Getting apt-get on an alpine container

Question

I have to install a few dependencies on my docker container, I want to use python:3.6-alpine version to have it as light as possible, but apk package manager which comes with alpine is giving me trouble so I would like to get the apt-get package manager. I tried:

apk add apt-get

and it didnt work.

how can I get it on the container?

`apk` is the default [package manager](https://wiki.alpinelinux.org/wiki/Alpine_Linux_package_management) on alpine. You don't need `apt` — lependu, Nov 20 '18 at 09:22
What do you want to install that is giving you trouble with apk? — Julio Daniel Reyes, Nov 20 '18 at 17:41
@JulioDanielReyes apk doesn't have all packages like `php-gearman` — SP Singh, Jan 06 '20 at 13:57
It has the php7-gearman package. You just need to add the additional repositories specified here https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/491257. Then a `apk update && apk add php7-gearman` should work... — Julio Daniel Reyes, Jan 06 '20 at 14:08
>"What do you want to install that is giving you trouble with apk?" - It stopped installing python. — Ark-kun, Dec 16 '20 at 01:49

score 44 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 20 '18 at 19:29

Using multiple package systems is usually a very bad idea, for many reasons. Packages are likely to collide and break and you'll end up with much greater mess than you've started with.
See this excellent answer for more detail: Is there a pitfall of using multiple package managers?

A more feasible approach would be troubleshooting and resolving the issues you are having with apk. apk is designed for simplicity and speed, and should take very little getting used to. It is really an excellent package manager, IMO.

For a good tutorial, I warmly recommend the apk introduction page at the Alpine Wiki site: https://wiki.alpinelinux.org/wiki/Alpine_Linux_package_management

If you're determined not to use apk, and for the sake of experiment want try bringing up apt instead, as a first step, you'll have first to build apt from source: https://github.com/Debian/apt. Then, if it is produces a functional build (not likely since it's probably not compatible with musl libc), you'll have to wire it to some repositories, but Alpine repositories are only fit for apk, not apt. As you can see, this is not really feasible, and not the route you want to go to.

That's fair, but that got me thinking - why is that any different than using pip as well as other package manage (pip is the python package manager) which everybody do? — NotSoShabby, Nov 21 '18 at 08:10
Python has its own package system, which is managed by `pip`, as opposed to `apk` and `apt` which manage the Linux system binaries and programs. `pip` effect is limited to scope of Python programs. Think of it this way - if things break in `pip`, Python may break, but if things go wrong in `apk` or `apt`, your entire Linux system may break. — valiano, Nov 21 '18 at 08:36
@NotSoShabby or put in other words, `pip` is orthogonal to `apk` / `apt` - they are independent of each other. — valiano, Nov 21 '18 at 10:28

Getting apt-get on an alpine container

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