Alpine Linux

Building application containers

by Drew Leske, 13 June 2024

For one of our projects (ZooDB) we recently ran into a problem when adding new Python libraries to our dependencies, as several of the libraries required build tools in their installation. These tools were not available in the application’s base image nor were they installed as part of the build, so they had to be added.

Alpine Linux

Our application image for this project is currently based on Alpine Linux, which describes itself as “a security-oriented, lightweight Linux distribution”–sounds like a good fit for a containerized app, and it’s a popular choice. Like riding a fixed-gear bike, though, not having all the niceties you’re used to will mean having to adjust how you operate.