Docker Hub - Quay.io - bfren ecosystem
This is the bfren ecosystem base image for software that needs Debian - glibc, or packages that are not available (or not reliable) on Alpine.
It is the same platform as Alpine - the Alpine image's overlay is copied in when this image is built - so everything you know about the bf module, bf-install, the saved environment and /test works identically. This page only covers what is different on Debian.
It is Debian (slim) with:
- Nushell and the
bfmodule, exactly as in the Alpine image - Busybox, so the same small utilities (
ln,wget,adduser, …) behave the same on both aptconfigured not to install recommended or suggested packages, to keep images smallca-certificatespre-installed, and the same static build of figlet as the Alpine image
Use it as the FROM line for images that run a single command or tool. For images that run a long-lived service, use Debian + S6 instead. If you don't need Debian, prefer Alpine - it is smaller.
my-image/
├── Dockerfile
└── overlay/
└── tmp/
└── install
Dockerfile:
FROM quay.io/bfren/debian:debian13-5.4
ARG BF_IMAGE=my-image
ARG BF_VERSION=1.0.0
COPY ./overlay /
RUN bf-installoverlay/tmp/install - your installation script, run by bf-install:
#!/usr/bin/nu
use bf
# Install my-image
def main [] {
bf pkg install [curl jq]
bf write ok "my-image installed."
}Build it and open a shell:
docker build -t my-image . && docker run --rm -it my-image nuInside the container, bf image shows the image name and version.
- 🌀 Debian 12 and 13 - choose with the image tag
- 🐚 Nushell, with the
bfmodule loaded in every shell - 🧱
bf-install- one standard build step for every image - 🌍 Container environment saved at start-up and available to every script
- 🛠️ Helper executables (
bf-env,bf-write,bf-wget, …) for shell scripts - 📝 esh for generating files from templates
- 📦
bf pkgworks withapt, so your install scripts read the same as on Alpine - 🕐 Timezone set to
Europe/London - 🧪 Built-in test runner that checks its tests really execute
Images are published to Docker Hub (bfren/debian) and Quay.io (quay.io/bfren/debian) for linux/amd64, linux/arm/v7 and linux/arm64.
| Tag | Example | Use when |
|---|---|---|
debianX |
debian13 |
You want the latest image for a Debian version |
debianX-MAJOR |
debian13-5 |
You want updates, but not breaking changes |
debianX-MINOR |
debian13-5.4 |
You want fixes only - recommended for building on |
debianX-VERSION |
debian13-5.4.0 |
You want to pin this image exactly |
debianX.Y |
debian13.7 |
You want an exact Debian point release |
debianX.Y-VERSION |
debian13.7-5.4.0 |
You want to pin both |
NAME, NAME-MAJOR … |
trixie, trixie-5.4 |
As above, using the Debian release name |
latest, 5, 5.4, 5.4.0 |
As above, on the newest Debian version |
| Debian | Security support ends | Community LTS ends |
|---|---|---|
| 13 (trixie) | 2028-08-09 | 2030-06-30 |
| 12 (bookworm) | ended 2026-07-11 | 2028-06-30 |
Debian 12 has moved to Debian's volunteer-run LTS. Use Debian 13 for anything new. Source: endoflife.date
| Variable | Values | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
BF_DEBUG |
0, 1 |
Show detailed output from bf scripts. |
0 |
| Argument | Description |
|---|---|
BF_IMAGE |
Required by bf-install. The image name, saved to /etc/bf/IMAGE. |
BF_VERSION |
Required by bf-install. The image version, saved to /etc/bf/VERSION. |
BF_PUBLISHING |
Set to 1 for release builds - removes the test files and preinstall script. |
Building, starting, the saved environment and the bf module work exactly as they do in the Alpine image - read that for the full guide. The differences are below.
| Area | Alpine | Debian |
|---|---|---|
| Package manager | apk |
apt-get - bf pkg install, remove and upgrade run apt-get update first, then the action, non-interactively |
| Recommended packages | n/a | Not installed (Install-Recommends and Install-Suggests are 0) |
| C library | musl | glibc |
| Utilities | Alpine's own Busybox | Busybox replaces the Debian equivalents (except dpkg, grep, find and a few others that Debian's packages rely on) |
bf clean |
Removes the apk cache |
Removes /var/lib/apt/lists and /usr/share/man |
bf tz |
Installs tzdata, then removes it |
Uses the tzdata already in Debian |
Everything else - bf env, bf write, bf fs, bf ch, bf esh, bf http, bf user, bf test and the rest - is the same code, so scripts you write for one image work on the other apart from package names.
/test runs the Nushell tests in /etc/nu/scripts/tests, as in Alpine. Tests are removed from published images, so run them on your own builds.
./test.nu # builds the Debian 13 image and runs /test
./test.nu 12 # the same for Debian 12
./test.nu --all # every version, in parallelbf pkg install runs apt-get update each time, so a "not found" error usually means the package name is Debian's and not Alpine's (e.g. libpq-dev, not postgresql-dev; build-essential, not build-base).
In this image the timezone is set when the image is built. Call bf tz Europe/Paris (for example) in your /tmp/install, or use Debian + S6, which applies BF_TZ every time the container starts.
The image has no default command. Give it one, e.g. docker run --rm -it bfren/debian nu.
Alpine, unless something you need requires glibc or a Debian package - it is smaller. Choose Debian for software that needs glibc, or that is only packaged or supported for Debian (bfren/mariadb offers both Alpine and Debian variants).
Use this one for images that run a single command - a CLI tool, a build step. Use Debian + S6 for long-running services, especially if they need scheduled tasks or start-up checks.
The platform is shared. When this image is built, the Alpine overlay is cloned at the version set in generate-dockerfiles.sh and copied in, then the Debian-specific files in this repository replace the ones that differ (bf pkg, bf clean, bf tz).
Copyright (c) 2022-2026 bfren (unless otherwise stated)