Does alpine `apk` have an ubuntu `apt` `--no-install-recommends` equivalent

docker package alpine alpine-package-keeper
Zak picture Zak · May 8, 2017 · Viewed 11.3k times · Source

I'm trying to make the absolute smallest Docker image I can get away with, so I have switched from ubuntu as my base to alpine.

For apt, I used to use --no-install-recommends to minimize "dependencies" installed with my desired packages. Is there an equivalent flag I need to pass along with apk or is this the default behavior for this slimmed down OS?

Answer

scipilot picture scipilot · Apr 8, 2018

No it doesn't have the same flag I think because it does not even do the same behaviour of downloading recommended packages.

However there is another flag --virtual which helps keep your images smaller:

apk add --virtual somename package1 package2

and then 

apk del somename

This is useful for stuff needed for only build but not for execution later.

Note you must execute it in one RUN command, else it cannot be deleted from the previous Docker image layer.

e.g. if pything1 needs package1 and package2 to run, but only needs package3 and package4 during the install build, this would be optimal:

RUN apk add --no-cache package1 package2
RUN apk add --no-cache --virtual builddeps package3 package4 && \
    pip install pything1 && \
    apk del builddeps

package 3 and 4 are not added the "world" packages but are removed before the layer is written.

This question asks the question other way round: What is .build-deps for apk add --virtual command?

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