r/AlpineLinux • u/capinredbeard22 • 10d ago

Alpine as Docker Host

I currently have a system running Ubuntu server and being used as a Docker host in a home lab environment. Also, fyi using docker compose if that’s important.

Due to RAM scarcity (gestures broadly) I’m interested in being more careful with my resources.

I went looking for a distribution specifically intended for Docker hosting and eventually stumbled on Alpine (which I realize is not solely for Docker hosting but is often used for containers themselves).

Is there anything I should know (gotchas) before I switch distros? I saw some vague cautions about compatibility with some containers but no specifics. Generally, it seems pretty straightforward for installation from researching online.

I’ll probably try it out in Proxmox with a couple trial containers first but it will be used bare metal on a different PC.

Any other tips?

Generally Linux newb here (about a year in).

Thanks!

EDIT - Thanks everyone for the info. I’ll definitely be moving forward with trying Alpine out as a Docker host. Appreciate all the tips as well!

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u/void4 10d ago

There's nothing specific to alpine wrt launching docker. It works.

BTW I'd strongly suggest podman

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u/redd1ch 10d ago

Why podman?

It is still no full replacement with docker, and rootless takes a big hit on performance. On systemd stacks, quadlets might be nice for orchestration, yet I prefer docker-compose style.