DevOps NixOS Nix Package Manager Nix Shell
Nix is a cross-platform package manager and build system that is used to manage software dependencies and system configurations[1][2]. It is designed to be a declarative and reproducible system-wide configuration management tool that supports atomic upgrades and rollbacks[2]. Nix uses a deployment model where software is installed into unique directories generated through cryptographic hashes, which makes it more reliable, reproducible, and portable[1]. Nix packages are defined through a lazy functional programming language specifically designed for package management, and dependencies are tracked directly in this language through an intermediate format called “derivations”[1]. A Nix environment keeps track of references automatically, which allows unused packages to be garbage collected when no other package depends on them[1]. Nix has full support for Linux and macOS and can safely be installed side by side with an existing package manager[1]. Nix is used for software packaging and distribution in CERN’s LHCb experiment, and NixOS is a Linux distribution using Nix for managing software in the system, including the Linux kernel[1]. The Nix Packages collection (Nixpkgs) is a set of over 80,000 packages for the Nix package manager[2].
Citations: [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nix_(package_manager) [2] https://nixos.org [3] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nix [4] https://www.nixlice.com [5] https://www.nixsensor.com [6] https://www.dictionary.com/browse/nix