Table of Contents
- What does it mean by Docker images of Node.js running on Alpine Linux are "unofficial"
- Why does the Node.js team deliver Alpine Linux images as official without properly testing them?
- Since Alpine Linux images are "unofficial", should I stop using them in production environments?
- References
Yes, you heard it right!
DOCKER IMAGES OF NODE.JS RUNNING ON ALPINE LINUX ARE "UNOFFICIAL"!
At least, this is how the Node.js team refers to them when it comes to support!
The reason? They don't actively test Alpine Linux builds! At least not in their CI/CD environments! This is because Alpine Linux builds are in experimental status!
At this point, you may be asking: Why does the Node.js team deliver Alpine Linux images as official without properly testing them?
To be honest, I may not have all the answers on this matter, because, though I use Node.js in my day-to-day, I'm not involved in the development of Node.js (not on a deep level, at least). Although I'm here to bring you a bit of information on this matter while trying to answer some questions you may have on the subject.
What does it mean by Docker images of Node.js running on Alpine Linux are "unofficial"?
As I said before, the Node.js team doesn't actively test Node.js builds in Alpine Linux environments (at least not in their CI/CD environments). Therefore, the support they can provide for running Node.js applications on Alpine Linux is highly limited.
Why does the Node.js team deliver Alpine Linux images as "official" without properly testing them?
Apart from the fact that the build and delivery process of Docker images of Node.js running on Alpine Linux is made through the same CI/CD workflows that , I can only guess they do it because Alpine Linux is widely used by applications used in production environments due to its small size and resource usage.
Since Alpine Linux images are "unofficial", should I stop using them in production environments?
Not at all. At least, I don't think so. Especially because the Node.js team is looking for some people from the community to help to solve issues related to running Node.js on Alpine Linux.
If you are interested in helping the Node.js team to actively find and solve issues running Node.js on Alpine Linux, I personally encourage you to get to the issue talking on this matter and show them your interest in helping them!