Alpine Linux 3.21 Brings GNOME 47, KDE Plasma 6.2, and New Features
The Alpine Linux team has just released Alpine Linux 3.21, a major update to this security-focused, lightweight distribution. This release uses the Linux kernel 6.12 LTS and arrives more than six months after Alpine Linux 3.20.
Key features include support for GNOME 47, KDE Plasma 6.2, and LXQt 2.1 desktop environments. Additionally, the release introduces initial support for the LoongArch64 architecture.
Starting with this version, Alpine Linux compresses the linux-firmware package using Zstandard (Zstd). Users with custom-built kernels should ensure that the CONFIG_FW_LOADER_COMPRESS_ZSTD=y option is added to their kernel configuration. Additionally, the release no longer supports systems with separate / and /usr filesystems.
Under the hood, Alpine Linux 3.21 offers updated components such as GCC 14, LLVM 19, Node.js 20.11 LTS, Rust 1.83, and more. The release is available for download in several editions, including Standard, Extended, Netboot, and Raspberry Pi, across a variety of architectures, including 64-bit (x86_64), ARM64, and PowerPC.
For users upgrading to Alpine Linux 3.21, simply run the command apk upgrade --available in a terminal. You can find more details about the release on the official wiki page.
Alpine Linux is known for its security orientation and lightweight nature. The system uses the musl C library and BusyBox software suite, providing Unix utilities in a single executable file. By default, Alpine does not include a graphical environment, giving users full control over customization. OpenRC serves as the default init system, ensuring compatibility with Unix-like systems.
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