Alpine Linux 3.23.0 Alpine Linux 3.23.0 is the latest stable release for this lightweight, security-focused distribution, built upon the OpenRC init system and musl libc, making it extremely popular for containerization and embedded systems. This version ships with a wealth of major package updates, including the Linux kernel 6.18 LTS, the GCC 15 compiler, and modern desktop environments like GNOME 49 and KDE Plasma 6.5.3, ensuring users have access to the latest security fixes, performance improvements, and hardware support across the board.
The key structural change from previous versions is the introduction of APK Tools v3, which is the third major iteration of Alpine's package manager, designed for better performance, security, and future extensibility, though it maintains compatibility with the v2 index format for now to ensure a seamless upgrade path. Additionally, Alpine has replaced the linux-edge kernel package with a new linux-stable variant that maintains the configuration of the Long-Term Support (LTS) kernel but follows the upstream stable releases, offering a consistent kernel environment while staying current with the mainline Linux stable branch.