Alpine Linux is a lightweight, security-oriented Linux distribution that is designed to be simple, efficient, and easy to use. It is based on the musl libc and BusyBox utilities, which are both designed to be small and fast and are optimized for running on resource-constrained systems such as embedded devices, virtual machines, and containers.
Alpine Linux is known for its small size and minimalistic approach, which makes it ideal for running in environments where disk space, memory, and processing power are limited. It also includes a package manager called apk, which allows you to install, upgrade, and remove software packages from the Alpine Linux repository.
Because of its small size and focus on security, Alpine Linux is often used as a base image for Docker containers, as it provides a minimal and secure runtime environment for running applications. It is also used in other contexts where a lightweight and secure Linux distribution is required, such as in network appliances, routers, and firewalls.
Alpine Linux is open-source software and is released under the terms of the MIT License. It is maintained by the Alpine Linux development team, which is a community of developers and users who contribute to the project through code, documentation, and support.
Install Alpine Linux in Virtual Box
Here are the steps to install Alpine Linux on VirtualBox:
Step 1: Download Alpine Linux
Download the Alpine Linux ISO file from the official website. Choose the version that matches your system architecture (32-bit or 64-bit).
Step 2: Create a new virtual machine
Open VirtualBox, and click on the "New" button to create a new virtual machine. Give your virtual machine a name and select "Linux" as the Type and "Other Linux (64-bit)" as the Version.
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Step 3: Allocate memory
In the "Memory" section, allocate at least 512 MB of memory to the virtual machine.
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Step 4: Create a virtual hard disk
In the "Hard Disk" section, select "Create a virtual hard disk now" and allocate the size of the hard disk. A minimum of 8 GB is recommended for Alpine Linux.
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Step 5: Add the Alpine Linux ISO
In the "Storage" section, click on the "Empty" CD icon and then click on the CD icon to the right of the "Optical Drive" dropdown. Select "Choose Virtual Optical Disk File" and browse to the location where you downloaded the Alpine Linux ISO. Select the ISO file and click "Open" to add it to the virtual machine.
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Step 6: Start the virtual machine
Click on the "Start" button to start the virtual machine. The Alpine Linux automatically boots without any installation and asks for login. Input root as user name to start for the first time.
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Step 7: Setup Alpine
Run the following command to start the command-based installation process:
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Step 8: Follow the installation process
Choose the appropriate language and keyboard layout and its variant:
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Enter the system hostname. If you want to keep "localhost" as your hostname just hit enter:
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Set the network interface. No, need to change them all, just hit enter:
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Now, set the root password. You can accept the default options for most settings. Set the time zone:
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If you don't know the timezone, then run"?" for help:
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No need to set the proxy URL and set chrony as the default NTP client:
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Add mirror number and set others as they are:
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Select the available disk, in my case "sda" and set it for "sys" configuration:
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Type Y to erase the disk, and it will automatically start the installation.
Step 9: Finish the installation:
Once the installation is complete, eject the Alpine Linux ISO and restart the virtual machine. You should now see the Alpine Linux login prompt.
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These are the basic steps to install Alpine Linux on VirtualBox.
