux-openpax}} &mdash; Kernel with OpenPAX patches which provide a layer of defense against memory safety-related vulnerabilities. <i>Only supported in <code>community</code>
 For installing a custom kernel, see [[Custom Kernel]]. To select a specific kernel or firmware packages during installation from the Alpine ISO, simply install the desired kernel flavor and firmware packages with {{ic|apk add}} before running {{ic|setup-alpine}}.