How to enable APK caching

Enabling Package Caching

Note: This document applies to Alpine 1.9 and later versions only

Package caching is useful when the need arises to upgrade packages on read-only media. Package caching allows you to store newer packages in a location on writable media, which Alpine checks for when loading packages on start-up.

This can be enabled either from the console or through the ACF.

Tip: For package upgrades, it is useful to point Alpine Package Manager to repositories on the internet, to easily obtain package upgrades when they become available.

Edit the /etc/apk/repositories file using any editor of your choice (nano for instance) to edit the Alpine Linux package repositories.

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.19/main http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.19/community

In the above file, to upgrade Alpine Linux from version 3.19 to 3.20, simply replace the number 3.19 by 3.20 in all the places, so that the updated repositories file looks like below:

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.20/main http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.20/community

Enable caching from the console

Substitute 'sda1' in the example below for the actual device you will use to store the caching directory.

First upgrade apk-tools:

apk add –u apk-tools

Now enable package caching:

mkdir –p /media/sda1/cache
ln –s /media/sda1/cache /etc/apk/cache

From the ACF

Browse to System > Packages > Cache

Edit Cache Settings:

Tick Enable Cache

Specify the Cache Directory, for example:

/media/sda1/cache

Click Save