Requirements
This page will tell you what requirements you will need to use the Alpine Linux operating system:
Hardware requirements
For installation and usage consider that Alpine can run on several kinds of devices, from the popular PC machine to video game consoles like the 3DS, and as such you must verify the details below:
- CPU architecture
- Memory
- Storage
- Peripherals
Architectures
CPU architecture is an instruction set design that defines how a processor is used by software. Widely used across desktops and servers are x86 (mostly i386) and x86_64 (also known as amd64). There are other supported computer architectures that are not "x86", like mainframes, servers, and embedded devices (such as routers like Sonicwall and Cisco ones). The table below represents architectures supported by Alpine:
| Supported architecture | Available since | Description |
|---|---|---|
| x86_64 | all | Widely spread AMD64 compatible 64-bit x86 instruction set. |
| x86 | all | Another widely used 32-bit instruction set. |
| ppc64le | v3.6 | For PowerPC devices with pure little-endian mode, mostly for POWER8 and POWER9 |
| armhf | v3.0 | A 32-bit ARM instruction set with hard-float point extension. |
| armv7 | v3.9 | The 32-bit ARM only execution state of the ARMv7 devices machines. |
| aarch64 | v3.5 | The 64-bit ARM only execution state of the ARMv8+ device machines. |
| ppc64le | v3.6 | For 64-bit big-endian PowerPC and Power ISA processors like some Mac computers. |
| s390x | v3.6 | For IBM mainframes, especially IBM Z and IBM LinuxONE servers. |
Memory
Below are shown minimum RAM amounts for various installation types and phases:
| Target Arch | Minimum RAM to start | Minimum RAM to install | Minimum RAM for GUI desktop | Enough for GUI work |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| x86_64 | 512 Megs | 512 Megs | 2 Gigs | 8 Gigs |
| x86_32 | 128 Megs | 256 Megs | 1 Gigs | 3 Gigs |
| ppc64le | 128 Megs | 256 Megs | 2 Gigs | 8 Gigs |
| armhf | 256 Megs | 512 Megs | 1 Gigs | 6 Gigs |
| armv7 | 256 Megs | 512 Megs | 1 Gigs | 6 Gigs |
| aarch64 | 256 Megs | 512 Megs | 2 Gigs | 8 Gigs |
| ppc64le | 256 Megs | 512 Megs | 1 Gigs | 6 Gigs |
| s390x | 128 Megs | 256 Megs | 2 Gigs | N/A |
Storage
This means any external or internal storage device that can be added after or before installation to use by the Alpine Linux system.
PATA and SATA hard disk drives are supported, as well as any USB or SD card that can be detected by the Linux during installation.
Peripherals
This means any external or internal device that can be added before or after installation and detected by Alpine Linux. The peripherals that are supported depends on the current version of the Linux kernel.
Almost any GPU is supported, but certain features and 3D acceleration might depend on MESA drivers:
- Intel: mostly any Intel by one exception, Intel i810/i815 will lack features since it has only 4Mb memory, support for it has been dropped by Mesa and Linux.
- ATI/AMD, only Radeon series with exception of recent last two years, Rage r128/match64 series has limited support.
- Nvidia: support for Nvidia GPUs is limited since their drivers are proprietary and built for GNU libc. Nouveau drivers are available as free alternative.
- Matrox: not all features are supported.
- Sis: limited features are supported, due to limited support from upstream.
- Via: limited features are supported, due to limited support from upstream.
Software requirements
Media
Alpine boot images are provided on downloads page or on a mirror
The images should be verified as in Installation, to ensure the file wasn't corrupted during transfer.
Booting
The following table describes supported BIOS types, for more information please check Alpine and UEFI wiki page.
| Supported Arch | Supported BIOS | Supported Types |
|---|---|---|
| x86_64 | Coreboot, Vendor/OEM | BIOS, UEFI |
| x86 | Coreboot, Vendor/OEM | BIOS, UEFI |
| ppc64le | Coreboot, Vendor/OEM | BIOS, UEFI |
| armhf | Uboot, Vendor/OEM | BIOS, UEFI |
| armv7 | Uboot, Vendor/OEM | BIOS, UEFI |
| aarch64 | Vendor/OEM | BIOS, UEFI |
| s390x | Vendor/OEM | unknown |
Space
A default installation of Alpine requires at least 1GB of free space. You can see various partition configurations and their sizes on Alpine disk layout for UEFI/BIOS at Alpine and UEFI wiki page.