NixOS
| NixOS | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | NixOS contributors
NixOS Foundation |
| Written in | Nix expression language |
| OS family | Linux (Unix-like) |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Open source |
| Initial release | 3 June 2006 |
| Latest release | 26.05 / May 30, 2026 |
| Latest preview | 26.11-pre / May 30, 2026 |
| Repository | |
| Marketing target | General purpose |
| Package manager | Nix |
| Supported platforms | fully supported: x86-64, AArch64; limited support (must be built from source): i686 |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux kernel) |
| Userland | GNU |
| License | MIT |
| Official website | nixos |
NixOS is a Linux distribution built around the Nix package manager. Unlike traditional Linux distributions, NixOS is configured using Nix's functional programming language or one of Nix's forks. The operating system builds itself according to declarations written by the user within its config files, allowing them to manage and alter all aspects of their system, as well as install identical builds of that system on any other machine. From those files, NixOS generates complete system profiles, enabling reproducible deployments, atomic upgrades, and system rollbacks. Representing the primary implementation of the Nix package manager, NixOS is often just referred to eponymously as Nix.
NixOS relies on the Nixpkgs collection of package definitions and the Nix expression language for declaring packages and system options. It is free and open-source software under the MIT License.