The alpine-tools.func file provides Alpine Linux-specific tool installation functions for package and service management within Alpine LXC containers. It complements tools.func with Alpine-specific implementations using the apk package manager.

Purpose and Use Cases

Alpine Tool Installation: Install services and tools using apk on Alpine
Package Management: Safe apk operations with error handling
Service Setup: Install and configure common services on Alpine
Dependency Management: Handle Alpine-specific package dependencies
Repository Management: Setup and manage Alpine package repositories

Quick Reference

Key Function Groups

Package Operations: Alpine-specific apk commands with error handling
Service Installation: Install databases, web servers, tools on Alpine
Repository Setup: Configure Alpine community and testing repositories
Tool Setup: Install development tools and utilities

Dependencies

External: apk, curl, wget
Internal: Uses functions from core.func, error_handler.func

Integration Points

Used by: Alpine-based application install scripts
Uses: Environment variables from build.func
Provides: Alpine package and tool installation services

Documentation Files

📊 ALPINE_TOOLS_FUNC_FLOWCHART.md

Visual execution flows for package operations and tool installation on Alpine.

📚 ALPINE_TOOLS_FUNC_FUNCTIONS_REFERENCE.md

Complete alphabetical reference of all Alpine tool functions.

💡 ALPINE_TOOLS_FUNC_USAGE_EXAMPLES.md

Practical examples for common Alpine installation patterns.

🔗 ALPINE_TOOLS_FUNC_INTEGRATION.md

How alpine-tools.func integrates with Alpine installation workflows.

Key Features

Alpine Package Management

apk Add: Safe package installation with error handling
apk Update: Update package lists with retry logic
apk Del: Remove packages and dependencies
Repository Configuration: Add community and testing repos

Alpine Tool Coverage

Web Servers: nginx, lighttpd
Databases: mariadb, postgresql, sqlite
Development: gcc, make, git, node.js (via apk)
Services: sshd, docker, podman
Utilities: curl, wget, htop, vim

Error Handling

Retry Logic: Automatic recovery from transient failures
Dependency Resolution: Handle missing dependencies
Lock Management: Wait for apk locks to release
Error Reporting: Clear error messages

Function Categories

🔹 Package Management

apk_update() - Update Alpine packages with retry
apk_add() - Install packages safely
apk_del() - Remove packages completely

🔹 Repository Functions

add_community_repo() - Enable community repositories
add_testing_repo() - Enable testing repositories
setup_apk_repo() - Configure custom apk repositories

🔹 Service Installation Functions

setup_nginx() - Install and configure nginx
setup_mariadb() - Install MariaDB on Alpine
setup_postgresql() - Install PostgreSQL
setup_docker() - Install Docker on Alpine
setup_nodejs() - Install Node.js from Alpine repos

🔹 Development Tools

setup_build_tools() - Install gcc, make, build-essential
setup_git() - Install git version control
setup_python() - Install Python 3 and pip

Alpine vs Debian Package Differences

Package	Debian	Alpine
nginx	`apt-get install nginx`	`apk add nginx`
mariadb	`apt-get install mariadb-server`	`apk add mariadb`
PostgreSQL	`apt-get install postgresql`	`apk add postgresql`
Node.js	`apt-get install nodejs npm`	`apk add nodejs npm`
Docker	Special setup	`apk add docker`
Python	`apt-get install python3 python3-pip`	`apk add python3 py3-pip`

Common Usage Patterns

Basic Alpine Tool Installation

#!/usr/bin/env bash
source /dev/stdin <<<"$FUNCTIONS_FILE_PATH"

# Update package lists
apk_update

# Install nginx
apk_add nginx

# Start service
rc-service nginx start
rc-update add nginx

With Community Repository

#!/usr/bin/env bash
source /dev/stdin <<<"$FUNCTIONS_FILE_PATH"

# Enable community repo for more packages
add_community_repo

# Update and install
apk_update
apk_add postgresql postgresql-client

# Start service
rc-service postgresql start

Development Environment

#!/usr/bin/env bash
source /dev/stdin <<<"$FUNCTIONS_FILE_PATH"

# Install build tools
setup_build_tools
setup_git
setup_nodejs "20"

# Install application
git clone https://example.com/app
cd app
npm install

Best Practices

✅ DO

Always use apk add --no-cache to keep images small
Call apk_update() before installing packages
Use community repository for more packages (add_community_repo)
Handle apk locks gracefully with retry logic
Use $STD variable for output control
Check if tool already installed before reinstalling

❌ DON'T

Use apt-get commands (Alpine doesn't have apt)
Install packages without --no-cache flag
Hardcode Alpine-specific paths
Mix Alpine and Debian commands
Forget to enable services with rc-update
Use systemctl (Alpine has OpenRC, not systemd)

Alpine Repository Configuration

Default Repositories

Alpine comes with main repository enabled by default. Additional repos:

# Community repository (apk add php, go, rust, etc.)
add_community_repo

# Testing repository (bleeding edge packages)
add_testing_repo

Repository Locations

/etc/apk/repositories      # Main repo list
/etc/apk/keys/             # GPG keys for repos
/var/cache/apk/            # Package cache

Package Size Optimization

Alpine is designed for small container images:

# DON'T: Leaves package cache (increases image size)
apk add nginx

# DO: Remove cache to reduce size
apk add --no-cache nginx

# Expected sizes:
# Alpine base: ~5MB
# Alpine + nginx: ~10-15MB
# Debian base: ~75MB
# Debian + nginx: ~90-95MB

Service Management on Alpine

Using OpenRC

# Start service immediately
rc-service nginx start

# Stop service
rc-service nginx stop

# Restart service
rc-service nginx restart

# Enable at boot
rc-update add nginx

# Disable at boot
rc-update del nginx

# List enabled services
rc-update show

Troubleshooting

"apk: lock is held by PID"

# Alpine apk database is locked (another process using apk)
# Wait a moment
sleep 5
apk_update

# Or manually:
rm /var/lib/apk/lock 2>/dev/null || true
apk update

"Package not found"

# May be in community or testing repository
add_community_repo
apk_update
apk_add package-name

"Repository not responding"

# Alpine repo may be slow or unreachable
# Try updating again with retry logic
apk_update  # Built-in retry logic

# Or manually retry
sleep 10
apk update

"Service fails to start"

# Check service status on Alpine
rc-service nginx status

# View logs
tail /var/log/nginx/error.log

# Verify configuration
nginx -t

alpine-install.func/ - Alpine installation functions
tools.func/ - Debian/standard tool installation
core.func/ - Utility functions
error_handler.func/ - Error handling
UPDATED_APP-install.md - Application script guide

Recent Updates

Version 2.0 (Dec 2025)

✅ Enhanced apk error handling and retry logic
✅ Improved repository management
✅ Better service management with OpenRC
✅ Added Alpine-specific optimization guidance
✅ Enhanced package cache management

Last Updated: December 2025 Maintainers: community-scripts team License: MIT

README.md

alpine-tools.func Documentation

Overview