Alpine Linux Setup Environment

This repository contains an automated setup script (setup.sh) to quickly bootstrap a fresh Alpine Linux installation with a pre-configured graphical environment and essential tools.

Included Stack

• Window Manager: sway (Wayland proxy for i3wm)
• Terminal: foot (Wayland-native), dmenu (App Launcher)
• File Manager: ranger
• Browser: LibreWolf (with Tridactyl extension force-installed)
• Editor: neovim
• PDF Viewer: zathura
• Media: cmus
• System Services: nftables (Firewall), dnscrypt-proxy (DNS proxy), acpid (ACPI events)
• Login: tty1 auto-start (No Display Manager)

---

Resource Usage (Approximate)

Values are estimates based on Alpine package sizes and typical idle RSS. Actual numbers vary with hardware and usage.

Base Stack (setup.sh)

Component	Disk	Idle RAM
Alpine base	~150 MB	~15 MB
Sway + Wayland stack	~60 MB	~30 MB
foot (terminal)	~5 MB	~15 MB
LibreWolf (browser)	~180 MB	~250–500 MB
neovim + zathura + cmus	~35 MB	~15 MB
nftables + dnscrypt-proxy + acpid	~10 MB	~20 MB
Total (base, Sway idle)	~450 MB	~80 MB
Total (LibreWolf open)	—	~380 MB

Optional Tools (ide.sh menu)

Option	Tool	Extra Disk	Extra RAM
[1]	Zed Editor	~100 MB	~150 MB
[2]	Code OSS	~300 MB	~350 MB
[3]	cliphist	~2 MB	~5 MB
[4]	grim + slurp	~2 MB	negligible
[5]	brightnessctl + alsa-utils	~5 MB	~2 MB
[6]	mako	~2 MB	~5 MB
[7]	waybar	~10 MB	~15 MB
[8]	swaylock + swayidle	~3 MB	~5 MB
[9]	Podman + Distrobox	~80 MB	~30 MB
[9]+VS Code	Ubuntu container + VS Code	+1.5 GB	~400 MB
[9]+Antigravity	Ubuntu container + Antigravity	+1.5 GB	~300 MB

---

Prerequisites

1. A fresh base installation of Alpine Linux.
2. An active internet connection.
3. Root privileges (either by logging in as root or using sudo if configured).

How to Initialize

Follow these steps to download and run the setup script on a completely fresh Alpine target:

1. Download the Setup Scripts

Log into your fresh Alpine installation. Since you only have a base command line, you can download the scripts directly using wget (which is included in Alpine by default).

Run one of the following commands to download the script from GitHub:

Option 1. Download the basic setup script:

wget -O setup.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LordTomate/AlpSup/main/setup.sh

Option 2. Download the IDE Master Installer (which runs the basic setup automatically):

wget -O ide.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LordTomate/AlpSup/main/ide.sh

In the following steps, we will use the Master Installer script. (Alternatively, if you are transferring the files manually over SSH, you can copy them from your host machine):

# Run this from your local machine while SSH is enabled on Alpine
scp ide.sh root@<alpine-ip-address>:/root/

2. Make the Scripts Executable

Navigate to the directory where the scripts are located and grant execution permissions:

chmod +x ide.sh
./ide.sh

The installer features a multi-select menu (Titus-style) where you can enter numbers (e.g., 1,3,4,9) to batch-install:

• IDEs: Zed, Code OSS.
• Power Tools: cliphist (Clipboard), grim/slurp (Screenshots), Hardware Key support, mako (Notifications), waybar, and swaylock.
• Glibc Compatibility: Option [9] installs Distrobox + Podman, allowing you to run a Debian/Ubuntu container to use glibc-only apps like Antigravity IDE or official VS Code natively within your Sway environment.

---

Post-Installation: Running Antigravity/glibc Apps

If you installed the Glibc Compatibility Layer ([9]):

1. Open a terminal and create your container: distrobox create --name ubuntu --image ubuntu:latest
2. Enter the box: distrobox enter ubuntu
3. Download/install your .deb or binary (like Antigravity) inside. It will automatically share your Sway Wayland socket and look like a native app.

Run it using:

./ide.sh

(If you are logged as a normal user and have sudo configured, run sudo ./ide.sh)

The script will present a series of prompts:

1. Optionally wipe existing configurations.
2. Provide your keyboard layout.
3. Choose whether to install Zed Editor and Code OSS (VS Code Open Source).
4. Optionally self-destruct the setup scripts.

4. Observe the Output

The script executes step-by-step. If any step fails:

• It will STOP immediately.
• It will print a clear [ERROR] message explaining what broke.
• It will print a [FIX] with instructions on how to resolve it.
• It will output the location of a detailed log file (/tmp/alpine-setup-step.log) to help you debug perfectly.

5. Finalize the Setup

Once the script completes successfully, start your graphical environment:

---

Starting the GUI (TTY1)

Alpine has no display manager. Sway is launched manually from the text login screen.

1. Switch to TTY1: Press Ctrl + Alt + F1 (you may already be on it after a fresh boot).
2. Log in with your regular (non-root) user account. Type your username, press Enter, then your password.
3. Sway starts automatically — your .profile runs exec sway the moment you log in on TTY1. You will see a black screen for 1–2 seconds, then your desktop appears.

First boot test: On the very first login, LibreWolf will launch automatically to confirm your Wayland stack is working.

---

Using LibreWolf

Action	Key
Open a terminal (foot)	Mod + Enter
Launch LibreWolf manually	Inside foot, type librewolf and press Enter
Close any window	Mod + Shift + q
Open app launcher	Mod + d

Mod = your Super / Windows / Command (⌘) key.
LibreWolf does not need Flatpak — it is installed natively via apk.

---

Battery Display (Akku)

If you installed Waybar (option [7]), add a battery module to its config:

mkdir -p ~/.config/waybar
cat >> ~/.config/waybar/config << 'EOF'
{
    "modules-right": ["battery", "clock"],
    "battery": {
        "format": "{capacity}% {icon}",
        "format-icons": ["", "", "", "", ""],
        "states": { "warning": 30, "critical": 10 }
    }
}
EOF

Then reload Sway config: Mod + Shift + c

---

Troubleshooting: "zed not found in PATH"

Zed installs its binary at /usr/lib/zed/zed on Alpine, with a wrapper at /usr/bin/zed. If verification fails:

# Check where zed actually is
apk info -L zed | grep bin

# If /usr/bin/zed exists but is not executable:
chmod +x /usr/bin/zed

# If missing glibc compatibility:
apk add gcompat libc6-compat

---

Using Zed Editor (option [1])

Action	Command
Launch	Mod + Enter → type zed → Enter
Open a file	zed /path/to/file
Open a folder	zed /path/to/project
Close window	Mod + Shift + q

Zed requires gcompat (glibc compatibility layer). If it crashes on launch, run: apk add gcompat libc6-compat

---

Using Code OSS (option [2])

Action	Command
Launch	Mod + Enter → type code-oss → Enter
Open a folder	code-oss /path/to/project
Close window	Mod + Shift + q

Code OSS is the telemetry-free VS Code build. It does not have access to Microsoft's extension marketplace — use Open VSX instead for extensions.

---

Using Distrobox Containers (option [9])

Distrobox runs a full Ubuntu container that shares your Wayland display and home folder. Apps installed inside appear as if they are native.

Managing your container

distrobox enter ubuntu-dev       # Enter the Ubuntu shell
distrobox list                   # Show all containers
distrobox stop ubuntu-dev        # Stop the container
distrobox rm ubuntu-dev          # Delete the container entirely
distrobox upgrade ubuntu-dev     # Upgrade packages inside

Using VS Code from a container

Action	Command
Launch (from host terminal)	code
Launch (from inside container)	distrobox enter ubuntu-dev -- code
Close	Mod + Shift + q or Ctrl + q

VS Code in Distrobox has full access to the official Microsoft extension marketplace and Copilot.
⚠️ It sends telemetry to Microsoft by default. Disable via: File → Preferences → Telemetry → off

Using Antigravity from a container

Action	Command
Launch (from host terminal)	antigravity
Launch (from inside container)	distrobox enter ubuntu-dev -- antigravity
Close	Mod + Shift + q

Container storage & data

• Your home directory is shared between Alpine host and the container — files you create inside are accessible outside and vice versa.
• Container system files (Ubuntu root) live at ~/.local/share/containers/. Delete the container with distrobox rm to reclaim this space (~1.5 GB).
• Network passes straight through the host — dnscrypt-proxy and nftables apply to container traffic too.