Add support for Alpine APK packages

[MichaelSimons]

@priyaananthasankar commented on Thu Jan 10 2019

Steps to reproduce the issue

1. Have a Python 3.6 alpine base image
2. Want to install Dotnet 2.1 core runtime in it using apk command or any other way

Expected behavior

Run dotnet commands

Actual behavior

Cannot find any documentation or reference that shows such an example.

Additional information (e.g. issue happens only occasionally)

Dotnet core 2.1 runtime installations depends on debian packages. If I want to install dotnet core 2.1 runtime in a python alpine base image, it seems like not possible today?

Motivations:

• Installing python on a dotnet alpine is possible and works, but the reverse would render me a smaller image. Python installations on existing docker base files that are non python, always tend to occupy space.

• People prefer a python base image for data science related work but when they want to run any dotnet based functions or DLL's this becomes a roadblock.

Any suggestions appreciated to install dotnet core 2.1 in python alpine base image. (NOT looking to get a dotnet core 2.1 base image alpine and installing python on it - this exists)

---

@MichaelSimons commented on Thu Jan 10 2019

.NET Core does not currently support installation via apk packages. If you want to install .NET Core on alpine, please reference how it is done in the Dockerfiles for .NET Core Alpine images.

---

@MichaelSimons commented on Thu Jan 10 2019

cc @dleeapho, @leecow - I'm going to move this issue to core-setup as an ask for apk support.

[dleeapho]

We currently do not have a package repo for apk.

[dagood]

@MichaelSimons pointed out in dotnet/dotnet-docker#1510 that we can produce these packages as build artifacts as an incremental improvement even if we don't have Microsoft package repo support for them yet.