Alternative Package Sets
nixpkgs replacements
Even though nixpkgs is currently the standard package set for nix and NixOS it is possible with medium effort to replace and rewrite the functionality. These Nixpkgs alternatives may build upon certain aspects of nixpkgs but most of the time serve a distinct purpose. This is a list of Nixpkgs alternatives.
- triton - differences between nixpkgs and triton
- nixcrpkgs Focus on cross-compiling
Overlays
Since nixos-17.03 nixpkgs provides the overlay feature which can be used to extend the nixpkgs package set (Chapter about overlays in the nixpkgs manual).
This is an non-exhaustive list of overlays:
NixOS enhancements
Some external modules provide extra functionality to the nixpkgs module system. You can include these modules after extracting them onto the system by using imports = [ `path to module`] or add them to your NIX_PATH via NIX_PATH=$NIX_PATH:musnix=/path/to/musnix and import them by including imports = [ <musnix> ] in your configuration.nix<code..