NixOS

Linux distribution

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Linux distribution

NixOS

NixOS official snowflake logo

Developer| NixOS contributors
NixOS Foundation[1][2]
Written in| Nix expression language[note 1]
OS family| Linux (Unix-like)
Working state| Current
Source model| Open source
Initial release| 0.1 / 3 June 2003; 22 years ago (2003-06-03)
Latest release| 25.05 / May 23, 2025; 2 months ago (2025-05-23)
Latest preview| 25.11-pre / May 16, 2025; 3 months ago (2025-05-16)
Repository|

* github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs

Marketing target| General purpose
Package manager| Nix
Supported platforms| fully supported: x86-64, AArch64;[3] limited support (must be built from source): i686[4]
Kernel type| Monolithic (Linux kernel)
License| MIT[5][note 2]
Official website| nixos.org

NixOS is a Linux distribution based on a package manager named Nix. NixOS uses an immutable design and an atomic update model.[6] Its use of a declarative programming configuration system allows reproducibility and portability.[7] It is free and open-source software with an MIT License.

NixOS is configured using composable modules, and relies on packages defined in the Nixpkgs project. Package recipes and configurations are written in the purpose-built "Nix language" that ships with the Nix package manager.

## History

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2023)

|

Nix began in 2003 as a research project led by Eelco Dolstra, who sought to develop a system for reliable software deployment. This work culminated in Dolstra's Ph.D. thesis, The Purely Functional Software Deployment Model, which proposed a novel approach to declarative, functional software configuration. His research, supervised by Eelco Visser at Utrecht University, laid the theoretical groundwork for Nix.[8][9]

In 2006, NixOS was introduced as part of Armijn Hemel's Master's thesis, which explored applying Nix principles to a Linux distribution. This led to the creation of a unique, declarative configuration model that distinguished NixOS from other operating systems.[10]

The NixOS Foundation was established in 2015 in the Netherlands to support projects that implement the purely functional deployment model, ensuring the ongoing development and sustainability of NixOS and its ecosystem.[11]

### Wiki

[edit]

This section may contain information not important or relevant to the article's subject. Please help improve this section. (December 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

The first NixOS community wiki was launched around 2010–2011 to centralize documentation and support collaborative knowledge-sharing. However, as community interest in maintaining the wiki waned, outdated and incorrect information accumulated, reducing its usefulness.[12] In November 2015, Rok Garbas highlighted the decaying state of the wiki in his talk 'Make Nix Friendlier for Beginners', sparking widespread discussion in the community.[13] While many developers argued that the Nix* manuals were a better repository for official documentation, no immediate solution was implemented.

By mid-2016, spam bots had overwhelmed the wiki due to insufficient protection, leading to it being locked in August of that year. In February 2017, a GitHub issue was opened to discuss unlocking the wiki, but the debate resulted in no resolution. Finally, in May 2017, the wiki was permanently disabled; the web pages are preserved at the Internet Archive.[14]

To fill the void, Jörg Thalheim (Mic92) launched the nixos-users GitHub wiki in April 2017. Although this platform allowed quick edits and community contributions, it lacked features such as search functionality and a table of contents. Shortly thereafter, Tristan Helmich (fadenb) created a new MediaWiki-based wiki on his own initiative, citing the poor user experience of the GitHub wiki. Felix Richter (makefu) later migrated content from the GitHub wiki to Helmich's wiki.[15]

In January 2024, a new initiative to establish an official wiki was launched. This resulted in the official wiki currently in use, which was launched on 1 April 2024.[12][16]

## Release version history

[edit]

Version, name  | Date

|

13.10, Aardvark | October 2013
14.04, Baboon | April 2014
14.12, Caterpillar | December 2014
15.09, Dingo | September 2015
16.03, Emu | March 2016
16.09, Flounder | September 2016
17.03, Gorilla | March 2017
17.09, Hummingbird | September 2017
18.03, Impala | March 2018
18.09, Jellyfish | September 2018
19.03, Koi | March 2019
19.09, Loris | September 2019
20.03, Markhor | March 2020
20.09, Nightingale | September 2020
21.05, Okapi | May 2021
21.11, Porcupine | November 2021
22.05, Quokka | May 2022
22.11, Raccoon | November 2022
23.05, Stoat | May 2023
23.11, Tapir | November 2023
24.05, Uakari | May 2024
24.11, Vicuña | November 2024
25.05, Warbler | May 2025
25.11, Xantusia | November 2025

NixOS publishes stable releases twice a year, near the ends of May and November.[17][18][19]

## Features

[edit]

NixOS graphical installer

### Declarative configuration model

[edit]

In NixOS, the entire operating system—including the kernel, applications, system packages, and configuration files—is built by the Nix package manager from a description in the Nix language. Building a new version will not overwrite previous versions.[20]

A NixOS system is configured by writing a specification of the functionality that the user wants on their machine in a global configuration file (typically located in `/etc/nixos`). The following is a minimal specification of a machine running an SSH daemon:[21]

boot.loader.grub.device = "/dev/sda";
fileSystems."/".device = "/dev/sda1";
services.openssh.enable = true;

After changing the specification file, the system can be updated using the `nixos-rebuild` command. This does everything necessary to create the new version of the system, including downloading and installing packages, and generating configuration files.

### Reliable and atomic upgrades

[edit]

Since Nix files are pure and declarative, evaluating them will always produce the same result, regardless of what packages or configuration files are on the system.

NixOS has a transactional approach to configuration management, making configuration changes such as upgrades atomic. For example, if an upgrade to a new configuration is interrupted by power failure, the system will still be in a consistent state: it will either boot in the old or the new configuration.[22]

### Rollbacks

[edit]

If, after a system update, the new configuration is undesirable, it can be rolled back using a special command (`nixos-rebuild switch --rollback`). Every system configuration version automatically shows up in the system boot menu. If the new configuration crashes or does not boot properly, an older version can be selected. Rollbacks are lightweight operations that do not involve files being restored from copies.[23]

### Reproducible system configurations

[edit]

NixOS's declarative configuration model makes it easy to reproduce a system configuration on another machine. Copying the configuration file to the target machine and running the system update command generates the same system configuration (kernel, applications, system services, and so on) except for parts of the system not managed by the package manager, such as user data.

### Source-based model with binary cache

[edit]

The Nix build language used by NixOS specifies how to build packages from source. This makes it easy to adapt the system to user needs. However, building from source being a slow process, the package manager automatically downloads pre-built binaries from a cache server when they are available. It is possible to disable the binary cache and force building from source by using `--option substitute false` as an argument. Changing any of the build options from the defaults will also cause packages to be built from source. This gives the flexibility of a source-based package management model, with the efficiency of a binary model.[24]

### Consistency

[edit]

The Nix package manager ensures that the running system is consistent with the logical specification of the system, meaning that it will rebuild all packages that need to be rebuilt. For instance, if the kernel is changed, then the package manager will ensure that external kernel modules will be rebuilt. Similarly, when a library is updated, it ensures that all the system packages use the new version, even packages statically linked to it.

### Multi-user package management

[edit]

There is no need for special privileges to install software in NixOS. In addition to the system-wide profile, every user has a dedicated profile in which they can install packages. Nix also allows multiple versions of a package to coexist, so different users can have different versions of the same package installed in their respective profiles. If two users install the same version of a package, only one copy will be built or downloaded. Nix's security model ensures that this is secure, because only the users explicitly trusted by the system configuration are allowed to use build parameters that would allow them to control the content of a derivation's output (such as adding impurities to the sandbox, or using an untrusted substituter).[clarification needed] Without those parameters, paths can only be substituted from a substituter trusted by the system, or a local sandboxed build which is implicitly trusted.

### Flakes

[edit]

The flakes feature of Nix aims to improve the reproducibility, composability, and usability of Nix-based configurations. It provides a standardized way to define, manage, and share Nix expressions, making it easier to create and maintain reproducible systems.[25]

### Nix-shell

[edit]

The nix-shell command starts an interactive shell based on a Nix expression. It allows developers to work with isolated sets of dependencies without affecting the system globally.[26]

## Implementation

[edit]

NixOS is based on the Nix package manager, which stores all packages in isolation from each other in the package store.

Installed packages are identified by a cryptographic hash of all input used for their build. Changing the build instructions of a package modifies its hash, and that will result in a different package being installed in the package store. This system is also used to manage configuration files, ensuring that newer configurations do not overwrite older ones.

An implication of this is that NixOS does not follow the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard. The only exceptions are that a `/bin/sh` symlink is created to the version of bash in the Nix store (e.g. `/nix/store/s/5rnfzla9kcx4mj5zdc7nlnv8na1najvg-bash-4.3.43/`), and while NixOS does have an `/etc` directory to keep system-wide configuration files, most files in that directory are symlinks to generated files in `/nix/store`, such as `/nix/store/s2sjbl85xnrc18rl4fhn56irkxqxyk4p-sshd_config`. Not using global directories such as `/bin` is part of what allows multiple versions of a package to coexist.

## Reception

[edit]

Jesse Smith, reviewing NixOS 15.09 for DistroWatch Weekly in 2015,[27] wrote:

> I very much like the way NixOS takes the worry out of upgrading packages by placing each change in its own "generation" and I found, from the end user's point of view, NixOS worked just the same as any other Linux distribution. Setting up NixOS is not for beginners, and I do not think NixOS is intended to be used as a general purpose desktop operating system. But what NixOS does do is give us a useful playground in which to examine the Nix package manager and I think this is very interesting technology which deserves further exploration and adoption by additional distributions.

A 2022 review of NixOS 21.11 "Porcupine" in Full Circle concluded:

> Overall NixOS Gnome 21.11 impresses as serious, neat and elegant. If you are a fan of the unmodified Gnome desktop, then you will find a lot to like here. The downside of this distribution is the steep learning curve for package management, including updates and the like. No matter which distribution you come from, you will have much to learn to be able to make Nix work well for you on the command-line.[28]

NixOS 22.11 "Raccoon" reviewed by Liam Proven at The Register:

> Compared to reports of NixOS from just two or three years ago, we found it was very simple to get it installed and working. This suggests that the tools are maturing well and reaching a certain level of polish, but from a first-time perspective we have no prior baseline to compare against. This is very much not a traditional distro, or even a traditional Unix, but it works and we can see the appeal.[29]

NixOS 23.11 "Tapir" reviewed by Jesse Smith at DistroWatch:

> NixOS is a rare gem in that I don't think I ran into any errors while I was using it. The distribution was stable, it worked well with my hardware, and I didn't run into a single issue while running it. I feel NixOS is well worth a try, especially if you're a system administrator and want to deploy (or maintain) identical distributions across multiple machines.[30]

## See also

[edit]

* GNU Guix System – an operating system built on GNU Guix that is inspired by Nix

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Various programming languages are used throughout NixOS, as of December 2023. The Linux kernel is written in C. The Nix package manager is written in C++.
2. ^ Various other licenses are used for software included with NixOS, for example the Linux kernel is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.0, as of December 2023.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Community - nixos.org". Archived from the original on 2022-09-23. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
2. ^ "NixOS/nixos-foundation". GitHub. Archived from the original on 2022-09-23. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
3. ^ "Download Nix & NixOS". nixos.org. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
4. ^ RaitoBezarius (2024-01-02). "Limited cache availability for i686 (32 bits x86) architecture". discourse.nixos.org. Retrieved 2024-12-24. "[…] we are removing the 32 bits ISO on the NixOS homepage, NixOS tests […]"
5. ^ "nixpkgs/COPYING at master: NixOS/nixpkgs". GitHub.com. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
6. ^ "What Is an Immutable Linux Distro, and Should You Use One?". HowToGeek.com. 6 December 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2023-12-07.
7. ^ "DistroWatch.com: NixOS". Distrowatch.com. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
8. ^ Dolstra, Eelco (2003). "Integrating Software Construction and Software Deployment" (PDF). Software Configuration Management. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 2649\. pp. 102–117\. doi:10.1007/3-540-39195-9_8. ISBN 978-3-540-14036-8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-21.
9. ^ Dolstra, Eelco (2006). The Purely Functional Software Deployment Model (PDF) (Ph.D.). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-06-09.
10. ^ Dolstra, Eelco. "Purely Functional System Configuration Management". Usenix.org. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
11. ^ "Stichting NixOS Foundation". Nixos.org. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
12. ^ a b "NixOS Wiki: History". NixOS Wiki. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
13. ^ Garbas, Rok (2015). "Make Nix Friendlier for Beginners". media.ccc.de.
14. ^ "NixOS Wiki: Main Page". nixos.org/wiki. Archived from the original on 3 May 2017 - via Internet Archive.
15. ^ Helmich, Tristan. "MediaWiki for NixOS". Retrieved 2024-01-01.
16. ^ "NixOS Wiki:News". NixOS Wiki. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
17. ^ "Governance". Nixos.org. Archived from the original on 2020-08-16. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
18. ^ "Nix RFCS (Request for Comments)". GitHub. 17 December 2021.
19. ^ "Release Announcements". Nixos.org. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
20. ^ Dolstra, Eelco; Hemel, Armijn (2007-05-07). Purely Functional System Configuration Management (PDF). 11th USENIX workshop on Hot topics in operating systems. San Diego, California, USA: USENIX Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-07-10. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
21. ^ "About NixOS". Nixos.org. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
22. ^ van der Burg, Sander; Dolstra, Eelco; de Jonge, Merijn (2008-10-20). Atomic Upgrading of Distributed Systems (PDF). 1st International Workshop on Hot Topics in Software Upgrades. Nashville, Tennessee, USA: Association for Computing Machinery. doi:10.1145/1490283.1490294. ISBN 978-1-60558-304-4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-13. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
23. ^ NixOS Manual - Rolling Back Configuration Changes, Nixos.org
24. ^ Dolstra, Eelco (2005-11-07). Secure Sharing Between Untrusted Users in a Transparent Source/Binary Deployment Model (PDF). 20th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Automated Software Engineering. Long Beach, California, USA: Association for Computing Machinery. doi:10.1145/1101908.1101933. ISBN 978-1-58113-993-8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-13. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
25. ^ NixOS Manual - Flakes, Nixos.org
26. ^ "nix-shell". Nix Reference Manual. Retrieved 2025-02-17.
27. ^ Smith, Jesse (23 November 2015). "NixOS 15.09 and the Nix package manager". DistroWatch Weekly. No. 637.
28. ^ Hunt, Adam (28 October 2022). "Review: NixOS" (PDF). Full Circle. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
29. ^ Proven, Liam (2022-12-13). "NixOS 22.11 'Raccoon': Like a proof of concept you can do things with OSes". The Register.
30. ^ Smith, Jesse (1 April 2024). "NixOS 23.11". DistroWatch Weekly. No. 1064.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Official Wiki
* Nix language manual
* Nix packages collection

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