Alpine Linux team announced the release of Alpine Linux 3.20.0, the first in the v3.20 stable series. Alpine Linux is a security-focused, lightweight Linux distribution based on musl libc and BusyBox.
Alpine Linux is designed to be small and resource-efficient, making it an excellent choice for running in embedded systems, containers, and other environments where minimizing disk and memory footprint is crucial.
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Highlights of Alpine Linux 3.20.0
Alpine Linux 3.20.0 comes with several notable updates and improvements:
- LLVM 18 - The LLVM compiler toolchain has been updated to version 18, offering improved performance and support for the latest language features.
- Node.js (lts) 20.10 - Node.js, the popular runtime for server-side JavaScript applications, has been upgraded to its Long-Term Support version 20.10, providing a stable and secure environment.
- Python 3.12 - The latest version of the versatile Python programming language, 3.12, brings new features and performance enhancements.
- Ruby 3.3 - Ruby, the dynamic, open-source programming language, has been updated to version 3.3, with improvements for better performance and developer productivity.
- Rust 1.78 - Rust, the systems programming language renowned for its safety and concurrency, now includes additional language features and improvements in version 1.78.
- Crystal 1.12 - The compiled language for writing efficient and scalable applications, Crystal, has been updated to version 1.12, with new features and bug fixes.
- GNOME 46 - The popular GNOME desktop environment has been upgraded to version 46, offering a modern and user-friendly interface.
- Go 1.22 - Go, the open-source programming language designed for simplicity and efficiency, has been updated to version 1.22, with new language features and improvements.
- KDE 6 - The powerful and customizable KDE desktop environment has been upgraded to version 6, providing a feature-rich and intuitive experience.
- Sway 1.9 - Sway, the modern and efficient Wayland-based window manager, has been updated to version 1.9, with new features and bug fixes.
- .NET 8.0 - Microsoft's open-source developer platform, .NET, has been upgraded to version 8.0, offering improved performance and new features for building various applications.
Significant changes
Alpine Linux 3.20.0 introduces initial support for the 64-bit RISC-V architecture, allowing the operating system to run on this emerging hardware platform.
Upgrade notes
As with any major version upgrade, users are advised to run apk upgrade --available
when switching to Alpine Linux 3.20.0 to ensure a smooth transition and take advantage of the latest updates and improvements.
For Step-by-Step Alpine Linux upgrade instructions, please refer the following link:
Download Latest Alpine Linux
You can download Alpine Linux from the project's official website:
On the downloads page, you'll find several options for obtaining Alpine Linux:
Official ISOs:
You can download the latest official ISO images for performing a fresh installation of Alpine Linux. These ISOs are available for different architectures, including x86_64 (64-bit), armhf (32-bit ARM), and aarch64 (64-bit ARM).
Virtual Machine Images:
If you prefer to try Alpine Linux in a virtual environment before installing it on physical hardware, you can download pre-built virtual machine images for various virtualization platforms like VMware, VirtualBox, and QEMU.
Cloud Images:
Alpine Linux also provides cloud-ready images for popular cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and more. These images are optimized for deployment in cloud environments.
Raspberry Pi Images:
For those interested in running Alpine Linux on Raspberry Pi boards, there are pre-built images specifically tailored for these devices.
Once you've downloaded the appropriate ISO or image for your desired installation method and target hardware, you can proceed with the installation process. The Alpine Linux website provides detailed installation guides and documentation to help you through the process.
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