apko

What it does

Build speed

The project says apko aims to build images in milliseconds.checked 4 Oct 2026

Build step limit

apko cannot run arbitrary Dockerfile-style build commands; software installation and shell commands must be included in APK packages.checked 4 Oct 2026

Companion tool

Chainguard identifies melange as a companion tool for producing APK packages to use with apko.checked 4 Oct 2026

Compatibility

The README says apko can build from any environment with apk tooling and shows loading generated images into Docker.checked 4 Oct 2026

Declarative configuration

apko files are declarative and do not support an equivalent of Dockerfile RUN statements.checked 4 Oct 2026

Image output

It builds and publishes OCI container images composed from APK packages.checked 4 Oct 2026

Image publishing

The CLI can publish a built image directly to a registry.checked 4 Oct 2026

Image size

Generated images contain only what the application needs, in the style of distroless images.checked 4 Oct 2026

Installation

The project README lists installation through Homebrew, mise, Go source installation, or its container image.checked 4 Oct 2026

Integrations

The project documents use with Docker and provides an apko build action for GitHub Actions CI/CD pipelines.checked 4 Oct 2026

Minimal images

apko focuses on lightweight, flat base images containing selected packages.checked 4 Oct 2026

Multi architecture

An image configuration can specify architectures, and apko can compose images for different architectures and distributions.checked 4 Oct 2026

Package ecosystem limit

A single apko build cannot mix Wolfi and Alpine packages.checked 4 Oct 2026

Package requirement

Custom tools and applications must first be packaged as apk packages, which can be built with the sister tool melange.checked 4 Oct 2026

Project status

The README describes apko as a work in progress and says details are subject to change.checked 4 Oct 2026

Publishing

The CLI can publish generated images directly to a container registry.checked 4 Oct 2026

Purpose

apko builds and publishes OCI container images from apk packages.checked 4 Oct 2026

Reproducibility

The project says apko images are fully bitwise reproducible by design.checked 4 Oct 2026

SBOM

apko produces a software bill of materials that details the packages inside an image.checked 4 Oct 2026

Security reporting

The security policy asks users to report vulnerabilities by email and says reporters can expect acknowledgment within 72 hours.checked 4 Oct 2026

Services

apko supports the s6 supervision suite to run multiple processes in a container.checked 4 Oct 2026

Support

The project README directs users with questions to the #apko channel on Kubernetes Slack.checked 4 Oct 2026

What it does

apko is an open-source command-line tool that builds container images from APK packages using declarative YAML configuration.checked 4 Oct 2026