python:3.14-slim vs python:3.14-alpine

The short answer

• python:3.14-alpine is 74 MB smaller unpacked on amd64 (50 MB vs 124 MB, 59% less).
• As a download, python:3.14-alpine is 18 MB compressed against 44 MB for python:3.14-slim: 2.4× less to pull.
• python:3.14-alpine has fewer known vulnerabilities: 8 (5 critical or high) against 174 (49 critical or high) in python:3.14-slim.
• 8 of python:3.14-slim's 174 findings have a fixed version available upstream.
• 8 of python:3.14-alpine's 8 findings have a fixed version available upstream.
• Base OS: python:3.14-slim is built on Debian 13.7 (trixie); python:3.14-alpine on Alpine Linux 3.24.3.
• Alpine images use musl libc instead of glibc. Most software runs unchanged; prebuilt binaries linked against glibc (some Python wheels, Node native modules, vendor agents) may not.
• Packages detected: 106 in python:3.14-slim, 49 in python:3.14-alpine.
• Filesystem layers: 4 vs 4.
• Platforms: only python:3.14-slim ships arm/v5; only python:3.14-alpine ships arm/v6.