Upgrading Alpine Linux to a new release branch

Warning: Make sure that you have a backup of your important data before continuing to update your system.

Upgrading an Alpine Linux Hard-disk installation

When Alpine Linux is installed to hard drive, upgrading the installation is simple.

Edit the /etc/apk/repositories file using any editor of your choice (nano for instance).

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

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

In the above file, to upgrade Alpine Linux from version 3.20 to 3.21, simply replace the number 3.20 by 3.21 in all the places:

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.21/main
http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.21/community

Ensure you have the latest available version of the Alpine Linux Package Manager first before upgrading anything else:

apk add -u apk-tools

Upgrading to latest release

Warning: Make sure that you have a backup of your important data before continuing to update your system.

Upgrading an Alpine Linux Hard-disk installation

When Alpine Linux is installed to hard drive, upgrading the installation is simple.

Edit the /etc/apk/repositories file using any editor of your choice (nano for instance).

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

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

In the above file, to upgrade Alpine Linux from version 3.20 to 3.21, simply replace the number 3.20 by 3.21 in all the places:

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.21/main
http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.21/community

Ensure you have the latest available version of the Alpine Linux Package Manager first before upgrading anything else:

apk add -u apk-tools

Upgrading to latest release

Template loop detected: Upgrading to latest release

Upgrading to Edge

An upgrade of Alpine Linux from a stable version to the rolling development version edge basically requires the same steps as Upgrading to latest release.

The crucial difference is, that when editing the /etc/apk/repositories file, all referenced repository versions (such as v3.22 or latest-stable) therein need to be pointing to edge as follows.

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

#/media/cdrom/apks
http://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main
http://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community
@testing http://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing

When using edge branch, testing repository can be added as a tagged repository as shown above. Remember that, packages in testing repository have no support.

Warning: Do not enable Main/Community repositories from both stable release branch and edge at the same time. This can break your system. Either use edge or stable. If you mix stable and edge repositories, you're on your own.

After upgrading to edge, the currently installed edge version i.e the build date that is attached to the edge release may be checked with command:

$ cat /etc/alpine-release

Upgrading from older versions

See Upgrading from older versions.

Upgrading Alpine Linux on CD

You may have an installation where the boot media being used (such as a CD, for example) is separate from the media used to store the configuration information. In this case, simply download the latest ISO, and replace the boot media contents with the contents of the latest ISO. If you are booting from a CD, this would simply mean replacing the CD with a CD made from the new image and rebooting the Alpine Linux box.

Update remaining packages from Web repository

If you are using APK caching you should also perform the following steps:

Edit the /etc/apk/repositories file using any editor of your choice (nano for instance).

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

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

In the above file, to upgrade Alpine Linux from version 3.20 to 3.21, simply replace the number 3.20 by 3.21 in all the places:

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.21/main
http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.21/community

Ensure you have the latest available version of the Alpine Linux Package Manager first before upgrading anything else:

apk add -u apk-tools

apk upgrade sync

Upgrading Alpine Linux on Flash Memory (such as CF/USB)

Your installation may consist of Alpine Linux running on Compact Flash or USB media. In most cases, it should be sufficient to upgrade most packages using the Alpine Linux Hard-disk Installation upgrade procedures described above. However, for new packages to survive after a reboot, you should enable APK caching.

Warning: As the newer version of alpine may include kernel upgrades, simply pointing the Alpine Linux Package Manager to an Internet-based repository and running apk upgrade will not be enough, as kernel components are not upgraded when Alpine Linux is run from memory.

Setup environment variables

To make the documentation a bit more "generic" we start by setting some environment variables.

vi /etc/lbu/lbu.conf

Make sure that the variable LBU_MEDIA is not commented (by removing the leading '#').

You also need to set a appropriate value for your LBU_MEDIA. The media you choose will be the media where you store your settings/configuration.

Note: Even if you have you alpine installed on CF, HD or USB you can still choose to save your config on some other media that suits your needs. But remember that both the media where you have your Alpine system AND the media where you have your config need to be in your box when booting it.

Examples:

LBU_MEDIA=usb

or:

LBU_MEDIA=sda1

Now that you have your /etc/lbu/lbu.conf configured for your needs, we will set the environment variables (note the leading .).

. /etc/lbu/lbu.conf

You can test if your environment variable was set:

echo $LBU_MEDIA

It should output something like usb, sda1, or whatever you just configured.

Back up your config

Before starting to upgrade, it's wise to save your configuration.

lbu ci

Upgrade Operating System

Start by checking that you have enough space on your media.
You need at least 400MB available space.

df -h

Download and verify new release

Make sure the media is mounted readwrite.

mount --remount rw /media/$LBU_MEDIA

Tip: If using Alpine Linux 2.2.3 or newer, use the following command to download, mount and copy files as needed for you:

setup-bootable -u {{#latestalp:alpine|url}} /media/$LBU_MEDIA

Once the command completes, proceed to the Load new kernel section.

Start downloading a new '.iso' and a '.sha1' file

cd /media/$LBU_MEDIA wget -c {{#latestalp:alpine|url}} wget {{#latestalp:alpine|url}}.sha1

Check integrity of the downloaded files (it might take some time)

sha1sum -c {{#latestalp:alpine|file}}.sha1

The output of the above command should say 'OK'.
If says 'FAILED', delete the iso file and download it again.

Copy the new release

Note: There is a tool, setup-bootable, in alpine-1.10.4 and newer, that does the mounting and copying for you. With this tool simply do:

setup-bootable -u {{#latestalp:alpine|file}} /media/$LBU_MEDIA

Once the command completes, proceed to the Load new kernel section.

Mount the ISO.

mount -t iso9660 {{#latestalp:alpine|file}} /mnt

Back up files that you have modified. For example, you might have modified syslinux.cfg to show console output on a serial port.

cp /media/$LBU_MEDIA/syslinux.cfg /media/$LBU_MEDIA/syslinux.cfg.my

Install the rsync package if necessary, and copy the files:

cd /mnt apk add rsync rsync --delete -rltv .alpine-release * /media/$LBU_MEDIA/

Restore your backed up files (in case you had any)

mv -f /media/$LBU_MEDIA/syslinux.cfg.my /media/$LBU_MEDIA/syslinux.cfg

Make sure that all files are permanently saved in right place

sync

Clean up

Clean up the downloaded/unpacked files

cd .. umount /mnt rm /media/$LBU_MEDIA/{{#latestalp:alpine|file}} rm /media/$LBU_MEDIA/{{#latestalp:alpine|file}}.sha1

Save changes

Now that all upgrades are done, we should save our settings to our media (which you hopefully have backed up prior to doing this upgrade).

lbu ci

Load new kernel

In most cases you will need to reboot Alpine Linux (especially if there are changes in the kernel):

reboot

Note: If you know what you are doing, you might not need to reboot. But make sure that all services affected by the upgrade are restarted.

Update remaining packages from Web repository

If you are using APK caching you should perform the following steps:

Edit the /etc/apk/repositories file using any editor of your choice (nano for instance).

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

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

In the above file, to upgrade Alpine Linux from version 3.20 to 3.21, simply replace the number 3.20 by 3.21 in all the places:

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.21/main
http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.21/community

Ensure you have the latest available version of the Alpine Linux Package Manager first before upgrading anything else:

apk add -u apk-tools

apk upgrade sync

Upgrading to Edge

An upgrade of Alpine Linux from a stable version to the rolling development version edge basically requires the same steps as Upgrading to latest release.

The crucial difference is, that when editing the /etc/apk/repositories file, all referenced repository versions (such as v3.22 or latest-stable) therein need to be pointing to edge as follows.

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

#/media/cdrom/apks
http://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/main
http://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community
@testing http://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/testing

When using edge branch, testing repository can be added as a tagged repository as shown above. Remember that, packages in testing repository have no support.

Warning: Do not enable Main/Community repositories from both stable release branch and edge at the same time. This can break your system. Either use edge or stable. If you mix stable and edge repositories, you're on your own.

After upgrading to edge, the currently installed edge version i.e the build date that is attached to the edge release may be checked with command:

$ cat /etc/alpine-release

Upgrading from older versions

See Upgrading from older versions.

Upgrading Alpine Linux on CD

You may have an installation where the boot media being used (such as a CD, for example) is separate from the media used to store the configuration information. In this case, simply download the latest ISO, and replace the boot media contents with the contents of the latest ISO. If you are booting from a CD, this would simply mean replacing the CD with a CD made from the new image and rebooting the Alpine Linux box.

Update remaining packages from Web repository

If you are using APK caching you should also perform the following steps:

Edit the /etc/apk/repositories file using any editor of your choice (nano for instance).

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

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

In the above file, to upgrade Alpine Linux from version 3.20 to 3.21, simply replace the number 3.20 by 3.21 in all the places:

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.21/main
http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.21/community

Ensure you have the latest available version of the Alpine Linux Package Manager first before upgrading anything else:

apk add -u apk-tools

apk upgrade sync

Upgrading Alpine Linux on Flash Memory (such as CF/USB)

Your installation may consist of Alpine Linux running on Compact Flash or USB media. In most cases, it should be sufficient to upgrade most packages using the Alpine Linux Hard-disk Installation upgrade procedures described above. However, for new packages to survive after a reboot, you should enable APK caching.

Warning: As the newer version of alpine may include kernel upgrades, simply pointing the Alpine Linux Package Manager to an Internet-based repository and running apk upgrade will not be enough, as kernel components are not upgraded when Alpine Linux is run from memory.

Setup environment variables

To make the documentation a bit more "generic" we start by setting some environment variables.

vi /etc/lbu/lbu.conf

Make sure that the variable LBU_MEDIA is not commented (by removing the leading '#').

You also need to set a appropriate value for your LBU_MEDIA. The media you choose will be the media where you store your settings/configuration.

Note: Even if you have you alpine installed on CF, HD or USB you can still choose to save your config on some other media that suits your needs. But remember that both the media where you have your Alpine system AND the media where you have your config need to be in your box when booting it.

Examples:

LBU_MEDIA=usb

or:

LBU_MEDIA=sda1

Now that you have your /etc/lbu/lbu.conf configured for your needs, we will set the environment variables (note the leading .).

. /etc/lbu/lbu.conf

You can test if your environment variable was set:

echo $LBU_MEDIA

It should output something like usb, sda1, or whatever you just configured.

Back up your config

Before starting to upgrade, it's wise to save your configuration.

lbu ci

Upgrade Operating System

Start by checking that you have enough space on your media.
You need at least 400MB available space.

df -h

Download and verify new release

Make sure the media is mounted readwrite.

mount --remount rw /media/$LBU_MEDIA

Tip: If using Alpine Linux 2.2.3 or newer, use the following command to download, mount and copy files as needed for you:

setup-bootable -u {{#latestalp:alpine|url}} /media/$LBU_MEDIA

Once the command completes, proceed to the Load new kernel section.

Start downloading a new '.iso' and a '.sha1' file

cd /media/$LBU_MEDIA wget -c {{#latestalp:alpine|url}} wget {{#latestalp:alpine|url}}.sha1

Check integrity of the downloaded files (it might take some time)

sha1sum -c {{#latestalp:alpine|file}}.sha1

The output of the above command should say 'OK'.
If says 'FAILED', delete the iso file and download it again.

Copy the new release

Note: There is a tool, setup-bootable, in alpine-1.10.4 and newer, that does the mounting and copying for you. With this tool simply do:

setup-bootable -u {{#latestalp:alpine|file}} /media/$LBU_MEDIA

Once the command completes, proceed to the Load new kernel section.

Mount the ISO.

mount -t iso9660 {{#latestalp:alpine|file}} /mnt

Back up files that you have modified. For example, you might have modified syslinux.cfg to show console output on a serial port.

cp /media/$LBU_MEDIA/syslinux.cfg /media/$LBU_MEDIA/syslinux.cfg.my

Install the rsync package if necessary, and copy the files:

cd /mnt apk add rsync rsync --delete -rltv .alpine-release * /media/$LBU_MEDIA/

Restore your backed up files (in case you had any)

mv -f /media/$LBU_MEDIA/syslinux.cfg.my /media/$LBU_MEDIA/syslinux.cfg

Make sure that all files are permanently saved in right place

sync

Clean up

Clean up the downloaded/unpacked files

cd .. umount /mnt rm /media/$LBU_MEDIA/{{#latestalp:alpine|file}} rm /media/$LBU_MEDIA/{{#latestalp:alpine|file}}.sha1

Save changes

Now that all upgrades are done, we should save our settings to our media (which you hopefully have backed up prior to doing this upgrade).

lbu ci

Load new kernel

In most cases you will need to reboot Alpine Linux (especially if there are changes in the kernel):

reboot

Note: If you know what you are doing, you might not need to reboot. But make sure that all services affected by the upgrade are restarted.

Update remaining packages from Web repository

If you are using APK caching you should perform the following steps:

Edit the /etc/apk/repositories file using any editor of your choice (nano for instance).

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

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

In the above file, to upgrade Alpine Linux from version 3.20 to 3.21, simply replace the number 3.20 by 3.21 in all the places:

Contents of /etc/apk/repositories

http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.21/main
http://dl-3.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.21/community

Ensure you have the latest available version of the Alpine Linux Package Manager first before upgrading anything else:

apk add -u apk-tools

apk upgrade sync