SETUP-APKCACHE(8)

📦 version 3.22.0, in alpine 3.24

💅 SETUP-APKCACHE — the setup-apkcache page from section 8 of the System Manager's Manual ✨

okay bestie, so this is the manual page for setup-apkcache and honestly? it's a whole lil glow-up for your package situation. let's get into it 🫶

🌸 NAME 🌸

setup-apkcache — configure the apk package cache, no cap

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

setup-apkcache [-h] [DIR]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so setup-apkcache literally sets up a local directory for caching apk packages that you downloaded from the network. why do we care? because a cache lets packages be installed before the network is even available — like at boot time, bestie. main character energy for your offline era 💅

the directory you pick gets mounted if it needs to be, and then /etc/apk/cache is created as a symbolic link pointing right at it. iconic behavior, honestly.

if you don't hand it a DIR, the script just prompts you interactively. very "let's figure this out together" of it 🥰

and the value none disables caching entirely. periodt.

✨ OPTIONS ✨

  • -h — display usage information and then exit. that's it, that's the whole flag. short and sweet 🍓

🧚 INTERACTIVE MODE 🧚

if you don't pass a DIR argument, the script suggests a cache directory for you. the suggestion gets chosen from this whole list, in order:

  • the current /etc/apk/cache symlink target, if there is one
  • /media/LBU_MEDIA_/cache_ (from lbu.conf)
  • /media/usb/cache (when /dev/usbdisk exists)
  • /var/cache/apk (when root is not on tmpfs)
  • none otherwise

the prompt accepts none if you wanna skip it entirely, or ? for help text that describes the purpose of a local cache. ask questions, babe, it's encouraged 💖

🌈 FILES 🌈

  • /etc/apk/cache — symbolic link to the cache directory. the little pointer that could 🎀

⭐ EXIT STATUS ⭐

  • 0 — success. slay 💅
  • non-zero — an error occurred. 😭

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

apk(8), setup-lbu(8), setup-alpine(8) — go read those next, iykyk

💜 AUTHORS 💜

Natanael Copa <ncopa@alpinelinux.org> and others 🫶

fr fr, one thing to keep in your notes app: /etc/apk/cache being a symlink is the whole trick here, so don't go replacing it with a real directory and then act surprised 🙈

Alpine Linux · version dated 2026-06-09 · SETUP-APKCACHE(8) — that's the whole page bestie, go cache some packages, mwah 💋🌸

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