🏔️ RasPINE - Raspberry Pi + Alpine Linux Hybrid

The best of both worlds: Raspberry Pi OS kernel and firmware for perfect hardware compatibility, combined with Alpine Linux userland for minimal footprint and efficiency.

✨ Key Features

Feature	Description
🔧 Maximum Compatibility	Uses official Raspberry Pi OS kernel and firmware for perfect hardware support
🪶 Minimal Footprint	Alpine Linux userland with musl libc - fits on a 2GB SD card
🔒 Secure by Default	SSH enabled with Dropbear, minimal attack surface
📦 Modern Package Management	Alpine's apk package manager with vast repository access
🌐 Network Ready	DHCP on ethernet, WiFi support with wpa_supplicant
💾 SD Card Friendly	/var/log on tmpfs to reduce wear on your SD card
⚙️ Zero-Touch Configuration	Configure WiFi, SSH, and system settings before first boot
🔄 Weekly Updates	Automated builds with latest Raspberry Pi OS kernels

🚀 Quick Start

1️⃣ Download the Latest Image

📥 Download Latest Release

Alternative downloads: All Releases | Direct Download | SHA256 Checksum

2️⃣ Write to SD Card

# Extract the image
xz -d RasPINE-YYYY-MM-DD.img.xz

# Write to SD card (replace /dev/sdX with your SD card device)
sudo dd if=RasPINE-YYYY-MM-DD.img of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress conv=fsync

3️⃣ (Optional) Configure Before First Boot

RasPINE supports zero-touch configuration! Mount the boot partition after writing the image and create a configuration file:

# Mount the boot partition (adjust device as needed)
mkdir -p /mnt/boot
mount /dev/sdX1 /mnt/boot

# Copy and edit the configuration template
cp /mnt/boot/raspine-config.txt.sample /mnt/boot/raspine-config.txt
nano /mnt/boot/raspine-config.txt

# Unmount when done
umount /mnt/boot

See the Boot Configuration section for details on available options.

4️⃣ First Boot

Insert the SD card and power on your Raspberry Pi. Connect via SSH or console:

• Username: raspine
• Password: raspberry (or your configured password)

⚠️ Security Note: Change the password immediately after first login using passwd

⚙️ Boot Configuration

RasPINE includes a powerful boot configuration system that allows you to set up your system before the first boot. This is perfect for headless deployments or when you need to configure multiple devices.

How It Works

1. On the boot partition, you'll find raspine-config.txt.sample
2. Copy this to raspine-config.txt and edit with your settings
3. On first boot, RasPINE processes this file and applies your configuration
4. The config file is automatically deleted after processing for security

Configuration Options

WiFi Networks

Configure multiple WiFi networks with priority ordering:

# Primary network (highest priority if not numbered)
wifi_ssid=HomeNetwork
wifi_password=HomePassword

# Additional networks with priority (higher numbers = higher priority)
wifi_ssid_2=WorkNetwork
wifi_password_2=WorkPassword

wifi_ssid_3=MobileHotspot
wifi_password_3=HotspotPassword

# WiFi country code (affects available channels)
wifi_country=GB

# Allow connection to open networks
enable_open_networks=false

User Security

# Set password for raspine user
user_password=MySecurePassword

# Enable SSH password authentication (default is key-only)
enable_ssh_password=true

# Add SSH public key for secure access
ssh_key=ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAA... [email protected]

System Settings

# Set hostname
hostname=my-raspine

# Set timezone
timezone=Europe/London

# Set locale
locale=en_GB.UTF-8

Complete Example

# RasPINE Boot Configuration
# WARNING: This file will be DELETED after processing for security!

# === WIFI CONFIGURATION ===
wifi_ssid=MyHomeNetwork
wifi_password=MyHomePassword

wifi_ssid_2=WorkNetwork
wifi_password_2=WorkPassword

wifi_country=GB
enable_open_networks=false

# === USER SECURITY ===
user_password=MySecurePassword123!
enable_ssh_password=false
ssh_key=ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQDEx... [email protected]

# === SYSTEM CONFIGURATION ===
hostname=raspine-zero
timezone=Europe/London
locale=en_GB.UTF-8

Security Notes

• The configuration file is automatically deleted after processing to protect your passwords
• WiFi passwords and user passwords are never stored in plain text after configuration
• SSH key-only authentication is recommended for production use
• Always keep a backup of your configuration in a secure location

🥧 Compatibility

RasPINE works with ALL Raspberry Pi models:

Series	Models
Classic	Pi 1 Model A/B/B+
Zero	Pi Zero, Zero W, Zero 2 W
Standard	Pi 2B, 3A+/B/B+, 4B, 5
Compute	CM1, CM3, CM3+, CM4, CM4S
Special	Pi 400, Pi 500

📡 Network Configuration

Ethernet

DHCP is enabled by default on eth0. No configuration needed.

WiFi Setup

Method 1: Boot Configuration (Recommended)

Use the boot configuration system described above to set up WiFi before first boot.

Method 2: Manual Configuration

Edit /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf:

network={
    ssid="YourNetworkSSID"
    psk="YourNetworkPassword"
}

Then enable the wireless interface:

sudo ifup wlan0

📦 Package Management

RasPINE uses Alpine's apk package manager:

# Update package index
apk update

# Install packages
apk add nano htop git

# Search for packages
apk search nginx

# Remove packages
apk del package-name

Custom APK Repository

RasPINE includes the custom RasPINE repository with Raspberry Pi OS kernels and firmware:

# Already configured in the image
https://raspine.pistar.uk/v3.22/community

🛠️ System Management

Service Management (OpenRC)

# List all services
rc-status

# Start/stop/restart services
rc-service dropbear start
rc-service networking restart

# Enable/disable at boot
rc-update add dropbear default
rc-update del dropbear default

System Information

# Check Alpine version
cat /etc/alpine-release

# Check kernel version
uname -r

# Check disk usage
df -h

# Check memory usage
free -h

🏗️ Technical Architecture

Partition Layout

Partition	Size	Format	Mount Point	Purpose
1	256MB	FAT32	/boot/firmware	Boot files, kernel, firmware, config
2	~1.7GB	ext4	/	Root filesystem

What Comes From Where?

From Raspberry Pi OS:

• All kernel images (kernel*.img)
• Device tree blobs and overlays
• Kernel modules (/lib/modules/*)
• Firmware blobs (/lib/firmware/*)
• Boot configuration files
• Hardware-specific udev rules

From Alpine Linux:

• Complete userland (musl libc)
• OpenRC init system
• BusyBox utilities
• APK package manager
• Dropbear SSH server
• Network management tools

RasPINE Specific:

• Boot configuration processor (raspine-config)
• Hybrid integration scripts
• Custom APK repository configuration

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue	Solution
No network	Check cable/WiFi config, verify with ip addr show
WiFi not connecting	Check country code, verify password, check wpa_supplicant logs
SSH refused	Ensure dropbear is running: rc-status
Config not applied	Config file must be named exactly raspine-config.txt
Module errors	Some glibc modules may fail; libc6-compat provides basic compatibility
Boot issues	Check /boot/firmware/config.txt and cmdline.txt
Package not found	Run apk update first

Getting Help

Check the Issues page or create a new issue if you encounter problems.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Development

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/MW0MWZ/RasPINE.git
cd RasPINE

# Make your changes
# Test locally if possible
# Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project combines components from:

• Raspberry Pi OS - Raspberry Pi OS License
• Alpine Linux - Alpine License

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Raspberry Pi Foundation for kernel and firmware
• Alpine Linux Team for the minimal userland
• Pi-Star Team for inspiration and collaboration
• The Amateur Radio community for continuous support

📊 Project Stats

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Built with ❤️ for the Raspberry Pi and Amateur Radio communities

Maintained by Andy Taylor (MW0MWZ)

Website | Downloads