NixOS and the case for declarative configuration
All at Once
© Lead Image © Sergey Lavrentev, 123RF.com
The innovative NixOS makes it easy to test and deploy new configurations – on the hardware and in the cloud
Linux distribution updates always come with a certain risk. Will all the configured services still work after the upgrade? Or, has a daemon once again changed the format of its configuration files so that the program fails to launch? Most Linux distributions are at least smart enough to avoid overwriting user-modified config files, but a defined upgrade path, which ensures the operation of the upgraded system, usually is not available.
The Nix project [1] takes an alternative approach. A Nix system is fundamentally different from normal Linux distributions. The system state is set declaratively, instead of imperatively. In other words, the complete system is defined all at once, rather than configured through a series of independent steps that each change the system state.
Nix consists of a special package manager, a package collection, a Linux distribution, and some other specialized tools. The instructions of the Nix package manager obey functional principles: an input state is entered in the function (the package manager), and the output is a new system state. Side effects are not allowed.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 Now Available
The latest Linux kernel is now available with several new features/improvements and the usual bug fixes.
-
Microsoft Makes Surprising WSL Announcement
In a move that might surprise some users, Microsoft has made Windows Subsystem for Linux open source.
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.