Alpine Linux

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<div class="atitle2">Small Secure Linux distro?<br>
    <div class="atitle" style="font-size:200% !important"><span class="db8orange">Alpine</span></div>
        <br><br><br><br>
        <span class="apage1">by Peter Martin / <a href="https://db8.nl" target="_blank">db8.nl</a></span>
        <br>
        <span class="apage1">slides: <a href="https://slides.db8.nl" target="_blank">https://slides.db8.nl</a></span>
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        <div style="margin: 0 auto;">
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</div>

---

<div class="title"><span class="db8orange">Alpine</span><br>
    <ul style="font-size: 70%">
        <li>What is Alpine Linux?</li>
        <li>Key Features</li>
        <li>Why is it Popular?</li>
        <li>Use Cases & Real-World Applications</li>
        <li>How to Get Started</li>
        <li>Questions</li>
    </ul>
</div>

---

<div class="title"><span class="db8orange">Alpine</span> Linux</div>

----

## <span class="db8orange">Alpine</span> Linux

<ul>
<li>minimal Linux distro</li>
<li>lightweight</li>
<li>secure</li>
<li class="fragment">perfect for 
  <ul>
    <li>containers</li>
    <li>cloud computing</li>
    <li>embedded systems</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

----

#### "<span class="db8orange">A L</span>inux-<span class="db8orange">P</span>owered Network Eng<span class="db8orange">ine</span>"

<ul style="font-size: 70%;">
    <li>Created in <span class="db8orange">2005</span> by Natanael Copa</li>
    <li>Core Principles:
        <ul>
            <li>Minimalist (~5MB size)</li>
            <li>Security-first approach</li>
            <li class="fragment">No systemd, uses OpenRC instead</li>
            <li class="fragment">Uses <ul>
                <li><strong>musl libc</strong><br>small replacement for glibc (GNU C library)<br>
                note: <a href="https://superuser.com/questions/1219609/why-is-the-alpine-docker-image-over-50-slower-than-the-ubuntu-image" target="_blank">
                can be slower</a> due <a href="https://lists.alpinelinux.org/%7Ealpine/users/%3C6df8863e77b970b466dbfc9a3a5c2bcec3199f48.camel%40aquilenet.fr%3E" target="_blank">
                to hardened security</a>
                </li>
                <li><strong>busybox</strong><br>a whole operating system in a single binary</li> 
                </ul>
            </li>
        </ul>
    </li>
</ul>

----

## Key Features

<ul style="font-size: 70%;">
    <li>Lightweight & Efficient
        <ul>
            <li>Base image is only 5MB</li>
            <li>Uses <span class="db8orange">fewer resources</span> than traditional Linux distributions</li>
        </ul>
    </li>
    <li class="fragment">Security-Focused
        <ul>
            <li><span class="db8orange">Position-independent executables</span> (PIE)<br>executable gets new random RAM assigned<br></li> 
            <li><span class="db8orange">Stack-smashing protection</span> (SSP)<br>detects and prevents buffer overflow attacks</li>
            <li>Runs with least privilege model for better security</li>
            <li class="fragment">Uses <span class="db8orange">grsecurity patches</span><br>set of security-focused patches for the Linux kernel<ul>
              <li><span class="db8orange">PaX</span> - security system for Linux kernel to prevent exploiting memory bugs in programs</li>
              </ul></li>
        </ul>
    </li>
</ul>

---

<div class="title"><span class="db8orange">Package Manager</span></div>

----

## <span class="db8orange">Package Manager</span>

- Uses apk (Alpine Package Keeper) Package Manager
- Simple and fast package management system
- Example commands:
  ```
  apk update
  apk add nano
  apk del nano
  ```
- Rolling Release & Stability
    - Regular updates with stable and edge versions

---

<div class="title">Why <span class="db8orange">Alpine</span> Linux popular?</div>

----

## Why is Alpine Linux Popular?

<ul style="font-size: 70%;">
    <li><span class="db8orange">Containers & Docker</span>
        <ul>
            <li>Alpine is one of the most used Docker base images</li>
            <li>Faster container deployments due to smaller size</li>
        </ul>
    </li>
    <li class="fragment"><span class="db8orange">Security & Hardening</span>
        <ul>
            <li>Many security-conscious organizations choose Alpine</li>
        </ul>
    </li>
    <li class="fragment">Great for <span class="db8orange">Embedded Systems & Networking</span>
        <ul>
            <li>Used in IoT, routers, and networking appliances</li>
            <li>Lower memory and CPU footprint than traditional distros</li>
        </ul>
    </li>
    <li class="fragment"><span class="db8orange">No systemd (Minimalism)</span>
        <ul>
            <li>Preferred by users who want a simpler, cleaner init system</li>
        </ul>
    </li>
</ul>

----

## Use Cases

<ul style="font-size: 70%;">
    <li>Containerization & Cloud
        <ul>
            <li>Used in Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud-native environments</li>
            <li>Example: Many microservices run on Alpine-based containers</li>
        </ul>
    </li>
    <li>Embedded Systems & Networking
        <ul>
            <li>Used in routers, IoT devices, firewalls (e.g., OpenWRT alternatives)</li>
        </ul>
    </li>
    <li>Security-Critical Environments
        <ul>
            <li>Adopted in security-conscious organizations (e.g., Cloudflare, Google)</li>
        </ul>
    </li>
    <li>Minimalist Workstations & Servers
        <ul>
            <li>Can be used as a lightweight server OS</li>
        </ul>
    </li>
</ul>

---

<div class="title">Get started with <span class="db8orange">Alpine</span></div>

----

### Get Started with Alpine
- Installing Alpine Linux
    - Run Alpine in a VM 
    - Install it on hardware
    - Try Alpine in Docker:
      ```
      docker run -it alpine sh
      ```
- Resources
    - Official Website: [alpinelinux.org](https://alpinelinux.org)
    - GitLab: [gitlab.alpinelinux.org](https://gitlab.alpinelinux.org/alpine)
    - Docker Hub: [alpine](https://hub.docker.com/_/alpine)

---

<div class="title">Alpine in <span class="db8orange">docker container</span></div>

----

### Example with <span class="db8orange">docker</span>

```bash
$ docker run -it --name linuxnijmegen alpine sh
```

<ul style="font-size: 70%;">
    <li><strong>docker run</strong><br>Starts a new container.</li>
    <li><strong>-it</strong></li>
    <ul>
        <li><strong>-i (interactive mode)</strong>: Keeps the container’s standard input (STDIN) open, allowing you to interact with it.</li>
        <li><strong>-t (allocate a pseudo-TTY)</strong>: Provides a terminal session inside the container.</li>
    </ul>
    <li><strong>alpine</strong><br>Specifies the Alpine Linux image from Docker Hub.<br>If the image isn’t already downloaded, Docker will pull it automatically.</li>
    <li><strong>sh</strong><br>Runs the sh shell (Alpine’s default shell) inside the container.</li>
</ul>

----

### re-open <span class="db8orange">closed container</span>

```bash
$ docker start -ai linuxnijmegen
```
<ul style="font-size: 70%;">
    <li><strong>docker start</strong><br>Starts the stopped container.</li>
    <li><strong>-a</strong><br>Attaches to the container’s output (so you can interact with it).</li>
    <li><strong>-i</strong><br>Keeps the container's STDIN open for interaction.</li>
</ul>

----

### Using <span class="db8orange">apk</span> Package Manager

```
apk update
apk add bind-tools
apk dell bind-tools
dig

apk add cmatrix
cmatrix

apk add asciiquarium
asciiquarium

apk add figlet
figlet "Linux Nijmegen rulez!"
```

---

<div class="title"><span class="db8orange">Questions?</span></div>

----

## Photo Credits

<ul style="font-size:50%">
<li>https://unsplash.com/photos/photo-of-mountain-covered-of-snow-during-cloudy-sky-jGlqOzrhn9k</li>
<li>https://pixabay.com/photos/notebook-paper-pages-open-731212/</li>
<li>https://unsplash.com/photos/snow-capped-mountain-with-sea-of-clouds-qJvpykJ5SKs</li>
<li>https://unsplash.com/photos/brown-wooden-box-lot-pDsmoI5j3B8</li>
<li>https://unsplash.com/photos/a-group-of-people-standing-outside-a-building-R72P3yZyYJ8</li>
<li>https://unsplash.com/photos/a-stack-of-books-R52YghRa_Ik</li>
<li>https://unsplash.com/photos/blue-and-red-cargo-ship-on-dock-during-daytime-SInhLTQouEk</li>
<li>https://unsplash.com/photos/man-in-black-crew-neck-t-shirt-and-beige-pants-sitting-on-white-and-blue-stairs-XY0uyBhZWCA</li>
</ul>

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