On the Alpine Linux Docker Image, I get `nvm: command not found`

Question

I have read the README of the nvm project, which lists the packages I need to install, although I had to modify the python2 package to python3 , since the former package was deprecated following Alpine 3.13 release, as node can run on python3 package. Here is my Dockerfile, which is meant to be part of my .devcontainer directory to run on a Codespace:

# Pull the Alpine 3.15 Docker image
FROM alpine:3.16

# Enter the BASH shell
ENTRYPOINT [ "/bin/bash" ]

# Add packages without caching, but while upgrading Alpine
RUN apk add --no-cache -U\
    curl bash ca-certificates\
    openssl ncurses coreutils\
    python3 make gcc g++\
    libgcc linux-headers grep\
    util-linux binutils findutils

RUN touch ~/.bashrc

# Install NVM and source it
RUN curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.1/install.sh | bash
RUN echo '\
export NVM_DIR="~/.nvm" \
[-s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" \
[[ -r $NVM_DIR/bash_completion ]] && \. $NVM_DIR/bash_completion\
' >~/.bashrc

# Run the usual setup NVM commands
RUN [ "/bin/bash", "-c", "nvm install -s --lts --latest-npm" ]
RUN [ "/bin/bash", "-c", "nvm alias default lts/*" ]

# Install NPM packages and run the dev server
RUN [ "/bin/bash", "-c", "npm i" ]
CMD [ "/bin/bash", "-c", "npm run dev" ]

Here is the line in my creation.log file which denotes the error:

2022-09-27 14:44:57.546Z: #9 [6/8] RUN [ "/bin/bash", "-c", "nvm install -s --lts --latest-npm" ]
2022-09-27 14:44:58.134Z: #9 0.539 /bin/bash: line 1: nvm: command not found
2022-09-27 14:44:58.229Z: #9 ERROR: executor failed running [/bin/bash -c nvm install -s --lts --latest-npm]: exit code: 127

If anything else is needed, please let me know! Thanks for any help!

Answer 1

I wouldn't be using alpine based image for python applications,

Standard PyPI wheels don't work on Alpine

Most Python packages these days include binary wheels on PyPI, significantly speeding install time. But if you're using Alpine Linux you need to compile all the C code in every Python package that you use.

See here eventual issues you can have https://pythonspeed.com/articles/alpine-docker-python/

You can end up resolving this, then another one will show up and so on and on...