Nixpkgs: Difference between revisions

Line 1:

'''Nixpkgs''' is the largest repository of [[Nix]] packages and [[NixOS]] modules. The repository is [https://github.com/nixos/nixpkgs hosted on GitHub] and maintained by the community, with official backing from the [https://nixos.org NixOS Foundation].

To search among available packages, see [[Searching packages]].

To search among available packages and options, see [[Searching packages]].

As highlighted in [https://nixos.org/blog/announcements.html#21.05 the announcement] of the NixOS 21.05 release, ''"NixOS is already known as [https://repology.org/repositories/statistics/newest the most up to date distribution] and is [https://repology.org/repositories/statistics/total in the top three by total number of packages]."'' This is thanks to the community's continued dedication to making Nixpkgs the preeminent Linux package repository.

Line 15:

The packages and modules hosted on Nixpkgs are distributed through various [[channel branches]] intended for particular use-cases. In practice they are differentiated by the level of testing updates must pass on the official [https://nixos.org/hydra/manual/#idm140737315980672 nixos.org Hydra instance] and the number of updates they receive.

For [[NixOS]] users, <code>nixos-unstable</code> channel branch is the rolling release, where packages pass build tests and integration tests on a VM, and are tested from the perspective of being an operative system (this means things like the X server, KDE, various servers, and lower level details like installing bootloaders and runnning the NixOS installation steps are also tested).

For standalone [[Nix]] users, <code>nixpkgs-unstable</code> channel branch is the rolling release, where packages pass only basic build tests and are upgraded continuously.

~~For~~ [[NixOS]] users~~, <code>~~nixos-~~unstable</code>~~ channel ~~branch is the rolling release, where packages pass build tests and integration tests on a VM, and~~ are ~~tested from~~ the ~~perspective~~ of ~~being an operative system (this means things like the X server, KDE, various servers,~~ and ~~lower level details like installing bootloaders and runnning~~ the ~~NixOS installation steps are also tested)~~.

Both [[NixOS]] and [[Nix]] users can use stable channel branches - the latest being {{nixos:latest}} - to receive only conservative updates for fixing critical bugs and security vulnerabilities. Stable channel branches are released bi-annually at the end of May and the end of November.

~~Both [[Nix]] and [[~~NixOS~~]] users can use stable channel branches -~~ the ~~latest being {{nixos:latest}} - to receive only conservative updates for fixing critical bugs and security vulnerabilities~~.

Using stable channels on NixOS is comparable to the user experience on other Linux distributions.

== Alternatives ==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 '''Nixpkgs''' is the largest repository of [[Nix]] packages and [[NixOS]] modules. The repository is [https://github.com/nixos/nixpkgs hosted on GitHub] and maintained by the community, with official backing from the [https://nixos.org NixOS Foundation].
-To search among available packages, see [[Searching packages]].
+To search among available packages and options, see [[Searching packages]].
 As highlighted in [https://nixos.org/blog/announcements.html#21.05  the announcement] of the NixOS 21.05 release, ''"NixOS is already known as [https://repology.org/repositories/statistics/newest the most up to date distribution] and is [https://repology.org/repositories/statistics/total in the top three by total number of packages]."'' This is thanks to the community's continued dedication to making Nixpkgs the preeminent Linux package repository.
@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 The packages and modules hosted on Nixpkgs are distributed through various [[channel branches]] intended for particular use-cases. In practice they are differentiated by the level of testing updates must pass on the official [https://nixos.org/hydra/manual/#idm140737315980672 nixos.org Hydra instance] and the number of updates they receive.
+For [[NixOS]] users, <code>nixos-unstable</code> channel branch is the rolling release, where packages pass build tests and integration tests on a VM, and are tested from the perspective of being an operative system (this means things like the X server, KDE, various servers, and lower level details like installing bootloaders and runnning the NixOS installation steps are also tested).
 For standalone [[Nix]] users, <code>nixpkgs-unstable</code> channel branch is the rolling release, where packages pass only basic build tests and are upgraded continuously.
-For [[NixOS]] users, <code>nixos-unstable</code> channel branch is the rolling release, where packages pass build tests and integration tests on a VM, and are tested from the perspective of being an operative system (this means things like the X server, KDE, various servers, and lower level details like installing bootloaders and runnning the NixOS installation steps are also tested).
+Both [[NixOS]] and [[Nix]] users can use stable channel branches - the latest being {{nixos:latest}} - to receive only conservative updates for fixing critical bugs and security vulnerabilities. Stable channel branches are released bi-annually at the end of May and the end of November.
-Both [[Nix]] and [[NixOS]] users can use stable channel branches - the latest being {{nixos:latest}} - to receive only conservative updates for fixing critical bugs and security vulnerabilities.
+Using stable channels on NixOS is comparable to the user experience on other Linux distributions.
 == Alternatives ==