Prerequisites

Install Alpine Linux
Create a user account (optional but recommended)
Enable the Community Repository

Install packages

Install awesome, xterm, lua and terminus font.
Depending on your network speed, it might take a few minutes.

# apk add awesome xterm lua terminus-font

Optional packages

Video and Input packages

You might want to install a package suitable for your video chipset and input devices.
For example, if you have an Sis video chipset, install 'xf86-video-sis'. For Intel video chipset, install 'xf86-video-intel'.

# apk add xf86-video-sis

and / or

# apk add xf86-input-synaptics

Run 'apk search xf86-video*' to see available xf86-video packages.
Run 'apk search xf86-input*' to see available xf86-input packages.

VirtualBox Users

# apk add xf86-video-vbox

VMWare Users probably want to use this for video

# apk add xf86-video-vmware

and/or

# apk add xf86-input-vmmouse

acpid

If you installed your Alpine Linux as a VirtualBox or VMWare guest, you might find it handy to be able execute an ACPI shutdown.

# rc-update add acpid

Configure xorg-server

On most systems, xorg should be able to autodetect all devices. However, you can still configure xorg-server manually by launching:

# setup-xorg-base

Start your desktop

$ echo 'awesome' >> /home/<newuser>/.xinitrc

$ mkdir /home/<newuser>/.config

$ cp -r /etc/xdg/awesome /home/<newuser>/.config

$ vi /home/<newuser>/.config/awesome/rc.lua

Start awesome.

$ startx

Troubleshooting

D-Bus problems:

D-Bus library appears to be incorrectly set up; failed to read machine uuid: Failed to open "/var/lib/dbus/machine-id": No such file or directory

If startx fails and returns an error about D-Bus failed to read machine uuid, as shown above, proceed as follows:

Install dbus from apk (you must be logged in as root for the step shown below)

# apk add dbus

Log in or su to the root account, then launch the following command (Note: sudo does not work for this step):

# dbus-uuidgen > /var/lib/dbus/machine-id

Now if startx is launched, it should load the desktop correctly

AwesomeWM