Alpine Linux 3.20.0: Introducing 64-bit RISC-V Architecture

Alpine Linux is an independent, non-commercial Linux distribution designed for power users who value security, simplicity, and resource efficiency. It uses Musl Libc and Busybox, resulting in a small and resource-efficient system. All userland binaries, prioritizing security, compile as Position Independent Executables (PIE) with stack smashing protection, helping to prevent the exploitation of various vulnerabilities.

The Alpine Linux team recently announced the release of Alpine Linux 3.20.0, introducing the v3.20 stable series.

Alpine Linux 3.20.0 Notable Updates And Improvements

LLVM 18: LLVM compiler upgraded to v18, enhancing performance, supporting new language features; min. Clang version: clang-17.0.6 for C++20 configuration.
Node.js (LTS) 20.10: Node.js 20.10 LTS ensures stability and security, advising against short GCM tags unless the authTagLength is used.
Python 3.12: Python 3.12.0, the latest major release, brings new features, optimizations, and performance improvements to the Python programming language.
Ruby 3.3: Ruby 3.3 is open-source software that boosts performance (YJIT) and developer experience (new parser, RJIT compiler).
Rust 1.78: Rust 1.78, known for safety and concurrency, adds new features and improvements, empowering developers to build efficient software.
Crystal 1.12: The latest KDE Plasma upgrade to Plasma 6 includes a major Qt6 update and applications from KDE Gear. Although some apps still use Qt5, the Wayland session is now the default, marking the transition as this Alpine release is the last to support X11.
GNOME 46: GNOME 46 introduces a modern, user-friendly interface, marking the latest release presented eagerly by the GNOME project. After upgrading, you may need to manually add gcr-ssh-agent if you installed GNOME in a certain way, to ensure the retention of GNOME Keyring ssh integration.
Go 1.22: Version 1.22 of Go, the open-source programming language known for its simplicity and efficiency, introduces new language features and improvements.
KDE 6: The latest KDE Plasma upgrade to Plasma 6 includes a major Qt6 update and applications from KDE Gear. Although some apps still use Qt5, the Wayland session is now the default, marking the transition as this Alpine release is the last to support X11.
Sway 1.9: Modern Wayland-based window manager updated with new features, including a config option to disable primary selection.
.NET 8.0: Updated open-source developer platform with enhanced performance and new features for diverse application development.

Biggest Addition in Alpine Linux 3.20.0

Alpine Linux 3.20.0 introduces initial support for the 64-bit RISC-V architecture, thus enabling it to run on this hardware and expanding platform compatibility across various systems.

Upgrade Reminders

Make sure to use the APK upgrade –available when switching between major versions to ensure a seamless switch. Additionally, note that the yq package has been renamed to yq-go.