Termux QEMU Alpine + Docker + Kubernetes Setup

This guide provides step-by-step instructions to run Alpine Linux inside QEMU on Termux, and set up Docker and K3s (lightweight Kubernetes).

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Table of Contents

1. Prerequisites
2. Install QEMU in Termux
3. Download Alpine Linux ISO
4. Create Alpine Disk and Start VM
5. Install Alpine Linux
6. Install Docker
7. Install K3s (Kubernetes)
8. Configure Environment
9. Auto-start Services
10. Shutdown and Restart VM

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Prerequisites

• Termux installed on Android
• Storage permissions granted:

termux-setup-storage

Sufficient free storage (15GB+)

Recommended 2–4 CPU cores and 4GB RAM for QEMU VM



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Install QEMU in Termux

pkg update && pkg upgrade -y
pkg install qemu-system-x86_64 wget tar -y


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Download Alpine Linux ISO

mkdir -p ~/alpine && cd ~/alpine
wget https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.14/releases/x86_64/alpine-virt-3.14.0-x86_64.iso


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Create Alpine Disk and Start VM

1. Create a disk image:



qemu-img create -f qcow2 alpine.qcow2 15G

2. Create a start script bootup-alpine.sh:



#!/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/bash
qemu-system-x86_64 \
  -smp 2 -m 4096 \
  -drive file=$HOME/alpine/alpine.qcow2,if=virtio \
  -netdev user,id=n1,hostfwd=tcp::2222-:22 \
  -device virtio-net,netdev=n1 \
  -cdrom $HOME/alpine/alpine-virt-3.14.0-x86_64.iso \
  -boot d \
  -nographic

3. Make it executable:



chmod +x bootup-alpine.sh

4. Run VM:



./bootup-alpine.sh


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Install Alpine Linux

1. Login as root when VM boots.


2. Run Alpine setup:



setup-alpine

Select network, hostname, root password, and package mirror.

Use disk vda → sys → confirm erase.

Complete setup and reboot.



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Install Docker

1. Update Alpine packages:



apk update && apk upgrade -y

2. Install Docker:



apk add docker

3. Enable Docker at boot:



rc-update add docker default
service docker start

4. Verify Docker:



docker version
docker run hello-world


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Install K3s (Kubernetes)

1. Install prerequisites:



apk add curl bash

2. Install k3s lightweight Kubernetes:



curl -sfL https://get.k3s.io | INSTALL_K3S_EXEC="--disable=traefik --disable=servicelb" sh -

3. Enable k3s at boot:



rc-update add k3s default
service k3s start

4. Set KUBECONFIG permanently:



echo 'export KUBECONFIG=/etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml' >> /etc/profile
source /etc/profile

5. Verify cluster:



kubectl get nodes
kubectl get pods -A


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Configure Environment

Check CPU cores:


nproc

Check RAM:


cat /proc/meminfo | grep MemTotal

Verify disk usage:


df -h


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Auto-start Services

Check runlevel services:


rc-status

Ensure docker and k3s are listed under default and started.



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Shutdown and Restart VM

Shutdown Alpine safely:


poweroff

start Alphine with disk
qemu-system-x86_64 \
  -smp 8 -m 6500 \
  -drive file=$HOME/alpine/alpine.qcow2,if=virtio \
  -netdev user,id=n1,hostfwd=tcp::2222-:22 \
  -device virtio-net,netdev=n1 \
  -nographic


Stop QEMU process (if still running):


ps aux | grep qemu
kill <PID>

Restart VM:


./start-alpine.sh

After boot, services start automatically, and kubectl works with exported KUBECONFIG.