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Debian vs openSUSE: What are the differences?
Developers describe Debian as "The Universal Operating System". Debian systems currently use the Linux kernel or the FreeBSD kernel. Linux is a piece of software started by Linus Torvalds and supported by thousands of programmers worldwide. FreeBSD is an operating system including a kernel and other software. On the other hand, openSUSE is detailed as "The makers' choice for sysadmins, developers and desktop users". The openSUSE project is a worldwide effort that promotes the use of Linux everywhere. openSUSE creates one of the world's best Linux distributions, working together in an open, transparent and friendly manner as part of the worldwide Free and Open Source Software community.
Debian and openSUSE belong to "Operating Systems" category of the tech stack.
Coming from a Debian-based Linux background, using the Ubuntu base image for my Docker containers was a natural choice. However, the overhead, even on the impressively-slimmed Hub images, was hard to justify. Seeking to create images that were "just right" in size, without unused packages or dependencies, I made the switch to Alpine.
Alpine's modified BusyBox has a surprising amount of functionality, and the package repository contains plenty of muslc-safe versions of commonly-used packages. It's been a valuable exercise in doing more with less, and, as Alpine is keen to point out, an image with fewer packages makes for a more sustainable environment with a smaller attack surface.
My only regret is that Alpine's documentation leaves a lot to be desired.
Pros of Debian
- Massively supported51
- Stable47
- Reliable18
- Turnkey linux use it7
- Aptitude7
- Customizable6
- It is free6
- Works on all architectures4
Pros of openSUSE
- Stable3
- Lightweight for server2
- Snapshot1
- Reliable1
- Rolling release1
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Cons of Debian
- Old versions of software9
- Can be difficult to set up on vanilla Debian2